Communication and Trust!

When we think of communication, we often think it relates to verbal communication. However, communication incorporates more than just being able to speak. Appropriate and effective communication includes being able to verbalize how one is feeling, reading body language, advocating for one’s needs when feeling safe or uncomfortable, and being able to communicate with one or more people as a team in order to reach a common goal. 

In this recent Psychotherapy Group we did at a local park, we played three water balloon games. The first game was the Water Balloon Toss; involving two people holding towels and passing water balloons to each other without dropping them on the ground or having them burst. This game requires teamwork, communication, coordination, and effective decision making.

 The second game played was a version of “Hot Potato”. This game is designed to enhance social skills by building trust with one another, improving communication by using body language and eye contact, and encouraging teamwork.

The last game was a version of a “relay race”. The main objective of the game is to move the water balloons across the lawn as fast as possible in both hands without dropping or popping them. This game highlights self-confidence, trust, motivation, teamwork and communication.

When asking participants about the takeaway of this Psychotherapy Group, it was concluded that they felt more involved and could trust others more, when some people felt uncomfortable they could verbalize whether or not they wanted to participate and could identify their triggers, and even some participants that like to be independent were able to reflect on the confidence that was built by being involved with a team!