Recovery from addiction

You may think addiction is no laughing matter. But being able to laugh and have a sense of humour is a life-skill that is essential to a healthy balance between mind and body.

This course has been designed to introduce Laughology techniques to participants in such a way that they can see the value and relevance of integrating the approach into their work with service users.

The course is geared towards approaches and systems already in use by, and familiar too, service providers. These included psychosocial interventions, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and ITEP mapping. The latter is gaining popularity amongst service providers as a means of visually reinforcing CBT and changing thinking patterns. The Laughology approach fits seamlessly with these interventions.

This is the first training course of its type in the UK to use Laughology techniques of humour and laughter as a means of enhancing treatment outcomes for those with substance misuse issues. Learning how to use Laughology techniques as a style of CBT in line with ITEP mapping, monitored via Treatment Outcome Profiles (TOPS) and fed into performance targets, will be of real value to those attending the course. The willingness of delegates to get involved in the activities, and the fun that ensues, underpin a rather more serious aim, that of transferring this approach into working practices and, ultimately, to the benefit of service users.

Course Aims

• Understand the theories underpinning the Laughology approach.
• Clarification of how to utilise Laughology techniques to best effect.
• Increase confidence in using Laughology techniques with service users.

Course Learning Objectives

• To understand Laughology techniques as a style of CBT.
• To identify how Laughology techniques fit with ITEP mapping.
• To explore the similarities between the brain and drugs and the brain and humour.
• To understand how humour can increase recovery capital and prevent relapse.