The Home for Humor & Laughter Professionals July 2017

Save The Date!

AATH Annual Humor Conference & Humor Academy

April 12­15, 2018 San Diego, California

Incredibly Clean & FunnyJokes, found on Facebook from

our own Melissa Mork.

Click on Image and enjoy!

2017 Conference Reprise

This complimentary Humor Connection newsletter is one of the many ways thatAATH fulfills our mission to study, practice and promote healthy humor. Youcan join our efforts by joining AATH at www.aath.org

From the AATH President ­ Nila Nielsen

July ­ A Month to Celebrate Membership

During July, AATH celebrates our membership. A delightful mixture of joyouslyjolly members can be found in our Association. We have parents,grandparents, laborers, professionals, students, comedians, speakers,teachers, doctors, humorists, lawyers, care­givers, clowns, writers, technologyspecialists, performers, artists, limo­drivers, candy makers, tour guides,researchers, authors, comedians and many, many others. Our members arediverse, but seamlessly unified by their love of humor. They are individuallyunique, yet when they join together they share the common bond of laughter.

If I could hold up a circle with each of our members names listed inside, therewould be a big empty spot in the middle. That spot is reserved for YOU ­ thereader of our monthly Humor Connection who has not yet joined AATH. Youare undoubtedly someone who loves humor and perhaps just hasn't beenasked to join. I'm asking you. Come join us this month. You can join as a newmember through August 31 for only $99. Click here.

July is the time to pay it forward. Take time to share a laugh with a friend andtell them about AATH.

Celebrating YOU in July, Nila Nielsen, AATH President

ninielsen@me.com

Surf's Up San Diego:

2018 Conference Update

The 2018 Conference Committee isshaking things up here in San Diegoas we prepare for our 2018 event!

With almost 100 fabulous speakersubmissions we've had our work cutout for us. Last month, the So CalChapter of AATH did a site visit ofthe Holiday Inn Bayside and wewere delighted with the open air feelof the venue, just off the water in

Book Review

The Misery Manifesto: A Self­Help Parody for the

Self­Absorbed

Debbie Derflinger and Kyle Edgell

Jessica Bytautas and Joan Charney

Point Loma. The location is astumble from the airport, with freeshuttle service provided for thosewho don't want to walk.

In addition to our incredible speakerline­up, your planning crew has a lotof fun new surprises in storeincluding a welcoming Beach Partyreception, a Friday night Fun­raiserevent to help us raise money alongwith humor awareness andappreciation, and a Sunday morningactivity you won't want to miss (hint:you may want to bring a costume orsilly wear, which I know most of youwere already planning to doanyway!)

Starting next month, our confirmedKeynoters will be doing interviewsfor LaughBox and our YouTubechannel to preview their sessionsand help us to build momentumthrough our various PR, media andmarketing efforts. If you'd like toassist us with promotion, pleaseemail Kathy at kathy@aath.org andlet her know you're interested so wecan send you the marketing timelineand tools once they're ready.

Join us for an amazing and amusingevent guaranteed to help yourecharge your energy while youlearn and apply the practice ofapplied and therapeutic humor inAmerica's Finest City. See you inSan Diego!

Heidi Hanna, PhD, CHP ­Conference Chair, Monkey Mind

Karyn Buxman, RN, CSP, CPAE ­Conference Co­Co

A CHALLENGE to You!

Cheryl Fell has made it her personalmission to reduce the individual costto earn a CEU or CME at ourconferences to $50 or (ideally) $0!.She is challenging every AATHmember to help support the cost ofthis accreditation process and isbacking it with her own money.Cheryl is matching every donationmade to this fund up to $1,000. So, ifyou give $5, it automaticallybecomes $10. A $50 donationbecomes $100! What a deal!

Thanks Cheryl! And thanks to everyAATH member who rises to thischallenge!

by Barb Best (Reviewed by Florence Ditlow, RN)

Barb Best penned a parody asthough she were a woebegone doctorof misinformation, such as "exercisewill drain you like a phone call fromyour aging mother."

She pokes fun at diet food, air travel,Buddha and positive thinking. Shehad the smarts to make cookie doughbecause who needs the extra step ofstressful baking­ it's just fine to eatcookie dough; that way there's moreenergy for eggnog intake at theholidays. Unique holiday hintsabound­ like using Moose Munch asammo in a food fight.

In order to properly relate to hercynicism, I waited for some misery toshow up in the form of bodily achescombined with loss of a credit card.Now, for a distraction and for giddyintensity, I read at the beach where acup of coffee blew onto her book.Then I gave Barb's directions a whirl.

She punctuates the parody withquotes from authorities like SamuelJohnson who warns against themisery fuel of small vexations and thecreative Martha Graham who actuallysaid "Misery is a communicabledisease!"

