Improv Therapy Group Blog

Family Portraits, an improv group exercises

As described by Lisa Bany.   Oh, the uses for Family Portraits! I use this for team building, for brain yoga, for non-verbal communication, for trusting your gut and embracing imperfection, for character and scene idea development, and for performances! Divide the group in half. Groups gather together as if they’re having a family picture taken, perhaps with some levels, some folks standing behind others who are sitting, etc. If…

Interactive Sensory Art Exhibit

A.K.A “Yes, Yes, Yes.” As described by Lisa Bany. An improv exercise for using the five senses to feel present in the moment, and creating a unique experience with an ensemble Inspired by therapeutic exercises that use the five senses to ground oneself and feel present in the moment (such as 5,4,3,2,1)*, I created this exercise for improvisers to explore their senses in a creative and grounding way. Let’s imagine…

First Word, Last Word: An Improv Therapy Group game about listening and being in the moment.

As described by Lisa Bany. I remember Martin de Maat (my Columbia College/Second City mentor) pointing out how people are often thinking about what they want to say long before the person they’re talking to has finished speaking, missing the latter part of the conversation. We play this game to practice staying present in the moment, and listening through to the very end. Player One makes a statement. Player Two…

Inventing Improv: A Chicago Stories Special Documentary

Chicago’s greatest cultural export just might be improvised theater, which was born at Jane Addams’ Hull House during the Great Depression and carried out into the world by the likes of Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Stephen Colbert. But while to most people improv might seem synonymous with comedy, the art form was devised by a woman named Viola Spolin who wasn’t out for laughs.     Find…

Moving the Needle on Mental Health

Angela Nino, Improv Therapy Group’s founder and CEO, was interviewed for this article by Chicago Health Online. “Sometimes, theater and therapy aren’t all that far apart. “When I was doing my own therapy and doing my own work on myself, I realized that my improv teacher and my therapist were telling me the same things,” says Angela Nino, founder and CEO of Improv Therapy Group. Nino found it easier to…

Improv Therapy Group, Transformative Therapy with Believers in the Healing Power of Laughter

  CARAVAN OF THE HEART just released a new episode, called Improv Therapy Group, Transformative Therapy with Believers in the Healing Power of Laughter, featuring Improv Therapy Group’s Angela Nino, Marcy Bain, and Lisa Bany. Here is an excerpt from the description: “We find magic words and get a Bland Aid for your life. We discover the transformational power of “Yes…And.” We learn that when we commit to having each…

Red Daisies: Applied Improv for Acquired Brain Injuries

We always say that the tools you learn in Improv For Therapists can be used to help clients, but it’s always amazing to learn about it actually happening.  One therapist, who just took our Improv For Therapists Level One class, has    already started implementing what they learned in their work. They are a Community Support Worker who helps people with acquired brain injuries, and this particular story centers around…

IMPROV INTERVIEW PODCAST just released from Margot Escott, LCSW featuring Stephen Owen.

  IMPROV INTERVIEW PODCAST just released from Margot Escott, LCSW featuring Improv Therapy Group Advisory Board’s Stephen Owen. Here is an excerpt from Margot Escott’s intro: “Although Stephen had some experience in drama in high school, he chose a path leading to a Ph.D. in political science with a specialty in criminal justice. He teaches criminal justice at Radford University, so his students are college students who plan to enter…

Yes, and…. Improv Can Be Therapeutic

by Lindsey Phillips (originally published in Counseling Today) Two of the main rules of improv are that you must agree with the other person and add to the conversation. One of the most commonly used improv games “Yes, and …” illustrates these principles.  Two people face each other. One person starts by voicing a single statement. The other person accepts this idea and builds on it by responding, “Yes, and …” For example,…

How Making Things Up Together Helps Us Deal With Reality

Jude Treder-Wolff  (judetrederwolff) LCSW, CGP, MT & Certified Practitioner of Applied Improvisation, consultant/trainer and writer/performer.  www.lifestage.org, www.mostlytruethings.com Resilience is a strength which, when we face a difficult reality that stretches our capacity to cope, doesn’t go away. It provides a kind of emotional and cognitive elasticity we need to reimagine our lives when they are turned upside-down. Improv is an ideal playground for developing this elasticity. From the very start of…

