Occupational Therapy News OTnews November 2019 | Page 40

FEATURE FORENSIC SERVICES ‘‘ ...I am encouraged that this group may have enlightened their already natural funny bone and given them the skill of when to use humour, when to engage in banter and maybe even... to try comedy as an occupation itself. This was again contrasted to some British comics who wear t-shirt and jeans, where discussions focused on how they may be trying to project the idea you could be friends with them. This led to the group turning into a cerebral living skills group for a period, while we explored what the men would wear to certain events, such as a hip hop concert, wedding or if they were on stage, and their reasons for this. One member of the comedy club identified his style as deadpan, referencing Jack Dee as a source of inspiration. He also spoke in the session about have between comedy and tragedy. It allowed them to name other comedians who they felt had issues and most importantly it created discussion. Such examples were further considered to be valuable in providing the men with potential hope and in trying to challenge the stigma of some of their own experiences as male victims of traumatic backgrounds. They can also facilitate discussion about different responses and coping with such experiences and the idea of alternatives to the violence and abuse many of the group members have gone on to use as their coping styles. wearing black to fit the persona he wanted the audience to accept. While these discussions were based on, and the source of, much positive humour, comedy and debate, they clearly also facilitated complex discussions about many of the core needs the men in our service experience with regard to: verbal and non-verbal language; communication and skills; the roles and function of different communication styles and their impact; the pros and cons of the same; and degrees of self reflection and identity. This can be seen to reflect other therapeutic experiences of using humour. David Granrier for example, has discussed how a number of interventions have been set up with the declared aim of using humour as a therapeutic tool to improve the quality of life of mental health clients. He founded ‘Stand Up for Mental Health’ (http:// standupformentalhealth.com), which uses stand-up comedy, including training and public performances, to enhance self-competence, sense of control and self-worth, as well as reducing self-stigma, and uses the performances to educate the public about stigma. I also believe using Richard Pryor as an opening example gave the men someone to more easily relate to rather then an overtly ‘happy go lucky’ middle class comedian who, although they may have found funny, may have created a suspension of disbelief that they could not relate to. Challenging stigma References Richard Pryor, the legendary American standup comedian, had an upbringing not dissimilar to the men I have encountered while working in the community, residential care and prison service. His mother was a sex worker and his father lived off the earnings of sex workers. He was brought up in a brothel, run by his grandmother, sexually abused at age seven and abandoned at the age of 10. Discussion of Richard Pryor in the group allowed me to facilitate a conversation about the fascination we 40 OTnews November 2019 Comedy as an occupation With regard to the men’s experience of the group and my comedic efforts, one man wrote on a feedback sheet that: ‘Comedy club is a forum to laugh, share humour and forget the pressure and intensity of therapy’. While another participant has shared jokes he has written since the group finished. While I do not expect to see the men hold a microphone live at the Apollo (although, as Richard Pryor shows, we always need to be aware of our expectations and assumptions), I am encouraged that this group may have enlightened their already natural funny bone and given them the skill of when to use humour, when to engage in banter and maybe even (with my professional occupational therapy assistant head on) to try comedy as an occupation itself. Ando V, Claridge G and Clark K (2014) Psychotic traits in comedians, British Journal of Psychiatry. 204:341-345. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.113.134569. Epub 2014 Jan 16 Mora-Ripoll R (2010) The therapeutic value of laughter in medicine. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 16(6): 56-64 Andrew Higginson, occupational therapy assistant, The Beacon, HMP Garth. For further information contact: [email protected]