Description
Build teen self-esteem and communication skills with 150 simple, effective therapy games
Planning thoughtful and productive therapy activities for teens doesn’t have to be a complex challenge or require a lot of specialized resources. Therapy Games for Teens makes it easier to reach them, with 150 games based in recreation therapy that help teens cope with stress, bullying, grief, anxiety, depression, and more.
These fun and inclusive therapy games are designed specifically with teens in mind. Step-by-step instructions show you how to guide them as they practice everything from labeling their own emotions to creative ways of venting frustration, with techniques that incorporate mindfulness and self-reflection. Give teens the tools to navigate life’s challenges effectively, so they can grow up into confident, self-aware adults.
Therapy Games for Teens helps:
- Put teens in control—Designed for both groups and individuals, these therapy games use self-exploration and creative expression to help teens let their guard down and learn valuable coping skills.
- Discussion questions—Each activity includes tips, talking points, and open-ended questions to help teens put what they learned into perspective and apply it to their lives.
- Practical and doable—The therapy games use simple materials like pencils, paper, dry-erase boards, and tape so there’s no need for expensive or specialized tools.
Help teens arm themselves with skills to manage their emotions and step into their potential.
Angela Scarponi (verified owner) –
I am a recreational therapist who was provided with a free review copy by the publisher, and this book is the perfect addition to my resources! The format is wonderful– each chapter has activities with 3 different levels depending on your client’s skill-set in that area (great for meeting your clients where they are at and helping them grow); the directions for each activity are broken down into an accessible, easy to follow format with a quick description of the activity’s purpose (which will really help with goal writing!); several therapeutic debriefing questions for each activity; and tips for adapting each activity as well! I also love that each chapter begins with an intro to the topic with information you can use to begin a discussion. The activities are all practical and don’t require expensive supplies or lengthy prep-time, which is an absolute must for me! There is also a list of resources in the back which is a helpful addition. This book is such a wonderful resource to have and I highly recommend it for any therapist, counselor, teacher, etc!
KH (verified owner) –
I was provided this book at no cost by the publisher as I work with DCFS Youth in Care at a residential treatment center in Illinois. I began to use the book immediately. It provides an incredible amount of material in a very user-friendly, fun, concise layout. Discussion Questions and Pro Tips follow activity directions and are thoughtful and strengths-based. I particularly appreciate the section on Anger Management. – It is a lot easier to reach my adolescent residents with games, experiential exercises and creativity. This book adds immensely to my tool kit!
Daelin Miller (verified owner) –
I am a Recreational Therapist as well as LCSW and received a free copy of this book to review from the publisher. I have been in the RT field for many years and it is one of the best and cohesive books I have ever seen. It is very user-friendly, adaptable to multiple settings and will quickly become my go-to resource. It is well written with guides of how to utilize it for clients at different levels of engagement. It is broken down into ten chapters by focus such as Anger Management, Mindfulness, Self-Esteem and Trauma. A treatment goal is listed for each activity along with a list of needed supplies, duration, group size and prep. The author gives step-by-step directions for leading the activity, discussion questions and Pro Tips. The format is easy to use and read. The author included information for locating online resources as well. This book is NOT just for teens and will also be very easy to use with adults in multiple settings. It will be useful to Recreational Therapists, Mental Health Therapists, Social Workers, Teachers and others conducting individual and group therapy and activities. I recommend this as a ‘must buy’ to new as well as seasoned clinicians.
Maura T. (verified owner) –
I was fortunate to get an advanced copy of Therapy Games for Teens to review; what an excellent resource for a therapeutic setting or classroom! A concise, well-written guide like this, for any age group, is not easy to find. The book is organized into ten chapters, each with a different topic and step-by-step instructions for leading the activity, discussion questions, and additional tips. Some of the chapters that jumped out at me-MINDFULNESS/ANXIETY/DEPRESSION/GRIEF-are so important for young adults to find ways to express themselves and share their insight around these topics. Each activity is given a level (from 1-3), list of supplies, the length of time, and ideal number of participants. I can also see these activities being modified for a wider range of age groups and settings, when appropriate. I have worked with children and young adults in an art therapy setting, and many of these would easily translate into art therapy activities. This book will likely become a go-to reference guide for therapists, counselors, and educators working with any age group, but especially teens.
