Foster Care Training

We’ve all heard the saying, ‘Laughter is the best medicine.’ But beyond this familiar adage, there’s solid scientific grounding for the healing power of laughter. Laughter therapy has been shown to elevate mood, reduce stress, and provide a buffer against anxiety. This interactive session will explore how laughter, paired with the strategic use of surprise, can be an impactful therapeutic tool for supporting system-involved youth through grief. Drawing on trauma-informed research, we’ll look at how laughter therapy can offer a gentle yet effective way to help youth find emotional release and resilience. Participants will learn a structured approach to building laughter therapy sessions and will explore the role of surprise as a unique tool that helps interrupt patterns of grief and anxiety. By practicing techniques suited for both individual and group settings, you’ll discover ways to bring lightness into heavy situations, allowing laughter to create a safe space for healing. Together, we’ll explore how these strategies, informed by best practices in trauma care, can be applied in ways that meet youth where they are emotionally and developmentally.