The Brilliant Genius: Using Improv Comedy in Social Work Groups

Abstract

This article explores the historical and theoretical connections between group social work and improvisation (improv) comedy. Improv comedy can trace its American roots back to Hull House in Chicago and places a strong emphasis on active listening, risk taking, individual growth, and group mind. This article looks at the potential benefits that improv can provide to groups and individual group members. It provides practical suggestions for workers interested in incorporating performance-based activity in their practice. Ultimately, this article shows how an improv comedy performance troupe can function as a mutual aid social work group.

The benefit, harm, and complication of humor in social work: A qualitative inquiry

“…The limited social work research on humor indicates that social workers use humor with clients to humanize themselves, reduce threat perceptions, and ultimately form meaningful connections (Jordan, 2017). These important bonds have also been initiated by using improv (i.e., acting without prior planning) as a social work group activity, creating opportunities for clients to engage in mutual aid, active listening, risk-taking, and individual growth (Steitzer, 2011). Social workers have additionally used humor and dark humor to avoid burnout under increasingly challenging, limiting, and disempowering circumstances and to form a collective identity (Jordan, 2019; Morriss, 2015; van Wormer & Boes, 1997).…”