Then there are great cartoons by RozChast, Liza Donnelly and AndrewGenn. You'll relate to these only if yougo to doctors, have a family or useprescription drugs.

I inadvertently gleaned somesurprisingly effective mood medicineas I dried the pages of cold caffeine: Ipoop out at parties and that's OK! It'spossible to lease happiness.Massage and personal trainers areover rated. Barb isn't into meditation;otherwise she would be free toembrace foolishness and burst outlaughing when her mind goes intopretty lyrics from "West Side Story."

Where I really honestly hit pay dirtwas with her astute direction to makea shrine to Mr. Peanut. I took onelarge legume in the shell, added wirelegs, a face and a rubber sweat bandreading "Keith." Put him finally in a tshirt from Don Baird reading "Nut tobe a­saulted!" Mr. Keith Peanut isdeserving of a shrine, Barb; youprobably know his wife Hazel left him­she ran off with the trail mix. So now Ican count on laughing at my deskshrine.

Cheryl Fell, Nurse FUNshine

Level I HumorAcademy Reflectionson the 2017Conference

"As a first­timer to the AATHConference, I was more thanpleasantly surprised. I got excited.So much information sharing andresearch on humor and laughter. Ihave followed Dr. Lee Berk'sresearch over the past several yearsand was very awed to hear himspeak. I wish I had joined AATHearlier. Now I am very excited aboutstarting the journey of the HumorAcademy, Level 1. So much to learnand look forward to. I considermyself an eternal optimist, so I feltright at home with so much optimismflowing from all the members. Iabsolutely loved every minute. Can'twait till San Diego!"

­ Angie Robinson, Georgia

"I was floored by how much I learnedin just one jammed weekend of fun,but also I left the conference with somany take aways (that I havealready stolen and used in myclassroom back in central Illinois).

I taught about Paul's connection withplay and dogs, and in fact, used thatas an ice breaker in the airport onthe way home ­ you are strangersuntil you ask someone if they have apet ­ they instantly light up and scrolltheir phones for pictures. My 6yoloved asking people that on our wayhome. I taught using the CleverCatch ball I found on Amazon duringthe presentation ­ and reminded myteenagers that although they are the

This parody, rated by God as "Funnyas Hell" has one personally sombertruth: nail fungus will drive youinsane.

Members who would like their book tobe considered for an upcomingHumor Connection book review,should contact info@aath.org. Pleaseuse Book Review Submission in thesubject line.

Member News

Send us YOUR news for our nextissue by using this online form:

Member News Form

The AATH past presidents, underthe guidance of Ed Dunkelblau, areinitiating a Past PresidentsRoundtalbe with the purpose ofsupporitng the mission of AATH. Doyou know who has faithfully guidedour organization over the years?Check out the amazing group of pastpresidents, found here.

Allen Klein was featured in the June20th edition of ReadersDigest.com!Check out the article, "10 ProvenWays to Make Better Dicisions."

Kathy Keaton, a.k.a. Piccolo theClown, was featured in Tonic, a ViceMedia blog. In the article on healthcare clowing, Piccolo ­ er, Kathy ­explains how medical clowns learn towatch body language and use eyecontact as indicators of when it is oris not appropriate to engage patients.Read the article here.

The Healing Headbands program,founded by Barbara Grapstein, CHPas her Humor Academy project,received a most prestigious award!This past school year (2016­2017),the North Shore public school districtKiwanis Key club selected HealingHeadbands as their service project.Under the guidance of Barbara andJoanie Accolla, this AATH HumorAcademy project won first prize atboth the New York State andinternational levels for exemplaryservice! Over 120 Kiwanis serviceprojects are represented globally, so

most connected generation, they arealso the most isolated, and webrainstormed ideas about how to tryto connect more.

I stole Beth's ideas of preferenceversus ability and blew the kids'minds with how we fold our hands.

But the biggest lesson for me is thatI need to play more, the kids need toplay more, and so in the middle ofRomeo and Juliet, we went outsideand played FREEZETAG review.They loved it and I bet their testscores reflect some learning too!"

­ Jennifer Keith

Invitation to the MIDWESTREGIONAL MEETING

Chip Lutz is the featured speaker atour first AATH MIDWEST REGIONMeeting on August 5th, from 1:00­3:00 p.m. at the Northeast branch ofthe Rockford area YMCA. This eventis free and open to the public.

Chip will be presenting the topic: It'sin the Bag! 7 Easy Ways to Be MoreResilient

Got stress? Join the club. Stress ­ itcan come from other people, fromlife struggles or a myriad ofdirections, but we all have to face itand deal with it. When it hits hard,that's when we start feeling likewe're diagonally parked in a paralleluniverse. What we want ­ what weneed ­ are ways to get back up whenlife is trying to knock us down!

