A Workshop Overview

Those trees are growing upside down!

I.                    The Therapeutic Value of Humor

II.                  Types of Humor

III.                What does the Bible and/or the religious world have to say about humor?

IV.               Why are we reluctant to laugh in the face of grave illness or disability?

V.                 Granting Permission to Laugh

Workshop Rationale

Extended time in the presence of a gravely ill or disabled person can lead to depression and sorrow.  While the end results of many illnesses cannot be changed, finding humor wherever possible can be therapeutic to patient and caregiver alike.

Workshop Objectives

  to demonstrate the therapeutic value of humor

  to investigate the types of humor

  to recognize harmful humor

  to accept the fact that a sense of humor is a God-given gift

  to hear what the religious world has to say about humor

  to encourage participants to give themselves permission to laugh

A power point presentation will assist the speaker in presenting this workshop.  A hard copy of this power point presentation will be given to each participant.  Humor will be used whenever possible to illustrate the point at hand.  Near the end of the session, time will be allotted to allow participants to share their own humorous experiences.  If possible, these will also be written down and presented to be included in a future mailing to each interested party.

Time:  time will be adjusted to meet the needs of the conference