OUR INITIATIVE

At Play Seriously, we are passionate about championing mental wellness.

Research has shown that play therapy has powerful therapeutic potential for adults. We wanted to leverage our expertise in counseling and knowledge of LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® to deliver a program that combines the power of play with the collaborative benefits of group therapy.

Wellness Play series is a special set of workshops that focuses on topics relating to mental health and well-being. One of our first topics in the series was work stress. It is widely reported that chronic work stress can lead to burnout, and even affect one’s physical health.

WHAT WE DID

As part of our Wellness Play series, we organized a 3-hour workshop that aimed to help working professionals explore work stressors in a safe and immersive environment, with the view of uncovering new insights and more effective coping strategies.

Participants were asked to build LEGO models that describe the work stress that they are currently experiencing, and reflect on how the stress has affected them. Through this exercise, participants were able to acknowledge and process their thoughts and emotions, which enables more effective self-regulation.

“Expressing myself through LEGO and articulating those thoughts help to pinpoint the exact feelings”

Following which, participants then built models that represent their desired change or goal, and explored strategies for more adaptive stress management.

Throughout the session, participants share their models with each other after each build. This encourages mutual support and a sense of universality (that they are not alone in their challenges), as well as creates opportunities to learn from others.

“Learning how everyone else manage stress and frame things helps to give me new perspectives”

THE OUTCOMES

The workshop enabled the participants to physically recreate their experiences, feelings and perceptions, and explore them in a gentle, safe, and yet stimulating environment. The creation of metaphorical models allows for deeper and richer expressions of meaning to be conveyed, which facilitates self-soothing and helps reduce the intensity of negative emotions. The element of play, particularly in a group setting, allowed participants to share their challenges and gain insights through self-discovery and learning from each other.

“I am amazed that a group of people who don’t know each other could open up so quickly. The concept of ‘play’ helps to bypass people’s usual defenses and makes them less guarded”