About My Games
“Playing CBT” is a company that develops therapy games based on the Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) approach and Schema Therapy approach, designated for therapists, counselors, educators and the whole family. It is designed to support therapy for children and adolescents or to be used as a fun game that facilitates communication and coping with emotional and behavior issues in group settings.
My games help children, adolescents and parents identify the different elements of their emotional experiences (thoughts, emotions, physical sensations and behavior) and provides a basis for reflection and discussions, which then improve coping capabilities and promote cognitive flexibility and more positive emotional, physical and behavioral reactions.
All my games provide an indirect and pleasant means for improving social skills, coping skills, self-control, emotional regulation, emotional awareness and self-resilience.
Shelly Zantkeren
Hello, my name is Shelly Zantkeren. Thank you for taking the time to hear the story behind “Playing CBT” games. As far back as I can remember I always loved to play and use my imagination. I would invent new games every day or change the rules so that me and my friends would experience more challenge, thrill and interest.
When it was time for me to decide what I’ll do in life, I chose to become a professional therapist and specialized mainly in children. I went on to complete my master’s degree in educational counseling and applied educational psychology.
Over the years, while serving as a therapist in different settings, I noticed that the best way to get children to open up to me and share their inner world was always through playing, arts and crafts or other fun activities.
Questions & Answers
This game is intended for ages 7-12. The card set may also be used with younger children. You may also use the cards with adults thanks to the blank cards which allow incorporating events, thoughts and behaviors suggested by adults.
This game is intended mainly for therapists, social workers, life coaches, group facilitators and educators. I do not recommend this game for parents since some of its many options may be difficult to understand and implement by people who lack professional knowledge in education or therapy
This game is suitable for all children, from any background, and it can be adapted to any child’s cognitive and emotional level.
This game offers many possibilities in the form of various games which implement different elements of CBT. Therefore, it may be use for therapy with various cases and purposes such as: anxiety, depression, social skills, self-control and emotional regulation, parental guidance, staff training and interpersonal relationships.
This game constitutes a very large and comprehensive set that includes: blank cards to add your own ideas with a whiteboard marker, beginner and advance game boards, emotions board, physical sensations board, 49 event cards, 45 negative thoughts cards, 42 emotions cards, 25 physical sensations cards, 35 behavior cards, 35 thinking thought cards, 24 reflection cards, thinking traps strip, task cards dealing with social situations.
All elements are made of high quality materials. Its contents provide the most professional and up-to-date implementation of CBT principles you could find in a therapy game. The games and instructions were formulated with great passion and dedication, based on many years of experience and with the investment of much effort and time to produce a therapeutic tool for all professionals.
We are in the process of translating the game into other languages; hopefully they will be available soon.
The game is sold exclusively on Amazon in the US, Europe, Australia and Canada.
The blank cards are designed so that anyone may form cards with elements from their personal lives and integrate them into the game and therapy.
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Testimonials
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DDShaw - Amazon.co.uk customer
Playing CBT
An intelligent simple set that deals with the concepts of cognitive therapy by playing a game, and creates a rich experience.
A powerful game that every therapist and parent will find very helpful.
Dan recommends "Playing CBT"
“I am a therapist and this is an awesome game for all ages! I use it with adults! I don’t “play” the game with the adults I see but I use the cards and the maladaptive thinking pattern list as a visual aid! I am not sure how I did therapy before this!!!!”
Mommahop - Amazon.com Customer
“This game comes with a huge variety of playing options and is a fantastic channel to teach kids how their thoughts directly effect their behavior in different situations. The different games each open a verbal channel enabling kids to freely discuss different things that happen in their daily life. I am grateful for this game and the amazing conversations it brought into our life.“
DaisyW33 - Amazon.com Customer
An excellent tool for children therapy
“I use this game a lot in my work as an educational psychologist. It is perfect for working with kids with emotion regulation difficulties, social difficulties, behavioural problems and more.
I use the game with individual and group therapy.
It helps the kids to develop an emotional and cognitive based language which helps them to overcome different problematic situations.“
Bat-hen shahar - Amazon.co.uk Customer
“This game is not similar to any CBT game I have seen in the market. It has endless playing options and teaches kids how events create thoughts and affect reactions and behavior This CBT game is a MUST HAVE for teachers, therapists and parents.”
Amazon.com Customer
“This is an amazing tool. I have been wondering how simple the CBT concepts can be made so it can be introduced to my clients, and this game is it exactly what I have been wishing for. I am using this game with children ages 5-to young adults, with some modifications for the adult population.”
Lourdes Sanchez Rodriguez - Amazon.com Customer
“Wow, very inclusive and effective for kids who have behavior problems and need to learn to cope more successfully with disappointments. Too expensive on the down side.”
Amazon.com Customer - Amazon.com Customer
Highly Recommend for therapists, teachers and parents.
“This game is worth every penny. I use it in my therapy practice and at home with my kids. There are many different games you can play with clients at different stages of treatment and several of the “games” can assist in assessment of young clients who struggle to identify their thoughts and emotions. The game is appropriate for all ages and provides a fun and effective way to introduce and practice CBT concepts and strategies with clients.”
Katie E. Mcgrath - Amazon.com Customer
Fantastic item, even for nonprofessionals
“Fantastic item, even for nonprofessionals! There are tons of different games that can be played with this, and it’s easy to think up your own games to reinforce specific areas.”
Lee - Amazon.com Customer
“Love this game! The cards and board are sturdy and I expect they will last a long time. The actual game play is great! I like that there are so many different ways to use the components. So far, my kids in treatment have been able to engage easily with the game and it has sparked some great conversations. I am recommending this to all child and adolescent therapists who use CBT!”
M. Lyon - Amazon.com Customer
Invaluable tool for teaching children emotional regulation
“The perfect game for teaching CBT concepts to children and teens, with specific examples of how to neutralize automatic negative thoughts. The game is versatile, with coaching cards that guide the child through cognitive restructuring thay can be used separately or as part of a game. Ideal tool for therapists, coaches educators and parents. Lisa Grossman, ADHD Coach and Educational Psychologist.”
Lisa Grossman - Amazon.com Customer
“As a CBT therapist I find this game a great help in explaining and practicing methods to my patients, letting them experience a new way of thinking and applying new techniques to old struggles. It is highly recommended and “a must have” to all CBT therapists.”
Amazon.com Customer
amazing game, young kids and teens really enjoy it
“amazing game, young kids and teens really enjoy it.
Allows to identify thoughts and feelings and the connection between them.
the game ables work with the board and than the playful experience at its best or work only with the cards and than to experience all the Cognitive model and to practice changing interpretations and their effect on feelings and behavior.
Highly recommended game ,Required Item In every cognitive behavioral therapist’s room.”
Ayal Varshaviack - Amazon.com Customer
As a principal of middle school I highly recommend Playing CBT Game
“As a principal of middle school I highly recommend Playing CBT Game. The quality is superb, there are many cards and plentiful options for use. I use the game for kids as well as for teachers. It is suitable for teachers as a tool to gain a better understanding of the emotional experiences of the kids. We use it as a platform in group work to enable children to express their feelings, thoughts and share their experiences. Finally we got the best tool to facilitate and upgrade the emotional and social activities. Great value for money!!!”
Ariel - Amazon.com Customer