Certified HumorProfessional (CHP)Recognition

Developing and Teaching a PhDSeminar Class in Humor andLaughet Therapy

their achievement is no mean feat.

Congratulations to Barbara andJoanie for their incredible work!

Danny Donuts was named the June2017 Adultitis Fighter of the Month!The honor, bestowed upon Danny bythe blog Escape Adulthood,recognizes individuals who are"dazzling" exemplars of "what weshould strive for in the epic battleagainst the formidable enemy" that isAdultitis. (Special shout out to BarbDonuts, too!) Read the interviewhere!

Mr. and Mrs. Donuts rebelling againstthe Man, man.

Our very own Julie Ostrow and MaiaAziz performed at the Positive Humorand Comedy event at Les 3Brasseurs in Montréal on July 14th.Sponsored by the Canadian PositivePsychology Association, the eventfeatured the "Positive" stand­upcomedy of these very funnycomediennes.

"Jack­of­all­jokes" and AATH HumorAcademy student, Paul Osincup,spoke recently at the FunnyBizzConference in San Francisco. Paul'stalk, "Leading with Laughter",highlights the range of issues facedby companies and educationalinstitutions, from diversity and

­ Fr. Paul Moore, MS, LPC, LMFT,NCC

My project is todevelop andteach a PhDlevel seminarcourse inHumor andLaughterTherapy for theCollege of

Education and Health Professions:Department of Rehabilitation,Human Resources, andCommunication Disorders titled,CNED 699V ­ Seminar: Humor andLaughter Therapy. Students willinclude those enrolled in theMaster's or PhD program inCounselor Education andSupervision or currently licensedmental health counselors seekingcontinuing education or training.

The course will explore humor andlaughter as a therapeutic paradigmand examine concepts andinterventions as it relates to mentalhealth and wellness, with anemphasis on mental health as thecatalyst for overall wellness with aspecial emphasis on multiculturaland liberation paradigms.

The course will utilize experientialblended lecture and groupdiscussion technique with researchfocused on discovering and creatingmeaning and process. The primaryvehicle for this class is dialogue anddiscussions since therapeutic andhealing modalities are oftenexperiential and dialogical.

Discussions, activities, andexperiences will provide anopportunity to explore attitudes,feelings, and values associated withour perception of humor andlaughter as it applies to therapeuticand wellness paradigms as well asrecognizing different experiences inothers.

The course will include the followingassignments:

Humor and Laughter GenogramInterview Humor and LaughterProfessionalIndividual Article PresentationPartnered Media AnalysisMulticultural/Liberation HumorFinal Presentation

compassion fatigue to using humor inleadership.

Educator, International Speaker andpast president of AATH, Mary KayMorrison will deliver the keynotespeech on "Humor and Laughter: TheMind/Body Connection" at theLaughter Convention USA held at theIllinois Beach Resort on October 6­8.For more information about the event,click here, or contactadmin@laughteryogausa.org.

The secret is out! Frank Chindamo,Curriculum Creator/ Instructor of NewMedia at Columbia College,Hollywood and student in the AATHHumor Academy, just launched theVirtual Film School at the 9th AnnualNew Media Film Festival in LosAngeles. At the Virtual Film School,students will learn the art of virtualreality filmmaking and be providedwith cutting edge info from world­class instructors.

Kelly Epperson, writer, speaker andmentor, spoke this month at theEngaging Speakers event held inSchaumburg, IL. Kelly's session,"Relax & Write to Get Clients (andSpeaking Opportunities)", focused onhow to quickly and easily write blogs,newsletters and social media poststhat result in instant "CEO power" ­Credibility, Exposure, Opportunities.Engaging Speakers is a powerfulnetworking organization that offers anopportunity for experts to transformtheir love and passion into amessage that best serves the needsof the world. For more information onEngaging Speakers and upcomingevents, click here. To sign up forKelly's complimentary "Joy Letter",check out her website.

Megan Werner started a newposition as Psychotherapist In PrivatePractice at Brain Training, LLC.Congratulations, Megan!

~ Fr. Paul Moore is a LicensedProfessional Counselor, a LicensedMarriage and Family Therapist, aNational Certified Counselor, as wellas an Anglican priest. Hispsychotherapy practice, ClientFocused Counseling, providescounseling and marriage & familytherapy to the NW Arkansas region.Fr. Moore's therapeutic approach isa blend of Humanistic,Psychodynamic, Family Systems,Thomistic, and Liberation. Hecurrently serves on the AATH Boardof Directors.

AATH AwardRecognition

Congratulations to Lenny Dave forrecognition at our 2017 conferencefor the HEART AND SOUL AWARD

This award honors a person who hasdemonstrated heartfelt empathy andsupport towards members of theAATH family and a deepcommitment to the AATH mission.

