Art review

Using Jenga in the Couples and Family Counseling Classroom: A Method for Demonstrating Bowen Family System Theory Meredith A. Rausch and Saloni Kalra

Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA

ABSTRACT Educators can assist students of all learning types through the creation and modification of games to align with 2024 Council for Accreditation of Counseling and other Related Educational Program standards. Using the Classic Jenga game tower to encourage experiential learn- ing of counseling concepts is an easy and affordable method to enhance couples and family counseling courses through experiential learning of Bowen family systems theory concepts, particularly differ- entiation of self and multigenerational transmission. This article explores the use of games in the counseling classroom and provides specific directions for implementing the modification of Jenga to help counselors-in-training learn Bowen’s family systems theory. Instructions for game modification and rules included.

KEYWORDS Gamification; Jenga; couples and family; experiential learning; Bowen; family systems theory

Counselor educators can create meaningful and creative strategies to increase perspective and underscore course concepts while aligning with the most recent Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP; Minton et al., 2014). Counselor educators teaching couples and family counseling classes may wish to include creative and experiential activities to demonstrate concepts for counselors-in- training (Vik, 2024). While research supports the use of game play within higher education to assist in learning course content (J. Swank, 2012), finding methods which align with new generations of counselors-in-training that increase understanding and participation within the classroom can be challenging. A review of literature reveals the use of games in the counseling classroom includes teaching systemic constructs through the use of reality television (Gambrel et al., 2021), using game as a metaphor to teach chaos theory career counseling (Pryor & Bright, 2009), using video games in college counseling (Mathis, 2010), and increasing self-awareness and counseling skills (J. Swank, 2012); however, recent counseling research reveals a lack of focus on experiential methods to assist counselors- in-training.

Past research describes the use of Jenga to teach oppression for social work students (Lichtenwalter & Baker, 2010), health behaviors for K-12 students (Wehmanen et al., 2023), engaging family in play during family therapy (Berger & Gehart-Brooks, 2000), and the “hazards of a reductionist approach to child development” (Spielmann & Porter, 2019, p. 18); however, current research lacks the creation of games using the Jenga format for counselors-in-training. The CACREP 2024 Standards outline 14 areas for inclusion in

CONTACT Meredith A. Rausch [email protected] Department of Research, Counseling, and Curriculum, Augusta University, 1120 12th St. Box 13 University Hall, Augusta, GA 30912

JOURNAL OF CREATIVITY IN MENTAL HEALTH 2025, VOL. 20, NO. 4, 629–637 https://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2025.2480600

© 2025 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

marriage, couple, and family counseling. This paper explores the use of a specific game, Jenga, to teach the impact of various stressors and supports on a family system. This experiential process invites discussion of Bowen Family Systems Theory and aligns with many of the CACREP Standards (e.g., F.2: aging and intergenerational influences and related family concerns; F.5: impact of unemployment, under-employment, and changes in socioeconomic standing on marriages, couples, and families; F.7: theories and models of marriage, couple, and family counseling; CACREP 2024, p. 23). Additionally, this paper describes a specific activity used by a counselor educator over the past nine years to teach systems theory to students of her couples and family counseling course and is written with a student who participated in the activity as a part of their program of study.

Literature review

Use of games in the counseling classroom

The use of games in the counseling classroom is one method for increasing engagement and assisting learners of all types, particularly adult academic learners (Pearson & Townsend, 2012). Team games, such as Psych-Out to teach diagnosis and intervention (Pearson & Townsend, 2012), improvisation to teach communication and meta-counseling skills (Farley, 2017), and games to present experiential learning theory based on Schaefer and Reid’s (2001) five characteristics of gameplay (J. Swank, 2012). Experienced educators may find the integration or creation of games to enhance the learning environment invigorating. J. M. Swank (2008) outlined a game development process focusing on estab- lishing a purpose and goals, making the game appealing and appropriate, facilitating engagement, incorporating various learning styles, and appealing to various senses.

Jenga in the classroom The use of Jenga in the counseling classroom can help achieve CACREP 2024 Standards, including C6. structures for affective relationships, bonds, couples, marriages, and families; C11. systemic, cultural, and environmental factors that affect lifespan development, func- tioning, behavior, resilience, and overall wellness; and C12. the influence of mental and physical health conditions on coping, resilience, and overall wellness for individuals and families across the lifespan (CACREP, 2024, p. 13). Additionally, Jenga can be easily incorporated into classes focused on experiential therapies in couples and family counseling (J. Swank, 2012). Previous research suggested the use of Counselor Education Jenga to increase counselor-in-training self-awareness (2012); however, the outline is brief and leaves much room for creative freedom.