Stephanie rodriguez (verified owner) –
I was fortunate to receive an advanced copy of this book and love it so far! It is definitely a resource that can be used for various ages and is broken down in an easy to read format. The layout makes it easy to see what activities work best based on group size, time duration, and resources needed that way you can plan appropriately. It is great that discussion questions are also provided to help aid processing at the end. Can’t wait to use this in my own practice.
Danny W. Pettry (verified owner) –
This book contains 150 amazing activities to help teens to open up about difficult emotions like anger, stress, grief, depression, and anxiety. The activities within these pages will teach teens how they can regulate their emotions in healthy ways. It’s an enlightening book that should be required for anyone providing services for teens.”
―Danny W. Pettry II, M.Ed., LPC, NCC, CTRS-BHS, Director of Continuing Education at Rec Therapy Today
S.E. Poza (verified owner) –
I’m an LMFT so I was interested in this book for adding to my repertoire of activities when working with clients. I primarily work with kids and teens in particular. I found that most of the activities were suitable for small groups and, unfortunately, I only work with clients one to one. However, I did find that I could adapt or modify many of the activities to deal with only one client.
I liked how the book was categorized into target areas meant to address a particular issue (e.g., anxiety, self-esteem). I also thought that some of the activities were fairly creative and played into different aspects of a person’s character/preferences for how to do therapy (e.g., employing physical activity, crafts-style work, etc.) and it wasn’t all just about writing and talking. These activities were especially welcome.
I did feel at times that some of the activities were “forced” as options and somewhat derivative of some of the other activities. There are so many of them in the book that this isn’t a big weak point. Overall, I think this is a useful book in a mental health professional’s library, especially if you’re working with kids for a long time and need to introduce more variety into your sessions.
dawn desantis (verified owner) –
Awesome book, really well laid out and clear. Already began using
calinemew (verified owner) –
Being a therapist I’m always looking for ideas to make my session more enjoyable for my clients. I found this book very easy to follow and great to keep for ideas. It’s sorted by the topic you are working on, such as anger management, mindfulness, anxiety, depression etc. One activity per page, means when you are subbing you can just pick one activity and lead with that. I also find this book useful to keep as a parent because your children will grow into teenagers and likely going through these issues. Hopefully the techniques this book offers emotional connections when my children are teens.
Israel Drazin (verified owner) –
Most teenagers if not all experience many of the emotions and worries addressed in this book “Therapy Games for Teens” so this book will help many teenagers. The book contains 150 activities to help teens improve their self-esteem and coping skills and resolve their emotional issues. The book contains ten chapters with more than a dozen issues in each addressing mindfulness, self-esteem, communication skills, stress management, anger management, anxiety, depression, bullying, trauma, and grief. Each of the 150 items devotes a page to the problem tells what is its goal, what level of help is involved, what if any material is needed, whether it is better to do it with more than one person at a time, how to lead the activity, discussion questions, and tips from the pros. The activities are designed to be fun, build rapport, and spark conversation. The writing is simple and non-technical. The “games” was developed by a man who practiced recreational therapy for over twenty years, are based on well-recognized psychological teachings, and seems to work for most teens who do not have severe emotional problems.
The Girl Utah (verified owner) –
Parenting doesn’t come with a handbook.. and I’m not sure if truer words have ever been spoken?! But, being we all were teenagers at one point.. we know, it can be a difficult time and hard to navigate for all. It’s the point in life where one is “too old to be treated like a child.. and still, too young to be considered an adult.”
Wanting a home with an atmosphere where my kids feel safe to discuss any topic free, of judgment and feel validated..I found, is easy to say but, much harder to do. The book “therapy games” can aid us in opening a door and help break down the wall that teens tend to put up.. It has advise for parents who’ve been talking “at“ their teen while, receiving a loud silence or, grunt in return. No! It so not the miracle cure to raising teenagers- Nor, does it claim to be. Instead, this acts like a guide and healthy start to a conversation.. (Think game “table topics“ conversation starters – this can break the ice into places where parents want or, better yet.. need to go and connect at their teens level of communication.) I like how this is geared toward areas and common issues teens actually encounter at this point in their life. Sometimes half the battle is in finding a successful approach.. this helps make that a possibility.
