Press Contact:
Gary Carr, Rising Moon Marketing & Public Relations
(925) 672-8717, carrpool@pacbell.net
Book Awards from International Humor Association Go to Authors Exploring Uses of Laughter in Teaching and Healing
Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor honors teacher and healthcare worker for books on positive effects of laughter in classroom, sickroom.
San Francisco. March 7, 2006. At its 2006 annual conference in Austin, Texas, the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor (AATH) presented its first annual Humor Book Awards to two U.S. authors, Scott Endres, a public school teacher from Louisville, KY, and Peter J. Flierl, a health and wellness consultant from Greenwich, CT.
AATH presented the award for books published in 2004 and 2005 that best further the Association’s mission “to advance the understanding and application of humor and laughter of their positive benefits.”
AATH is an international association of professionals who use humor in their jobs to enhance work performance, support learning, and promote healing, whether physical, emotional, social, or spiritual, according to AATH president Allen Klein of San Francisco.
The Association’s rules specify that two awards be given, one to a member and one to a non-member.
AATH member Scott Endres, a public school teacher from Louisville, KY, won for his book, Teaching is Too Important to Take Seriously: A Guide to Laughter in Teaching and Life. Non-member Peter J. Flierl, MSW, took the award for his book, Prayer, Laughter and Broccoli: Being There When Your Wife Has Breast Cancer.
Flierl’s book is based on the experiences of his family in dealing with his wife’s aggressive beast cancer in 1982, when she was 37 years old. He writes of his strength, faith, common sense, and sense of humor that allowed him to cope with challenges. His message is one he shares with other couples and families battling cancer together. Flierl has spent over 30 years in health promotion and wellness services and is a pioneer in hospital-based alternative medicine programs, including meditation and mindfulness stress reduction.
Teacher Scott Endres is also a speaker and consultant for in-service training programs in schools and businesses. In addition to his Guide to Laughter, he facilitates a program, “Five Fingers of Laughter,” in which he demonstrates the beneficial effects of laughter for the classroom and workplace.
Endres is the editor of an e-newsletter, FingerPoints, which is circulated to classroom teachers and others, and which asks teachers to contribute humorous stories from their classrooms.
The latest edition of FingerPoints cites the official Days and Weeks to be found in March.
March 13-19 is International Flirting Week. March 22 is National Goof-off Day, while March 31 is Bunsen Burner Day. And March itself, according to Endres and AATH President Allen Klein, is International Mirth Month.
Background of AATH
The Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor was founded in 1987 by a group of healthcare professionals. AATH is a non-profit professional organization that advances the understanding and application of humor and laughter for their positive benefits. AATH provides and disseminates information about applied and therapeutic humor through conferences, publications, a website, and networking to a community from a wide variety of clinical, corporate, and classroom settings. They include scholars, psychologists, counselors, allied healthcare practitioners, nurses, social workers, physicians, business executives, human resource managers, educators, clergy, hospital clowns, speakers, trainers, and others who incorporate humor in their work. Further information can be found at www.aath.org.
What is therapeutic humor?
Therapeutic humor is any intervention that promotes health and wellness by stimulating a playful discovery, expression, or appreciation of the absurdity or incongruity of life’s situations.
This intervention may enhance work performance, support learning, improve health, or be used as a complementary treatment of illness to facilitate healing or coping, whether physical, emotional, cognitive, social, or spiritual.
Who can belong to AATH?
AATH welcomes anyone who is interested in learning more about the application and benefits of therapeutic humor.
Why was AATH created?
- to educate health care, business, and education professionals about the values and therapeutic uses of humor and laughter.
- to develop, promote, conduct, and identify the need for research that further investigates the roles humor and laughter play in well-being.
- to encourage, support, and report on innovative programs that incorporate the therapeutic use of humor.
- to disseminate information about humor and laughter to its members through regular publications and educational opportunities.
- to function as an interdisciplinary network for its members.
- to be a clearinghouse for information on humor and laughter as they relate to well-being.
AATH Contact:
Karla Pollack, Executive Secretary, 5 Independence Way, Suite 300, Princeton, NJ 08540-6627. Phone 609-392-3800 , Fax 609-392-0244, staff@aath.org Web www.aath.org.
Press Contact:
Gary Carr, Rising Moon Marketing & Public Relations, (925) 672-8717, carrpool@pacbell.net