Nationally recognized comedyhistorian, humorist and two­time"Speaker of the Year" nomineeLenny Dave is a proud AATH PastPresident (2007­09). Even thoughLenny is not a doctor, he has beenknown to perform successful surgeryon the human spirit!

In 2014, Lenny was selected as thefeatured speaker... and the onlyspeaker... to perform in the inauguralseason of the "Red SkeltonEntertainment Series." This tookplace in Red's hometown ofVincennes, Indiana, in conjunctionwith the opening of a brand­newmuseum dedicated to Red Skelton'slegacy of laughter. And, it was Lennywho spear­headed the AATH effortto have our 2014 Annual Conferenceheld at that museum and in thatbeautiful Red Skelton Theater.

For nearly 30 years, Lenny has beenspeaking nationally, presenting a funand informative program thatspotlights all of our favorite laugh­makers of the past 100 years... fromVaudeville, Broadway, MotionPictures and Radio to Night Clubs,Record Albums and Television...recalling so many memories of atime when the best comedy wasfunny and clean. Earlier this month,Lenny completed a 10­week tour of

Linnea Heintz started a new positionas Program Coordinator at NewBeginning Children's Homes, Inc.Congratulations, Linnea!

LaughBox with facilitator Chip Lutz

Episode 6: Allen Klein

This week I got to talk to THE AllenKlein, CSP and AATH LifetimeAchievement Award Winner. Allen is(what I consider) a humor pioneer.His classic book, The Healing Powerof Humor, has been a staple foranyone interested in humor as astudy for the past 30 years. It wasthat book and Allen himself, that firstbrought me to AATH.

In this episode, we talk about howAllen first got interested in humor andhow his application of humor hasevolved over the years. We sharesome laughs and strategies that canbe used right now for YOU to make adifference in your own life usinghumor.

A little more about Allen....

Allen Klein, MA, CSP* (aka "Mr.Jollytologist®") is an award­winningprofessional keynote speaker andbest­selling authorwho showsaudiences worldwide how humor canhelp them deal with everyday trialsand tribulations as well as triumphingover tragedy.

Klein's books have been published ineight different languages (English,Spanish, Danish, Japanese, Korean,Chinese, Hungarian, and Turkish)with over 500,000 in print.

Episode 7: Ed Dunkelblau

45 shows across the state of Florida.And, as always, each one beganwith a tip­of­the­cap to AATH and itsmission.

Welcome New AATH Members

AATH welcomed the following NEWMEMBERS in June and July:

Haragobinda Baidya, Dhaka,Bangladesh

Ted Kagan, El Cajon, CA Marty Ritzke, Largo, FL

Nandi Wilson, Waldorf, MD

Funny Story of the Month from Judy Oliverio

This week at the pain clinic, I wasdoing a medication review with amale Veteran and wife. I asked if hetook anything not listed over thecounter. He said "yes, the blue pill."One day, his wife was forcing him totake the blue pill. He said, "Honey, Iam in so much pain I can't move."She replied back, "honey, it's anAlleve." We had the best laugh, thefront desk asked what the party wasabout. The patient replied "it's a longstory" and we started rolling again.That was the cutest couple ever. Forten minutes he forgot he couldn'twalk to the doctor's office withouthelp.

This week on Laughbox we talk to Dr.Ed Dunelblau, Past President ofAATH and Lifetime AchievementAward winner. Ed shares verycandidly about strategies he used tocope recently with his own bout withcancer. Listen in. You'll laugh andlearn some things to make a positiveimpact for yourself and others.

More on Ed...

Dr. Dunkelblau is a licensed clinicalpsychologist and nationally knownspeaker on the topics of social­emotional intelligence, humor, andhealth.

Ed has been in clinical practice for 25years, is past president of theAssociation for Applied andTherapeutic Humor (AATH), isapproved supervisor for theAssociation for Marriage and FamilyTherapy, and director of the Institutefor Emotionally Intelligent Learning.

DONATIONS TO AATH ARE TAXDEDUCTIBLE: Thank you for yourcontinued support of AATH!

You can write a check to AATH andsend to the office or you can:

1. AATH 2018 CONFERENCESPONSORSHIP: There are manyways that you can be a sponsor forour AATH conference for as little as$50.

2. SCHOLARSHIP DONATION: Youcan designate your gift to the WilliamFry, Patty Wooten or Ed Dunkelblauscholarship fund.

To make a tax­deductible gift toAATH, you may send checkdonations to the AATH office at:

220 East State St., Floor G Rockford, IL 61104

MEMBER ASSISTANCE: If you needhelp with renewing your membership,or if you have questions, reach out toMichele St. Clair and her team at815­708­6587.

REMINDER: AATH is officially recognized as a 501c3 and has been vetted by UNITED WAY. If you or anyone you knowmakes donations through United Way, please consider designating a portion of your generous gift to AATH and please

let others know of this opportunity.