This taps into probable situations and emotions.. and I love each topic has an “info. page” for the teens containing: who to seek help from.. how to approach, how many is best to involve, etc. I feel the info provided is a lot like “a cheat sheet” .. It gives tools to guide thru specific situations and leaves teens with the feeling or idea, that “they” chose how to handle, and for teens they can feel empowered by this!
As a parent I like the sound, quality advise, it helps both parties in the end. My personal favorite are the segments that help one to express emotions- my youngest is a boy and I find getting past societal stigmas of how “males are macho and never to be weak” has been a lifesaver. I personally found when teen feels safe and truly heard, they are more willing to be vocal and show their POV- and this book can get these conversations started. I recommend to anyone with a teenager, it has a lot of up-to-date insight that is helpful for raising a teen in 2020.. Bottom line; one can always benefit with information for healthy communication. I hope this info can help your choice… Feel free to let me know!
Amyrose2019 (verified owner) –
What I really liked about this book was the fact there are 150 activities. I am a counselor and found this extremely helpful. My favorite activity in here is those on stress management, there was a section in here about music and the kids loved it. They got to choose their favorite music artists and their favorite songs they listen to when they are stressed. They then made a playlist and we listened to the songs after, I know it may sound simple but it really felt good for the kids. They opened up to each other and it was therapeutic for them.
There are so many activities in here that make learning and opening up for kids fun. I really appreciated this book, written well. The format is great. I will be using this about once a week now. This really is helpful for teens to cope. I suggest this to anyone else who runs groups or even meets one on one with clients. It is good for anyone with anxiety, depression, etc! Such a great workbook!
Paigii (verified owner) –
Fun games, hit or miss with kiddos and sometimes the games are relatively basic….overall a fun resource to get your therapist brain moving!
Jean K (verified owner) –
This is a good addition to a library for those working with teens. It is set up by subject matter with the following focus areas: mindfulness; self-esteem; communication skills stress management; anger management; anxiety; depression; bullying; trauma; and grief. There is a lot of information packed into this guide and it allows you to dig deeper into the subject matter or you can just use the games for fun. There are 150 activities that cover a wide range of skill and interest levels.
V. Hutson (verified owner) –
First of all, I was interested in this book because I teach art and I thought perhaps some of the activities could be altered or changed into art activities–which they can be. A few of the activities are already art projects such as “Anxiety Portraits.” Others involve art materials such as colored pencils or markers so with a few creative modifications–they can easily become art-based activities.
Overall, I am very impressed with the variety and the range of the activities in this book. The author did an excellent job either creating or finding these activities and putting them all together in this one book. Each activity is clearly outlined with step-by-step directions.
Novel Teen (verified owner) –
I was hoping that this book might be filled with activities I could use in a classroom environment to add a social emotional component to our day, but many of the activities are more geared toward therapy and smaller groups. The book is easy to use. Each page has an activity with a description, discussion questions, and tips to help you. I’ve been able to use a couple of these, but like I said, I have to pick and choose or tweak the game to fit my needs so that it’s not so therapy driven and is suitable for a classroom environment.
DJY51 (verified owner) –
My husband and I do some of these exercises to get to know each other better.
We’ve been married for over 40 years and it surprised us both just how similar we are in many ways, while we process emotions so differently.
While you’re socially isolating, there are things like this you can do to enhance your life.
Lolita (verified owner) –
Very good workbook to help teens through those insecure times that come along with adolescence. With thought provoking exercises and humor this book seems to help my teenage granddaughter.
Mitchell R. Alegre (verified owner) –
This book provides 150 activities to help teens improve self-esteem, communication, and coping skills. The one-page description for each exercise includes the materials, duration, and number of participants needed, step-by-step instructions for leading the activity, follow-up discussion questions, and tips for facilitators. There are exercises for addressing mindfulness, self-esteem, communication skills, stress management, anger management, anxiety, depression, bullying, trauma, and grief. There are fifteen activities for each of these categories. This is a useful resource for anyone who counsels teenagers.