Its Not Magic: How “Heroic Improv” Training Can Bring Out Our Best At The Worst Of Times

Jude Treder-Wolff  (judetrederwolff) LCSW, CGP, MT & Certified Practitioner of Applied Improvisation, consultant/trainer and writer/performer.  www.lifestage.org, www.mostlytruethings.com There are real-life, high-stakes situations in which moment-to-moment choices can have life or death consequences, specifically “no-notice” events like natural disasters, or shootings, which are, sadly, increasingly a possibility anyone might have to deal with in a public space. These situations call for the ability to prioritize and problem-solve under pressure and connect rapidly with other…

Rx Improv: How Group Creative Experiences Boost Mental Health

Jude Treder-Wolff  (judetrederwolff) LCSW, CGP, MT & Certified Practitioner of Applied Improvisation, consultant/trainer and writer/performer.  www.lifestage.org, www.mostlytruethings.com After a difficult year of separation from loved ones due to the pandemic, ongoing uncertainty about our health and safety, and the pressures of negotiating the post-pandemic social environment we need to do all we can to build each other up and maintain mental health. Improv can be a non-medical, unconventional resource that can…

Worms: An Improv Therapy Group visualization exercise for finding the humor in saying YES

Students often ask me, “if I’m always saying YES in improv, how do we have any conflict or things that make our scenes interesting?” To demonstrate that YES AND is about accepting the situation, and saying yes to moving it forward, but that our character doesn’t have to like it, I created this visualization exercise: Imagine you have a bowl in your hands. It’s a very special bowl. It’s your…

Imperfect Pairs: An Improv Therapy Group scenic exercise for embracing imperfection

Start with getting suggestions for occupations, animals or other types of characters such as: Astronauts Firefighters Ballerinas Penguins Zombies Then decide what would be the typical or “perfect” thing for these characters to be doing such as: Astronauts are floating through space Firefighters are putting out fires Ballerinas are dancing in a show Penguins are playing in the snow Zombies are eating brains Now mix it up! Randomly choose one…

Improv in the Third Act

“You can’t help growing older, but you don’t have to grow old.” George Burns Almost a decade ago, my family sat in the hospital waiting room, waiting to hear the outcome of the surgery I was undergoing to repair the damage caused by a sudden cerebral aneurysm. My surgeons appeared with the good and the bad news for my family. I had survived the surgery, but my surgeon warned, it…

Pocket Line : A traditional low-stakes improv game used for decreasing anxiety

A traditional low-stakes improv game used for decreasing anxiety, staying present in the moment, letting go of perfection, increasing confidence and finding humor in stressful situations.  DMV EMPLOYEE: What do you want? MEGAN: I need to renew my expired license. DMV EMPLOYEE: Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.  Everyone laughs including Megan who has been feeling anxiety about her upcoming errand to the DMV.  Here’s how to play:…

Hot Spot: An Improv Therapy Group “Follow the Fear” exercise

This improv warm up game is some people’s favorite, but it is also some people’s least favorite because it involves singing. (groans from students). Yes, I’m afraid there will be singing.  What’s worse is that you’ll be asked to stand in the middle of a circle and start a song all by yourself. This can be very much out of many people’s comfort zone, but I want to remind you…

No kidding: Theater improv makes you happier, creative, tolerant of uncertainty

Interesting study from researchers at the University of Michigan on the therapeutic benefits of improv. We appreciate this type of thoughtful approach to the topic. From the article….. ANN ARBOR—Can theater improvisation actually make adults feel better and more creative? “Yes, and …” A new study by researchers at the University of Michigan and Stony Brook University found that 20 minutes of improv experience causes people to feel comfortable and…

Ease into Freeze: The Improv Therapy Group way to teach the traditional improv game, Freeze