Bowen family systems theory

Murray Bowen developed the Bowen family systems theory based on the profound impact families have upon their members (Bowen, 1978). Within a family system, particularly families with children, positive and negative relationships impact the way children externalize and internalize mental health symptoms (Fitzgerald et al., 2020). More specifically, a change in one family member’s functioning results in reciprocal changes in functioning from the remaining family members, which

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sometimes results in opposition from family members (Bowen, 1978). On one hand, the more cohesive and cooperative the family, the more these feelings and behaviors are reciprocated; on the other hand, the more emotionally reactive or anxious the family, the more stress and isolation the family will likely experience (Bowen, 1978). In addition, the interconnectivity of family dynamics can be explored by examining the patterns and behaviors of family members (Burke & Post, 2024). Using Bowen’s family systems framework reminds counselors to examine the intricate moving parts of a system and shift focus as necessary (White, 2024).

A central tenet of Bowen’s family systems theory is “differentiation-of-self” (DoS), or one’s ability to distinguish between intellectual and emotional processes and manage oneself as an individual within the context of a relationship (White, 2024). Bowen (1978) felt that DoS is “probably more important” than all other principles of change (p. 437). Parental response to a child working to differentiate can range from question- ing the actions of their child to refusing to accept the child unless they return to their original behavior and mind-set (Bowen, 1978). When processing DoS with a counseling client, the client is encouraged to recognize reactivity to life experiences as well as how they are contributing to the problem (White, 2024). Counselors may ask clients about their family life, including “How safe did you feel in your home?,” “When you began expressing different beliefs in your family, what was the response?,” “Did you ever feel that unless you changed the way you behaved or thought about things that you wouldn’t be accepted by your family?,” and, “What sorts of issues do you think your grandparents also experienced in the home that you also experienced?” Processing the nature of both DoS and multigenerational transmission of these processes can help determine how anxiety was handled within a family.

The construct of anxiety is present in family systems and can be acute or chronic (Brown & Errington, 2024). The impact of how family members respond to anxiety can be seen across generations, impacting multiple generations. Bowen supported the idea of multi- generational impact on the family system and described how levels of DoS between parents and their children lead to DoS for future generations (Burke & Post, 2024). For example, a child with a low level of DoS may grow up to be an adult with a low level of DoS. Bowen family systems theory states that people tend to choose intimate relationships with indivi- duals with a DoS similar to their own (The Bowen Center for the Study of the Family, 2025). If children in a family with low levels of DoS create their own families following this pattern, we see a multigenerational transmission process of low DoS.

Bowen described the level of DoS as impacting the stability of relationships, reproduc- tion, health, career success, educational attainment, and longevity (The Bowen Center for the Study of the Family, 2025). Therefore, families with high levels of DoS usually experi- ence stability and contribute to society and, families with low levels of DoS tend to experience chaos and dependence on others (2025). Examining the impact of differentiation across multiple generations of a family system reveals patterns for how reactive family members may be to certain experiences within the system and how taking responsibility for one’s choices is modeled for future generations. Thus, differentiation of one family member can cause myriad changes rippled throughout generations to come. When working with clients, counselors may provide psychoeducation to normalize these experiences and demonstrate how the DoS level of the client can change the outcomes for their children and future generations.

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Jenga in the couples and family counseling classroom

The following presents the use of Jenga in the couples and family counseling classroom created by the first author, but can also be utilized to teach crisis counseling, if desired.

Activity process

Place students into groups of four or five or allow them to choose their own groups. Students must be able to easily access the Jenga tower and it must be placed on a sturdy surface. One member of the team will be the timekeeper, using their phone or stopwatch to keep track of timed activity cards. Each group also requires a pack of activity cards. For a group of 16 students, for example, you would need table space for four Jenga towers, four Jenga towers, four packs of activity cards, four people willing and prepared to serve as a timekeeper, and one set of process questions. The first author agrees with J. Swank (2012), that the focus of the Family Jenga Game within the counseling curriculum is not on competition (although teams certainly show the spirit of competition during the game), rather on the experiences occurring throughout the game (e.g., body sensations, emotions, and so forth).

The student groups will be finished with their portion of the game when their tower falls, when they are the only remaining standing tower, or after a specified time limit set by the instructor. Once a group has emerged as the family with a standing tower, or the time limit is reached, the students will process the activity using the Process Questions provided in Table 2. J. Swank (2012) agreed that processing as a class allows for reflection, synthesis of ideas, application to current or future counseling work, and personal and professional development. Additionally, the processing part of the activity allows students to apply Bowen Family Systems Theory.

