Multifamily Group Exercise: Build A Tower, Build A Family.

This week in the multifamily group we used the infamous 'Build A Tower, Build a Team' video which has been viewed over 4 million times.

I set families up with the challenge, with an added twist to heighten anxiety and we then use reflective thinking to be curious about how the metaphor works (or doesn't) in their family system.

Many things occur during the game, communication, creativity, frustration and some laughter. A lot of excitement happens in the last few seconds of the game when most teams start to place the marshmallow on their towers. Without fail, most teams don't consider the relative weight of the marshmallow which can make or break a spaghetti tower.

Teaching with Metaphor in Family Therapy / Multifamily Group

The exercise is an incredible metaphor for family life. And once the winner is declared, we discuss the symbolism as a group before we move into the process section of the multi- family therapy group. A wealth of talking points is brought up by this exercise and the encouragement of some reflective thinking.