Freeze is the most popular improv game. If you have a friend who only knows one improv game, Freeze is the one they know. I like to think of it as the improviser’s playground. A chance to do a bunch of short scenes and include things like inside jokes, character gifts and callbacks. But for some Freeze is intimidating. It brings up pressures of initiating and trying to be funny. …

Sculptures: An Improv Therapy Group exercise

This exercise demonstrates some of the very basic principles of improv and communication in an active, fun, low-stakes way. We are going to make 2-person human sculptures. Players are in a circle. First player strikes a pose in the middle of the circle. Second player adds to that pose to complete the 2-person human sculpture. The third player, inspired by what the first two did, names the sculpture. There are…

How improv offers me relief from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

The other day I left my house with a feeling of ease and relaxation. Clearly, something must be wrong!! ​You see, I usually leave after mentally prying myself from a series of repetitive rituals such as checking the kitchen appliances, the faucets, and that the front door knob is locked (20 times). I have learned to do this discreetly, especially in front of my husband and children. Even after I…

Storytelling, An Improv Therapy Group exercise

Telling our stories is one of the best ways to connect. This exercise increases empathy, team bonding and communication skills. Participants are in teams of about six (often the class is split in half) Teams sit in tight circles together. Each player is going to tell a one-minute true story about themselves. It can be an embarrassing moment story, an injury story, a celebrity meeting, a vacation story, a childhood…

Love It! An improv therapy group exercise inspired by the improv games Emotional Symphony, Gripes, and Rants & Raves

There are many versions of emotion symphony type improv games. I have found that keeping things positive in recovery can be a beneficial and positive way to get folks into the improv frame of mind. Players are in teams, and position themselves half sitting and half standing behind them so that everyone can see me, the conductor. Each player will get a topic to rave about. They can choose their…

Comma, an improv therapy group exercise

Word association is a great improv exercise to help us stay in the moment, listen to our partner, and react without overthinking or judging our own responses. Comma adds the element of furthering our thoughts, and sharing more about ourselves. Participants are in a circle. Start with any suggestion, such as summertime. First player says what summertime makes them think of. Whatever they said, the next person says what that…

Silent Scream, an improv therapy group exercise

Recognizing and expressing emotions is a skill that can be practiced to build empathy and emotional intelligence. In this exercise participants get to safely explore a variety of emotions, practice non-verbally communicating them, and practice recognizing them in others. As we play the game we also develop an elaborate list of emotions (similar to the emotion wheel) to refer to in further emotional work. Participants are divided into teams. Teams…

Chain-O-Links, an improv exercise

Creating a story as a group bonds an ensemble, helps us stay in the moment, and encourages us to let go of perfection, all while laughing together. This is one of my favorite storytelling/group bonding exercises. To start, three participants volunteer for the “easiest jobs” of this exercise. For player one I get a suggestion of an occupation (plumber) and an object (apple). Player one’s line is: “Once there was…

Therapist Know-It-All, an Improv Therapy Group exercise based on One Word Story

Playing one word story is one of the best ways I know to practice embracing imperfection and staying in the moment. Playing a therapist who knows it all is a great way to practice feeling confident, and celebrating that there are no wrong answers.  Players are in small groups of three to five people. The first goal is to try to tell a story together one word at a time….

Inspirational Inventions – An Improv Therapy Group adaptation of the improv game Ad Campaign

YES AND instills self-confidence. Knowing that everyone in the room will say yes to all of your ideas at all times gives us the freedom to say what we feel without fear of rejection. Sometimes there is a voice in my head that says, “don’t say that. They might not like that. That won’t be funny enough. That won’t be good enough.” I tell my students, “Crumple that voice up…

Yes And Adventure, An Improv Therapy Group exercise

Yes And Adventure An Improv Therapy Group exercise   Everyone get a partner. Your task is for you and your partner to plan an amazing adventure together, but for the first part of the exercise you must start every sentence with either “no” or “yes, but…” For example, if your partner says, “Let’s go to Hawaii,” you might respond with, “no, I’d rather go to Europe,” or “yes, but it’s…

