WordTrails® For Jails

I work at a prison that houses men who’ve committed sex offenses. I recently played this game with three of them. These particular guys were in the middle of a pretty intense disagreement; there was a lot of fear, a lack of empathy, and no real connection between them. But after playing, when we processed, something shifted. They realized they were all actually working toward the same thing: growth.

They told me they’d never been so present with their feelings before. The game gave them a way to connect with themselves emotionally, and it also helped resolve the perspectives that had kept them apart. Instead of seeing each other as enemies or ‘the other,’ they were able to see each other as human beings.

Liz Witter, LCSW

– Published with permission and gratitude