Laugh Lab Choice Board
SESSION 01
Laugh Lab Choice Board
ICEBREAKER
Agent Name:
Date:
⚡ Mission Protocol: Select three challenges below to conquer together. No boring answers allowed!
1. Dilemma Zone
Option A:
Have hands made of cheese but you can never eat cheese.
VS
Option B:
Have feet that play dramatic movie trailer music whenever you walk.
Which one is your survival pick?
2. Tall Tale Studio
"The principal announced over the loudspeaker that the school was being officially taken over by a tiny, hyperactive..."
Finish the story with the weirdest ending possible!
3. Rapid Fire Round
Q1
If animals could talk, which one would be the most sarcastic?
Q2
What would your superhero name be if you only controlled laundry?
Q3
Name a food combination that sounds absolutely illegal.
10 seconds per answer. Go!
4. Action Showdowns
CHALLENGE 1 Vocal
Explain how to eat pizza, but you must do it in an over-the-top pirate accent.
CHALLENGE 2 Focus
The No-Smile Stare Down: Keep a totally straight face while your counselor tells a bad joke.
Will you challenge the counselor to do it too?
5. Scribble Station
Creative Doodle
✏️ Sketch Prompt: Draw a secret agent potato trying to blend in at a grocery store checkout line.
Doodle Space
Choice is yours, Agent! Let's play. ERMHS RAPPORT SERIES // SESSION 1
Laugh Lab Facilitator Guide
ERMHS Clinical Protocol // Session 1
Laugh Lab Facilitator Guide
A high-engagement 20-minute rapport builder designed for 6th-grade male students.
Target Duration 20 Minutes
Therapeutic Strategy: Agency & Play
Monthly ERMHS sessions can feel daunting or overly clinical for a 6th-grade boy. This protocol leverages humor and choice-theory to level the power dynamic, reduce hyper-vigilance, and establish immediate relational safety. By playing along and embracing goofy scenarios, you demonstrate that your office is a safe, non-judgmental space.
Pacing & Timeline (20 Min)
0-3 Min
Mission Briefing & Buy-In
Welcome the student. Avoid direct clinical or school progress questions immediately. Hand over the Laugh Lab Choice Board and say: "We only have 20 minutes today, and you are entirely in control of how we spend it. We need to complete three challenges from this board. You choose them, and we both do them. No boring stuff allowed."
3-15 Min
The Choice Rounds (3 Selection Picks)
Facilitate the three chosen activities. Play along fully to model vulnerability and humor:
1. Dilemma Zone: Let them justify their answer with absolute logic. Push for funny details.
2. Tall Tale Studio: Take turns saying one sentence each to continue the school takeover story.
3. Rapid Fire: Use a phone timer to create high-energy suspense. Keep it snappy!
5. Scribble Station: Spend 3 minutes sketch-dueling. Show your drawing first to lower anxiety.
15-18 Min
Strategic Conversational Transition
Capitalize on the positive affect. Slip in low-friction clinical inquiries while keeping the mood light: "On a scale of a potato to a superhero, how has this month been feeling for you?" or "If school was a movie genre right now, would it be an action movie, a comedy, or a weird silent movie?"
18-20 Min
Locking the Anchor & Scheduling
Confirm your monthly check-in cadence. Let them write a funny title for the next session or choose a hand-signal/secret-knock. Establish continuity so they know they are coming back to a predictable, supportive space.
CONFIDENTIAL // ERMHS CLINICAL USE ONLY PAGE 1 OF 2
Observation Matrix & Documentation
Clinical Insight & Post-Session Notes
Session Notes
Clinical Observation Guidelines
Defense Humor Is humor being used to deflect completely from vulnerable states? Observe whether they can switch from laughing to a calm, settled baseline easily.
Anxiety Indicators Watch them during the Scribble Station. Do they hesitate, erase constantly, or try to hide their work? These are markers of high evaluation anxiety.
Boundary Response Observe how they manage time limits during the Rapid Fire round or when shifting between cards. Note flexibility versus rigidity in transitions.
Low-Pressure Diagnostic Transition Starters
Assessing School Stressors: "If you could use a remote control to mute one part of your school day, which part are we hitting mute on?"
Assessing Social Dynamics: "Who in your friend group is most likely to survive a zombie apocalypse, and who gets eaten first?"
Assessing Self-Regulation: "When you get really annoyed or frustrated, what is your brain's alarm sound? A siren or a low hum?"
Closing Commitment: "Write down one rule I have to follow next month. I'll do the same for you. Deal?"
Facilitator Post-Session Notes
1. Student Choice Selections & Receptive Vibe
2. Core Observations (Affect, Regulation, Defensive Humor, or Anxiety)
3. Key Takeaways & Target Anchor for Next Month's Connection
CONFIDENTIAL // ERMHS CLINICAL USE ONLY PAGE 2 OF 2
