Improving Communication Through Games!
Let’s talk about it
One of the main reasons we seek out therapy is to explore and improve our relationships and communication skills.
Therapy is a great place to talk about talking! Individual and Couples Therapy allows us to learn and practice new communication skills. But the best place to practice communication is with our friends, family, spouse, and children in real life! You’re probably wondering, how can I practice these skills if I don’t know how to communicate now? Good question!
One way we encourage people to engage in effective communication and conversation skills is through games! Here are some conversation games to help you improve listening, talking, and connecting to the people in your life.
*Disclaimer: this is not a sponsored or endorsed post. While these games are great resources, they do not replace therapy with a licensed provider. We also do not recommend utilizing these games if you are feeling unsafe in your relationship or if you suspect a pattern of abuse. If you or a loved one are concerned about an abusive relationship, reach out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800.799.7233 or text BEGIN to 88788).
For couples:
Whether you’re in a dating relationship, committed partnership, or married, these games offer a range of questions to support you and your partner in fostering an environment of mutual respect, curiosity, and fun! *18+
Gottman Card Decks Created by husband and wife team, Dr. John and Julie Gottman, this downloadable app is a great tool to use with your partner to learn about each other’s likes/dislikes, dreams and aspirations, and how to build a life of love together.
Partners are Human Developed by Joseph Lam, a second-generation Chinese-American, these two-sided cards are designed to help you dig deeper with your partner!
Table Topics for couples, date night, and dating With three card set options, laugh and connect with your partner on silly and serious topics. Add this to your dinner table, coffee table, or bedside table, and use it for daily check-ins!
For friends/family/kids:
Cozy, Juicy, Real *14+ This interactive board game helps you go deeper in your conversations with family, friends, and your partner!
Where Should We Begin *18+ Esther Perel’s interactive story-forward game dives into conversations aimed to create intimacy and connection with family, friends, and your partner.
Siblings Are Human and Parents are Human (comes in 15 languages) Joseph Lam’s cards guide you, your siblings, and parents through meaningful conversations to learn each other’s histories, memories, and dreams and engage in interactive activities (writing, sharing pictures, etc.).
Family, Kids, and Grandparents Table Topics Get the family talking at family dinners, driving to practice/activities, vacations, and after-school-conversations that are more than just “how was school?” with a range of kid-friendly questions!
We invite you to use these tools with your friends, family, kids, and partner and dig deeper into the questions in your own therapy sessions!
Ready to start collaborating? Reach out today to set up a complimentary phone consultation with one of our providers! We are so grateful to start this journey together.
About the Author
Megan Nyberg, MA, LPCC has worked in the mental health field since 2021 in outpatient clinics serving adolescents and adults. Previously, she co-led an anxiety, depression, and trauma intensive outpatient program (IOP) for adolescents.