POCKET UNGAME - Teens - non-competitive card game for teenagers to discuss, share values & experiences - break the ice and get teens to talk - Ages 12-18

I'll be honest, I really didn't think I would like The Ungame. It was referred to me in grad school, and it really just looked like a waste of time, and I bought my first copy of The Ungame with just that in mind... to use as something to pass time when I found myself "stuck" with nowhere to go. Boy was I wrong. The Ungame works great as an icebreaker activity when you are still getting to know clients. It asks questions for all participants (including the counselor) to answer in a safe, non-threatening manner than help to understand people's values, thoughts, and ideas on numerous subjects. The clients that I use it with seem to enjoy it a lot, and often request to play it from time to time, or in group sessions. The game comes with two sets of card, with set 1 being more general questions, and set 2 being more personal, in-depth questions. The publisher states that set 2 should only be used with a trained counselor/therapist, and only with clients that you have already developed a strong rapport with, and I tend to agree, as some responses of set 2 questions have led to more in-depth processing with the client that would be best done with a trained professional. In my experience, teens seem to enjoy the Ungame the most ( there are versions for kids, teens, and families), and seem to get the most out of it. It helps them to look at certain values in their lives, and understand why they hold particular values, thoughts, and ideas. Often times, it helps them to explore areas that they either feel uncomfortable discussing with others, or areas that they haven't really had to think much about until it was brought up during the game. Along with the game, pulling specific cards for specific sessions has also been helpful when trying to start a discussion on those topics. I am very glad that I followed someone's advice and bought The Ungame, and highly recommend it for anyone working with teens in a counseling/therapy setting.

I am a behavioral therapist, and I use these cards in therapy sessions. I worked with several teens who have Asperger's, and these were a great way to help kids engage in therapy sessions while just thinking they were playing a game. I would get the whole family involved with these cards and everyone loved the discussions! These are even great for families - it can be hard to get the family to talk about everyday issues. There is no easy answer on how to get your kids to talk about things, but these cards can help guide the conversations, give a good starting point, and help build a foundation for open communication within families.

Great choice for a therapist or any parent wanting to understand how their kid thinks!

I am a social worker and work with teens and they loved them. These kids are streetwise and not into sharing their feelings but these really help get things started because I would answer as well. I used these with individual clients and in the groups. They started asking where the cards were after a while during sessions if I didn't pull them out! Great game!!

I like most of the questions in this boxed card game, which i bought for long car trips this summer. Some of the questions are too "advanced" for my 13 year old, so i took them out of the deck we'll use this summer. I like the 2-deck format (one for quick responses, one for longer, more thoughtful responses). Can create an atmosphere of non-judgemental values exchange...depending on the parent and the kid(s). Very portable. The reason i didn't offer a 5-star is about 20% of the cards have the phrase "Ask one player a question" which is annoying because the reason i bought the cards was to have a "list" of questions for my teen that are NOT my questions. I think 5% would be acceptable to me. Also, the cards are rather small; i would prefer the size of playing cards.

I left this game around casually at different times, and despite expressing no interest, now and then my son couldn't resist looking through it (at least 3 times over a year this happened). He ended up asking, and being asked, some seriously useful questions. We got a lot expressed on road trips that would not otherwise have been. Also, sitting around the table waiting for guests once, it was used. I highly recommend it. Adding a note: It happened again--same game, same son. He was able to ask us some things I'm pretty sure had been on his mind for a long time, using the "ask any question" type of card. For some reason that made it possible. Also, it helped that we were all in the car again so not facing each other. It was a big relief for his parents to know what he was thinking on a couple of issues we hadn't wanted to bring up otherwise as well . . .

I have used several times in the therapy room with my patients. Many of the teens have reported that they enjoyed the questions and that they felt like it was easier for them to open. I have used them in groups, but mostly individual for me. I typically will go through the cards before the therapy session and place the cards on top that pertain what we are going to be working on during the therapy session. I normally go through five or six cards with them, discuss their answers, and then we expand with discussing each individually in more detail. This has helped me break the ice when some of my teens are more resistant or when they have a hard time expressing their thoughts and feelings into words. This game gives them one specific question to focus on at a time.

I purchased this because I am a therapist who has begun doing some group work and individual therapy with adolescents, and I thought this might be good as some conversation starters. This is a nice little tool, however, it's really only ideal for teenagers who are middle to upper class, come from two-parent households, and are involved in some religious or spiritual affiliation. While looking at some of the questions, they seem too biased towards the values and lifestyles of this population. For example, some of the cards ask things like "what special problems might an unwed mother face?" There's nothing wrong with the question on its face, but when you consider the social implications, the card is sort of indicating that a mother being "unwed" is an inherent problem. In some segments of our society, unwed motherhood is common, and is not necessarily viewed as the cause of any particular problem. Furthermore, it's biased again in the sense that it doesn't address whether unwed fathers might face similar problems. I think the real problem is in the wording. Because by asking that question in that way, the game is automatically alienating a specific segment of the population. I wish the questions had been more generalized to reflect diverse experiences. But, there are still some really good questions. I might still use it, but I'll select questions specifically.

I love these cards. They are a wonderful means of building therapeutic rapport in the beginning of treatment.

Excelente

Just what I needed for my counselling practice, at great price!

A great ice-breaker for those non-talkative souls. I have the entire series and use them for the occasions that it is best suited. The participants might be a little shy at first but they do come around by the time one starts using the second set of cards. Very insightful ....Family, teens, couples, religious....versions.

I have trouble finding any games to challenge my granddaughters but his at least created some interest.