Lucy (verified owner) –
Actually enjoyed this book and it was also able to help me write my progress notes and as it has a side piece with the clinical interventions
Katelyn P. (verified owner) –
I got this for an adolescent IOP group. Unfortunately, our group is still completely on zoom which makes it hard to keep them engaged. I’ve been able to use some of the activities in this book and modify them as needed for virtual settings.
spanakopita NJ (verified owner) –
I have a teenager who is having a very tough year (as so many are) and I was eager to read this book. I did find it to be rather uneven. There are many activities in several different categories. Some are much better than others. I felt like the “games” in the anger and anxiety sections were strongest. I think that the games in other sections such as “self esteem” and “stress management” might make teens roll their eyes. I felt like many of the games would have benefited from examples, as they were unclear. That said, we cherry-picked some of the best games to do with our immediate family and it was a worthwhile exercise.
The book has high quality production values – thick pages, well organized, etc. No pictures.
Our Big Active Family (verified owner) –
On occasion, I like to do some little self-esteem or stress management exercises with my high school students. This book gave me some additional bits and pieces to throw in.
I wouldn’t use it as a full on curriculum for SEL, but it’s nice for some additional activities when everyone needs a little break or you see the kids getting down on themselves.
Whitney G. (verified owner) –
Quick and easy lessons that can easily be adapted
C. Labye (verified owner) –
It’s an ok book full of different strategies to help your child who may have suffered trauma to give you some ideas to help your kid and also to help them connect with them. Do NOT, however, mistake this as a book as a substitute for real therapy; if your child needs professional help, get them help and see if this book might be a good way to provide additional support and need. Tread carefully, always, and don’t go this alone.
Alison (verified owner) –
These are REALLY good games for grades 8-10. I use it with our alternative classroom and the kids have not made one comment about the games/activities being lame. A win in my book!
crown 831-2008 (verified owner) –
My supervisor bought this book as a gift as I’m a therapist intern. I could say that this book is a must have when working with middle schoolers and high schoolers.
Melanie Busby (verified owner) –
Great value for the price! Good SEL for school.
Justin M (verified owner) –
I’m at the angsty years with my teenager. He has been distant and reserved in the last few years. He was always standoffish and basically would be a brat about anything I asked of him. Even simple stuff like “hey are you hungry?” Would get a sucking of the teeth reaction or something equally annoying. The pandemic didn’t help since we were home all the time growing sick of each other lol.
It was a bit of a chore to get him to agree to do any of these games/exercises but once we started, I found us connecting in a way that we hadn’t done in a while. I do them with him so he doesn’t feel like he’s on the spot. But these games are simple and easy ways to get your teenager to open up without feeling like you’re prying too hard.
Don’t get me wrong, this hasn’t been an instant panacea or anything, I do still get the occasional sarcastic comment or a dismissive sigh or sucking of the teeth. But it’s far, far less and when it does happen, he has learned to identify that he is taking his frustrations out on the wrong person and will ask for some space or time before he comes and talks to me normally.
We’ve been using it for a couple of months now. Maybe twice a week, usually 1 but sometimes 2 exercises in a day. Most of the exercises can be done in 10-15 minutes, which is great for me since my son usually only provides me with about that much time of composure before he’s distracted and wants to get to the next thing. Occasionally I can pull some more time. But either way, it has sparked a new connection and now he randomly comes and talks throughout the day about whatever is on his mind. His confidence and social awareness is improving, his grades are improving in school. I’d highly recommend. The only hurdle was starting. Took us a couple weeks of me just doing them alone aloud with him before he actually joined in.
Sarah Thomas (verified owner) –
I run a partial hospitalization program for adolescents and my staff use activities out of this book all the time! They are hit or miss with our population but they can all be adjusted to meet our needs.
Reece (verified owner) –
Awesome activities to use with my teen clients. I love it.
yujiao pan (verified owner) –
It’s ok
enfamil is the best, i used it for my daughter, its better than other formula (verified owner) –
Use this book. Great book
Jacqueline villegas (verified owner) –
I’ve used a couple ideas already ! I think it’s worth it. Quick and easy to read. The youth enjoyed !
heather b. (verified owner) –
I love this book. I am a drug and alcohol counselor and use these activities with my clients. They are simple enough for clients to understand as my clients come from all sorts of backgrounds. Would recommend to other AOD counselors.
