Spotlight on…Icebreaker as Introduction, Icebreaker as Intervention

This post is courtesy of Alix McMurray, a therapist in Sterling who has keen insight into group facilitation and the complexities involved. Please let us know what you think by adding a comment. No matter how you look at it, everything we do in groups is an act of mindfulness, every intervention or "micro-intervention", an intentional …

ACTIVITY: Layers of Me

Purpose: Explore layers of identities Materials needed: Pens and several sheets of paper Instructions: Discuss with the group how there are layers of ourselves that we reveal to the world. Some identities or feelings are easily revealed and others are more hidden. This activity helps clients uncover what these layers of identities or feelings are. …

ACTIVITY: A bowl of worries

Purpose: To develop empathy Materials: A bowl, paper and Pens Steps/Instructions: Share with the group that it often feels really scary to share things we are worried about or afraid of. And yet, we have lots of commonalities around these areas. Ask the group to take a sheet of paper and pen and write their …

ACTIVITY: Sorting Commonalities

Purpose: To develop cohesion and practice starting conversations Materials: None Steps/Instructions: Ask group participants to walk around the room. When you say stop, you will call out a particular category (e.g., favorite season; number of siblings; favorite movie type; etc.). They will then have to organize themselves into smaller groups based on that category. Once …