GROUP THERAPY RULES
PLAY
(1) The gameboard is divided into three colors. Each color represents a different level of difficulty. Starting on "Hung Up" and moving clockwise, Yellow contains the lowest percentage of difficult instructions. Red contains a higher percentage. And Blue contains the highest.
(2) In each segment, place shuffled Therapist Cards of the corresponding color in the rectangle marked "Therapist". Place the cards marked "Group Therapist" in the circle at the center of the board.
(3) Each player puts their token on the square marked "Hung Up". The tallest player goes first and the players then take their turns in clockwise fashion.
(4) The first player removes the top card from the Yellow stack of Therapist Cards and reads it aloud. They then have no more than one minute to prepare before performing the instruction.
(5) If the player does not choose to do the Therapist instructions, they may pass. They must then move their token back one space (no player may move back beyond "Hung Up") and the next player goes.
(6) If the player performs the Therapist instruction, the other players (the Group) have no more than one minute to decide what judgment they wish to make. (Judging a player is discussed later).
(7) The player moves their token forward one space for each "With It" judgment they receive, and back one space for each "Cop Out" judgment they receive. For example, if a player receives 3 "With Its" and 1 "Cop Out", they have a net gain of 2 and moves forward 2 spaces. If they had received 3 "Cop Outs" and 1 "With It", they would move back 2 spaces.
(8) If more than half the judgments are "Cop Outs", the performing player may ask the Group to explain their votes --- after they move their token. Following a brief discussion, the player may perform the instruction again. The Group will then make new judgments and the player will move their token again according to the new votes. A player may not repeat any instruction more than once.
(9) As the game progresses, each player will take the top card from the stack that corresponds with the color area in which their token lies.
(10) When a player lands on a space marked "Group Therapist", they take the top card from the pile marked "Group Therapist", reads it aloud, performs the instruction, is judged, and moves their token. THEN, moving clockwise, EACH PLAYER performs the same instructions, is judged and moves their tokens. When all players have completed the "Group Therapist" instruction, the game proceeds as before, with the player to the left of the player who drew the "Group Therapist" card drawing a regular Therapist card. (NOTE: If, as a result of performing a "Group Therapist" instruction, a player moves onto a "Group Therapist" space, they do not draw a new "Group Therapist" card.)
(11) The first person to reach "Free" is the winner. The other players will then determine whether they wish to stop or to continue playing until everyone, in effect, is a winner. All "Free" players will continue to post judgments but do not draw any further cards or move their token.
JUDGING A PLAYER
Each player has a judgment card marked "With It" on one side and "Cop Out" on the other. After a player has performed, all members of the Group will simultaneously hold up their judgment cards. If you believe the player adequately fulfilled what was asked of them, show the "With It" side of your card. If not, show the "Cop Out" side. When a player must do or say something one-at-a-time with other players, judgments will be made only after the player has completely finished the assignment with all players, and judgment will be based on your overall impression of everything the player said and did.
You will undoubtedly want to take a number of factors into account in determining whether the player has fulfilled the instruction of the Therapist card :
Did they "Cop Out"? Were they acting? Were they impersonal? Were they glib? Did they try to make a joke of what they were doing? Were they trying to sustain a public image of themselves which seems to be different from their private self? Did they respond to the instructions incompletely, trying to get by with as little as possible? Were they trying to hide something? Did they seem afraid of appearing petty, ordinary, naive, weal, uncool, unmasculine / unfeminine? Were they afraid to be vulnerable?
Were they "With It"? Did they try to be open, honest, sincere, aware, giving and "Free"?
Many judgments will be difficult to make. How well you know the player, of course, will affect your decision. At times, you may waver ; but --- as in most personal situations --- judging is a risk you must take.