Activity cards

Each group of students receives a stack of activity cards and comprised of one of two areas: stressors or supports. The activity cards are selected one at a time, read aloud, and followed. Activity cards can be printed onto colored paper using a template, or handwritten. The “Stressor” cards should be printed on one color (e.g., yellow, green, orange) and the “Support” cards should be printed on a separate color (e.g., pink, blue, purple). Each activity card includes the stressor or support item (one or the other), followed by an instruction. After the card has been read out loud and the instructions followed, the play moves to the next person in the group who repeats the process. The instruction on each card aligns with the level of stress or support each item may bring to a family; however, the professor does not point out the difference in card types (i.e., stressor or support). Instead, students may recognize the pattern of stressor cards as a certain color which require removing blocks from the tower and support cards of another color which allow the tower to remain without removing blocks from the structure.

Examples of instructions for stressor cards include: pull one block (e.g., the family gets the flu), pull two blocks (e.g., a child breaks their leg), pull three blocks (e.g., a parent loses their job), pull four blocks (e.g., there is a house fire), and pull one block now and one

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additional block each time it is your turn (e.g., a family member abuses alcohol and will not accept help).

Examples of instructions for support cards include pull no blocks this turn (e.g., the family begins using “I feel” statements), pull no blocks for one full minute (e.g., the family begins practicing meditation together), pull no blocks for two full minutes (e.g., the family actively participates in counseling for six months).

Students are instructed to follow a pattern for picking a card out of the stack (e.g., clockwise, counterclockwise, etc.) and all begin simultaneously. A student pulls a card, reads it to the group, and follows the directions. Students can engage with each other naturally and strategize as they see fit. The professor can walk around the room, viewing the gameplay and mentally taking notes (e.g., group four seemed to have a lot of support cards, group one was excitedly supporting each other). When a group’s tower falls, they are done and can pack up the Jenga tower until all groups are finished or a certain time limit is reached.

Stressor and support cards Stressor cards are created based on actual events experienced by families. The stressor cards should greatly outnumber the support cards. Support cards provide counseling techniques that, when implemented, could be beneficial to the family. Each pack of cards contains approximately 50 cards. Of the 50 cards, approximately 30 to 35 cards are stressor cards, and 15 to 20 cards are support. Examples of stressors and support are provided in Table 1.

Debriefing

Just as with counseling sessions or crisis events, debriefing and consultation are an essential part of the process. Mental notes made by the professor can be discussed, as well as overall questions regarding the experience itself and what they noticed while playing the game. Each process question is asked and applied to both class information and professional counseling settings. The debriefing process offers the opportunity to also apply Bowen Family Systems Theory.

Differentiation of self The professor begins this portion of the activity by reminding the class of the definition of differentiation of self (DoS). According to Bowen (1978), “Differentiation begins when one family member begins to more clearly define and openly state his own inner life principles and convictions, and he begins to take responsible action based on convictions” (p. 437). The professor then asks questions such as, “Which stressor and support cards might lead a member of your family to seek a higher level of differentiation?” and “How might a family whose members lack a level of DoS lead to disrupted emotional equilibrium and additional crises?”

Bowen (1978) described a predictable family response to a family member wishing to differentiate as “successive steps” (p. 437). These steps include the family telling the member wishing to differentiate that their actions are “wrong” and provide reasons to support this claim, a suggestion that changing back to the undifferentiated individual leads to acceptance and stating consequences if the individual does not comply with the wishes of the family.

Class discussion then moves to asking students when they began to differentiate from their families of origin and the response they received from their family. Bowen (1978)

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described patterns of parental reactions to differentiation, including blaming society for a family member wishing to differentiate or to blame themselves. Students then discuss whether these patterns existed in their family.

Multigenerational transmission process The professor then reminds the class of Bowen’s (1978) definition of the multigenerational transmission process

This concept describes the pattern as family emotional process is transmitted through multiple generations. In each generation the most emotionally involved child moves toward a lower level of differentiation of self and the least involved child toward a better level of differentiation (p. 425).

The professor asks the students to tell them what this definition means in everyday language. The class defines and provides examples of how this has occurred in their own families.

Finally, the professor asks students to imagine their own Jenga tower family across

Table 1. Stressor and support jenga card examples.

