Rating: 
Summary: Therapeutic activities ... in school and in treatment
Review: Alanna Jones is a certified recreational therapist who has compiled an interesting set of 104 games and activities that social workers, recreational therapists, and some educators and school counselors (in substantially separate classrooms for behavior/emotional disorders) can use. The book is organized into activities that build (1) teamwork, (2) self-esteem, (3) communication, (4) self-discovery, (5) anger management, and (6) coping skills. Almost all activities are designed for elementary school aged children, but Ms. Jones, under each activity, presents variations--either in the activity itself or in the intended age group.The crucial part of using these activities occurs after the activity is done. This is the "debriefing" part of the activity. It is absolutely necessary to do this debriefing in order that the youngster(s) arrive at some understanding of the activity just completed, and its possible meaning to them. It is assumed that the reader is comfortable with this type of debriefing, and has the skills to intercede in case the activity or debriefing are going south. The things I liked about this book are: (1) Ms. Jones' energy and positive thinking about youngsters and her desire to provide them with challenging and thoughtful moments; (2) She explains each activity or game fully, provides lists of materials needed, gives some advice on structuring the activity; (3) This is therapy "in action," so it attracts the interest and energy of the youngsters. I had two small questions about some of this book: (1) Self-esteem comes from accomplishing something, and I thought self-esteem activities were the weakest section of the book; and (2) In regard to anger management, these activities must be regarded as an adjunct, not the central core, of an anger management therapy program. When readers have a good therapeutic anger management therapy program at their facility (in their classroom), Ms. Jones' activities can help. I was impressed by Ms. Jones' selection and believe it will help counselors, therapists, coaches, and recreational therapists.
Rating:
Summary: Money well spent
Review: As a middle school counselor, I have used the activities in this book with kids of various ages and ability levels. While some of the activities do take some prep time, there are also many that you can use with what you have on hand, which is great for the busy school counselor. The activities are a lot of fun and teach great skills such as teamwork and decision-making. Well worth the money!
Rating:
Summary: Money well spent
Review: As a middle school counselor, I have used the activities in this book with kids of various ages and ability levels. While some of the activities do take some prep time, there are also many that you can use with what you have on hand, which is great for the busy school counselor. The activities are a lot of fun and teach great skills such as teamwork and decision-making. Well worth the money!
Rating: 
Summary: 104 activities...
Review: Excellent ideas to empower your students or children. When children flourish in the subjects of self-esteem, teamwork, etc..., they will succeed in life. It is our responsiblity to help them and this book is the way to do it. Easy to follow and inventive.
Rating:
Summary: 104 activities...
Review: Excellent ideas to empower your students or children. When children flourish in the subjects of self-esteem, teamwork, etc..., they will succeed in life. It is our responsiblity to help them and this book is the way to do it. Easy to follow and inventive.
Rating:
Summary: A great tool for social workers!
Review: I am a school social worker and have used this book constantly since I bought it. It has a lot of fun and unique activities that kids love. Some of them require a lot of props, and they are generally good with older children and with groups. But at the least they can give you good ideas that you can use even with younger children. Definitely a useful tool for people who work with children in groups.
Rating:
Summary: From a Counselors pespective
Review: I got the book to use in my practice as a Family Therapist. I love it. We all tend to run out of ideas and anything you can do to enhance your creative part is well worth it. This book gives great ideas on how to approach different problems with people. Good for counselors, good for youth directors and good for anyone working with people.
Rating:
Summary: From a Counselors pespective
Review: I got the book to use in my practice as a Family Therapist. I love it. We all tend to run out of ideas and anything you can do to enhance your creative part is well worth it. This book gives great ideas on how to approach different problems with people. Good for counselors, good for youth directors and good for anyone working with people.
Rating: 
Summary: There are better ones
Review: I got this book hoping it would have simple, easy to use exercises to utilize in groups, with individual clients, and with families. However, it is not. Many of the exercises require extra materials and some require a good bit of creativity. I prefer the workbook types and have those are much more helpful than this one. If you are just looking for a good place to start and some creative ideas, then this book is for you. If you all ready have some resources you like and use, you may want to check this book out from a library or bookstore before buying because I was disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Fun Activites
Review: I use this book a lot when I am ill prepared for a children's therapy group, and I need a quick idea or two. The ideas presented are easily adapted, even offering suggestions for altering the activities so they meet your group's needs. The activities can sometimes be used to spark an in-depth discussion, with a skilled counselor, or they can be used as more surface level activities to illustrate a point. I use this much more than any other book full of activities.
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