Totem: Self-Esteem & Family Bonding Game Ages 8+ - Therapy Games for Kids, Teens, Adults, Counselors - Team Building Games for Work - Group Therapy Conversation Cards for Mental Health

Totem is an amazing game which promotes self affirmation and self realization from different peoples perspective. Although I’ve played it with adults my favorite use is with my students in our social emotional learning class. There are many adaptations you can use with the game to build self-confidence, Self-awareness, and perspective. I was not going to buy it due to the cost but I’ve already used it multiple times in two weeks. It’s small so it can go in a travel bag, purse, backpack etc. and very accommodating to any space to play. It is a giftable game which I can see even young adults embracing. The directions are easy to follow and everyone leaves feeling very good about themselves! The game can be played in long or short sessions. It lends itself to adaptability so I have even used it By playing one round each day. Not only does it give you self affirmations through the other people playing but it also allows you to show them things that you recognize in a positive way also.

I purchased this because I was researching games for my classroom to build community. I decided to try it out with my family. This is such a wonderful game. We pick out an animal that represents the dealer. It took a bit of convincing to my animal lover daughter that she shouldn't pick her favorite animal but the one that represents the dealer :) Then we get to talk about the wonderful things associated with the dealer and their positive traits. And you get to do it again with the second set of cards. When it was my turn to be the dealer I had to hold back the tears!Totem provides a structured and safe way to share compliments. It's not an wide open field. Because you have to select from 7 cards, it gives you boundaries and helps focus your thoughts about a person. I can tell you that my 7 year old son was better able to give positive comments about his sister using this game than he ever has. It wasn't a general "you're nice" or "I like your shirt." He was able to articulate "I think you're like a whale because even when I'm having a hard time you can be calm and help me through it." I was BLOWN AWAY!The kids keep asking to play the game every day and love to call each other by their given totem. Best purchase for our family in a long time! I'm very excited to try this out with my classroom throughout the year and will continue to love playing it with my family. Buy it. You won't be disappointed.

I have tested this game once in an adult counseling group. Participants were thoughtful and thorough and we only had time for one person to be dealer and get feedback, but they asked to play weekly until everyone has a turn.I think it will be good for bonding and self esteem. Time will tell whether it will hold up to repeat play. I imagine it would be good for team building in groups of teens through adults.

I love this game, we played it at Thanksgiving dinner and had a ball! The instructions were hard to read, they are printed on small cards in a print color that is difficult to see and on a black background. Directions could be simpler and printed on a separate document so that it doesn't take a magnifying glass and quite a bit of time to figure out how to play it. We ended up starting the game and then adapting the rules so that the game moved a little faster. I would also be nice to have an example of what the animal cards mean, maybe put a brief description on each card with what that animal represents. Otherwise a fun and uplifting game to play!

I have used this game a lot with my skills groups, and every single time, they leave feeling good! Even my participants who tend to think these things are corny really love this game. It's a must have for teams. 100% worth the investment - thanks for making this deck!

About a year ago my department was moved into CorpHR. Even though we all knew each other, for months it still felt like two departments meeting together but without any bonding. Eventually our VP of CorpHR announced we were having a department bootcamp and asked if anyone had any ideas for a team-building exercise. I had previously bought Totem months before to use along with DISC and suggested we use it. Wow! Our plan was to do only one person due to time constraints. That absolutely did NOT happened. Going around the first time for one person was so meaningful that the VP announced we were scrapping everything else planned for the day and only concentrate on Totem. What a day! There were tears, sincere observations, meaningful bonding, unknown feelings shared and beautiful friendships formed. In fact, as a special surprise for everyone I’m having someone create a totem with all our animals to give to each of the ten people in our department. Thank you for creating Totem! We love it and what it did to help us open up to each other!

Loved the idea of this, actually playing it with ages 9, 11, 13, 14 & another adult, it was too tedious & slow moving. By the time about the 3rd player made their totem everybody was bored.It would have been WAY more fun if there were actual totem-building playing pieces to make a real totem pole.Love the idea, but took too long & moved too slowly with several players.

I bought this game because we all love games, but I wanted something that wouldn't be competitive. I wanted to play something that would bring us together as a family and remind my tween and teen we are all on the same team as we blend our family. This has been a great tool for that. It really speaks love and life into one another and you finish feeling uplifted. I think it is good for families, friends, and spouses. We play anytime there is tension, strife, or when I just feel like we need to bond a bit more. I recommend reminding everyone who is playing that it is not a competition and to only say kind words when you are playing. Don't go through the cards and say things like, "well that is definitely NOT you" or anything that could be taken as negative. We have found that the more examples we use to tell the person why we picked that card for them the better. Really elaborate and speak kindness into one another. Totem has a way of uplifting and bringing happy tears and releasing tension.

Me parece un juego fantástico para fomentar la autoestima. Tiene un tamaño pequeñito ideal para llevar de viaje, etc.Alguien sabría si se puede comprar en español?

As title says, bought this for my partner and I but didn't realise (our fault) that this is for 3 players or more. Great idea though, really like the premise so look forward to playing properly.

A Brilliant product was about to use immediately in facilitated conversation and generated quite a lot of energy. Really nice visual and the meaning behind each card has been well thought out.

I bought this game for a team of 9 individuals. It was a hit and although we didn’t have time for everyone to get a turn we are going to carry it over for our next meeting. It’s a great fun and not awkward way to build repore/trust by providing admiration and thanks.

Je suis ravie de mon achat et je suis impatiente de l'essayer. Super concept, assez simple finalement mais très bien réalisé. J'apprécie aussi beaucoup le style des illustrations. Parfait pour une utilisation avec des enfants. Cela renforce la confiance en soi et favorise la communication entre les joueurs. Règles faciles à comprendre et à appliquer. Rangement pratique et résistant.