Brandon nonprofit uses board games to teach social skills
Board Game Therapy
A Brandon therapist is using board games to give children and adults a safe place to practice social skills while working through real-world challenges. FOX 13's Blake DeVine reports.
BRANDON, Fla. - A Brandon therapist is using board games to give children and adults a safe place to practice social skills while working through real-world challenges.
Brandon Board Game Therapy nonprofit
The backstory:
Shayna Gurvitz, a clinical social worker and therapist based in Brandon, founded the nonprofit Board Game Therapy to create more accessible social experiences for the community.
The group hosts its game nights at Apostles Lutheran Church in Brandon, where participants can choose from thousands of board games.
Board games range from classics such as Life and Candy Land to strategy games including Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride, and Dixit.
Gurvitz explains that playing games helps with memory, problem-solving and handling failure in a safe space.
Insurance coverage & community response
Why you should care:
Gurvitz previously incorporated board games into therapy sessions for years, although recent federal changes made it much harder for therapists to get board game sessions covered under insurance. By establishing a nonprofit, she created a way to keep providing these experiences to the public without relying on insurance reimbursement.
The community response was immediate. More than 70 people showed up for the first meetup last Friday, filling every table at the church.
"They have to re-evaluate their plan and all of that in a safe space," Gurvitz said. "If they get upset, which is okay and that's normal, they have a space then to process through those feelings."
October event registration details
What's next:
Board Game Therapy hosts free game nights on the third Friday of every month. The next event will be held Oct. 16 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Apostles Lutheran Church in Brandon.
Courtesy: Board Game Therapy
Organizers ask participants to register online before attending.
The Source: Information for this story came from statements from Board Game Therapy, interviews with a clinical therapist and previous reporting on FOX 13.