Stressor Support

One family member is incarcerated for murder The family focuses on wellness for one year You need to go to the ER but don’t have insurance The family has dinner together

A family member is addicted to pain pills The family has a positive support system Parents haven’t been on a date in years The family supports each other’s interests

Parents separate The family comes together for weekly game night You adopt a puppy that has a tumor You say “I love you” to each other daily

You are investigated for abuse and the report is founded The family laughs and has fun together You’re moving from an apartment to a house A family member breaks a leg, and everyone pitches in

A child is diagnosed with autism The family uses “I statements” when discussing feelings The house hasn’t been cleaned in months The family actively participates in counseling One parent is emotionally abusive The family practices active listening

A child experiences sexual assault The family incorporates wellness habits Someone has been secretly drinking alcohol A family member begins therapy

No one in the family reads The family goes on a picnic by the lake The family doesn’t spend quality time together The family bakes cookies together

Your family is evicted The family starts a weekly movie night together Your family car breaks down The family practices volunteering A family member has untreated depression The family holds a monthly meeting

The house is robbed The family prioritizes quality time together Your father-in-law moves in A parent helps a child practice reading

A family member dies Parents listen to their child when they’re upset Mom’s new boyfriend is a sex offender The family practices a holiday tradition

A parent loses their job A parent helps the children with homework A child brings home lice from school The family goes fishing together The family experiences a bed bug breakout The family goes on a walk together

A child leaves for college The children help put away groceries The family has an unexpected pregnancy The children learn how to grow vegetables

The family does not accept a member who is LGBTQ+ The family goes to the library together Parents argue and children see violence The family hugs each other every day

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generations, “If no member of the family differentiates, would the stressors change?;” “Imagine if only one member of the family differentiated. How might future generations be impacted?;” and “How might we use Bowen’s prediction that the least involved child reaches a better level of differentiation when working with clients?” The professor may find it impactful to discuss other Bowen terms (e.g., emotional cutoff, family projection, sibling position, nuclear family emotional sys- tem) in the discussion as well. Additional sample process questions are provided in Table 2.

When the time allotted for the game ends, the debriefing process includes real feelings of hope and heartache, with students mentioning how invested their group became in their fictional family. Students offer each other suggestions for ways to bolster their towers in the future, which mimics professional consultation.

Future research

This article highlights one method for utilizing gamification in the couples and family counseling classroom. Future research could explore the use of other gaming types in the classroom, including Escape Room in a Box, the game of Life, or improvisational theater games. Research exploring the impact of experiential activities on understanding and

Table 2. Sample process questions.

How did your Jenga tower visibly change?

How can we apply the concept of homeostasis to this experience? At what point might outsiders notice the Jenga tower may need some support?

At what point did you begin to worry about your Jenga? How did it feel to work as a team with your Jenga family?

Who was your Jenga family’s cheerleader? How did you make decisions as a team?

Who took the lead on a plan for your Jenga family? Did everyone agree? If your Jenga toppled, how did you feel?

Did anyone blame the person who pulled the final block? Did anyone take on family roles: hero, scapegoat, placater, blamer … ? Was your team’s style more authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, or something else?

How might certain stressors impact your identified patient/client? What thoughts did you have when pulling out a block?

What strategies did you employ? What were some of your stressors that caused the family the most imbalance?

How do families regain balance? How might anxiety be present for this family if they were a real family? Did you notice the cards that showed your family was making healthy choices? How did it feel when you pulled these?

Did anyone notice the support cards and stack the deck to help your family? Why or why not? How does the phrase “the straw that broke the camel’s back” apply here?

At what point do you think most families seek out support when experiencing stressors? At what point would you seek support?

What other thoughts and feelings do you have towards this experience? How does this experience relate to things we’ve learned in class?

How could the outcome change, based on family members differentiating? How could shifting your focus around the family system help you when a family seems hopeless?

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applying concepts as opposed to other, more traditional methods, could be beneficial to developing future gaming strategies for the classroom.

Conclusion

The use of games to teach counselors-in-training new ways to understand counseling concepts and theories can be beneficial to the learning process while aligning with CACREP Standards. The use of experiential activities like the one designed by the first author can assist students in better understanding the impact of external systems on a family system. The use of a counseling team allows students to recognize the benefit of teamwork, consulting, positivity, strategy, and resources when working with future clients. Processing the activity as a class using guided questions allows for sharing of multiple perspectives and strategies. And, after 10 years of utilizing this method, we feel confident that it always results in fun.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest is reported by the authors.

ORCID

Meredith A. Rausch http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1902-0533

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