Sharra (verified owner) –
Excellent resource for parents, teachers , and anyone who works with pre-teens and teens. Effective ways to start tough conversations, understanding, and helping kids and emotions.
Becky at One Literature Nut (verified owner) –
As a high school teacher, I’ve seen the issues teens have with mental health and coping skills. Sometimes the greatest struggle is with how to communicate better. I actually passed this book on to my friend who is one of our counselors after realizing it needed to be in a more focused group that could maybe even meet regularly to follow up. It has a lot of really great ideas and activities that will get teens talking.
P. Star (verified owner) –
I’m a psychologist and I mostly provide group therapy for teens. This is a great resource! The games are simple but open the doors to have some great discussions.
kboazchavez (verified owner) –
What a great resource. Helpful in a clinical setting
Ashley E. Honts (verified owner) –
I found this to be very helpful in planning outpatient group therapy sessions. It also helped to give me some ideas for individual sessions.
MyMy LaFamosa’ (verified owner) –
Wonderful activities
Julie Sprague (verified owner) –
Lately I’ve been having a hard time with my son’s counseling agency being consistent so this book has been invaluable for me to be able to still work through some of the issues he deals with daily having to navigate Asperger’s and anxiety. I would very much recommend this to anyone needing the same type of guided self-expression for their teen.
Chasidy Carpenter (verified owner) –
I use this book daily when working with clients
Lacresha (verified owner) –
Nice job on this must have
Erin (verified owner) –
I love the passion from the author about this type of intervention approach, the direct format of the book for a quick/simple/easy read, and the variety of intervention ideas given in the book. The group of adolescents I’ve worked with in counseling before absolutely loved the activities in this! Strongly recommend to anyone working in Social Work/Mental Health.
dutchess (verified owner) –
Book is great. Maybe books should be mailed in plastic so that if it’s raining out they don’t get ruined. My mailbox is 1/2 mile from my house and I ordered 120$ in books and they’re all soaked.
HBU Student (verified owner) –
more for middle school preteen but rich ideas
Tammy Berthiaume (verified owner) –
We love this book! Highly recommended.
Kimberly K (verified owner) –
I love the format and ideas of this book.
Paul (Rochester, NY) (verified owner) –
It’s always hard to come up with good games for teens! I really appreciated the ideas in this book, and it helped me build sessions.
ChristineMM (verified owner) –
Therapy Games for Teens: this book is written by a recreational therapy therapist who has been working with kids for over 25 years. There are 150 activities here with all of the details such as what you need, how many terns this is ideal to use in the group, how long the game takes, how to lead the activity. There are tips for best success as well as discussion questions to use with the teens. I thought this would be of some use to me as a teacher but it is for therapists. It is a useful book for the right reader.
Liz (verified owner) –
I thought this was an excellent book. The recommended activities and techniques were useful and relevant. Overall I felt this was a helpful book for any professional working with teens. Offered good details on how to execute the activities and what the benefits were for the participants.
AB (verified owner) –
I was excited to use these activities with my daughter; however, they are designed for groups of kids and not just one. They’re great activities for CBT. I just wish that they had been designed for a single kid or multiple kids.
Morgan (verified owner) –
Great resource to keep!! I love this book!!! There are a lot of activities I can’t wait to do with my group! I love how it’s set up and that there are tips for conducting groups too! Easy to tweak to all age groups as well!!!
Autumn (verified owner) –
I used this book in my classroom and was able to find or adapt many of the activities for my students.
AC Knapp (verified owner) –
I am a LSW and I utilize these activities in my own practice. Excellent easy to use resource.
Sabrina G-A (verified owner) –
It had information on what I expected.
Yelitza (verified owner) –
Perfect for icebreakers and activities with students
Candy Osias (verified owner) –
I use the games in this book with my clients of all ages, it is great for individuals, and groups. I have used it in family sessions as well.
michelle (verified owner) –
This book is absolutely amazing! Every therapist, counselor, or person working with teens should read this. I have found many activities that I would like to incorporate into my elective class. Thank you Kevin Gruzewski!