Recovering from Control Issues and Learning to Trust the Process

“Trust the Process.”  I was frustrated when Lisa said that to me.  We were leading an improv group in a treatment setting and I was annoyed that people were not following the rules of the game.  I leaned over to Lisa and whispered, “That is not what you told them to do. They are not doing it right.”   Lisa gave me a sweet dimpled smile and said, “Trust the process.” …

Recovering from Perfectionism and Learning to Fall Forward

“Stop trying to be so perfect.”  That was the first piece of feedback I received in improv class, and it hit me deep in my soul.  I remember nodding while I replied to my teacher, “That seems like a timely piece of life advice.” Recovering from perfectionism has been a forefront theme in my life since that moment.   I believe the origins stem from an achievement focused childhood, like “perfect…

Pass the ball, I’m not afraid to fail

There is an improv game we play with adults at recovery treatment centers. The exercise calls for someone to start with an imaginary ball of energy. The first person is holding the ball, moving it around with their hands and describing what it is.  “I’m holding a beach ball,” says the first player.  After pretending to bounce it a few times, they toss the ball to another player in the…

Neural Substrates of Spontaneous Musical Performance: An fMRI Study of Jazz Improvisation – A Study by Charles Limb and Allen Braun

Charles Limb and Allen Braun used fMRI (Functional MRI) to study the parts of the brains activated during spontaneous musical performance or improvisation.  This study showed that there is a ” distributed neural pattern may provide a cognitive context that enables the emergence of spontaneous creative activity.” We find this very interesting as it applies also to improvisation in endeavors other than musical improvisation, such as comedic improvisation and the day-to-day…

IMPROV INTERVIEW PODCAST just released from Margot Escott, LCSW featuring our very own Lisa Bany and Angela Nino.

IMPROV INTERVIEW PODCAST just released from Margot Escott, LCSW featuring our very own Lisa Bany and Angela Nino. Here is the intro from Margot Escott: “Lisa Bany and Angela Nino, are trained Improv directors, performers and creative professionals who teach and facilitate the use of applied Improvisation in the improvement of mental health. Their organization is called Improv Therapy Group and I am proud to have recently been added to…

Characters Building Character

Comedic Improvisers are known for their ability to create absurd and wacky characters, often including funny voices or strange physicalities. These performances are entertaining, as the characters might remind us of people we know, or are simply so outlandish we cannot help but laugh. In Improv Therapy, character work is a difficult skill that is often saved for more experienced groups. But encouraging patients to experiment with taking on heightened…

Radical Acceptance: What Makes Improv Therapeutic

In the past decade the field of Improv Therapy has slowly crept its way into psychological scholarship. Frontiers in Psychology and the Journal of Mental Health published articles in 2013 and 2017 respectively outlining the potential therapeutic benefits of comedic improvisation. Around the country professionals ranging from neuropsychologists to therapists to life coaches and wellness experts are incorporating improv techniques into their work. As such improv is currently being used…

“Is he allowed to do that?” – Improv gives us a rare environment where there are no wrong answers

Before an idea is a good idea or a bad idea, it is a new idea. To write a book, start a business or simply change up a go-to dinner recipe, we have to test out a new idea. But with every new idea put into action we take a risk; many businesses don’t succeed and sometimes the new ingredient we try out ruins the dish. For so many of…

Empathy and Storytelling

Improv is often explained as theater that you “make up on the fly.” Indeed, improvisational theater in a performance setting features entire stories and characters invented on the spot entirely from imagination. But improv in a therapeutic setting is deeply rooted in exploring personal stories through drama, and thus requires us to be able to share such stories. Telling personal stories in a group setting fosters empathy between the group…

Child’s Play: Life conditions us not to be silly – Improv reteaches us how

Lisa cupped her hands in the air as though she were holding a baseball. She explained to the group that she was holding an invisible ball of energy which she passed along to the people sitting around the circle. Each individual could mime an action with the invisible ball (dribbling, juggling, etc.) before passing it along. It is one of the simpler improv warm ups, but to most adults the…