Playful Means to Relational Ends

I have always loved play and laughter and believed in their therapeutic potential.  We are familiar with using play in our work with children and families, but does it have a place when we are working with professional colleagues?  During the pandemic and its aftermath, I was asked to do some work with staff groups in a general hospital and had the privilege of working with staff across the hospital and community Trust.  I learned a great deal from them all, including that there is room for healing laughter even in the most difficult of times.  I re-discovered how play and playfulness can help to foster connection and create a climate for reflecting on serious matters and finding ways of going on together.

In this experiential workshop I will share some of the games, exercises and approaches I have used in working with staff groups, drawing on the work of the East Side Institute, Don Waisanen, Appreciative Inquiry and all my systemic and play-full ancestors.  The workshop is for anyone interested in working with groups or teams, anyone interested in playful approaches, and anyone who would just like to come and play together!

This workshop was first presented at Chiron in 2025 and I am deeply grateful to Sharon Bond for her support and her forever wise and playful spirit.

Jo Bownas is a systemic psychotherapist, supervisor, trainer and consultant.  In nearly 30 years of practice, she has worked in the NHS, in inpatient and community settings, in CAMHS, Adult and Forensic Mental Health, in a general hospital and in independent practice.  She has taught on systemic courses at KCC and Chiron an offered workshops, consultation, team building and reflective practice groups in a variety of setting and to numerous public service organisations.  Jo is co-editor of Working with Embodiment in Supervision: A Systemic Approach (2016, Routledge) and author of numerous articles.