Newington Human Services is offering a year round series on Wellness known as Wellness Wednesdays. On the first Wednesday of every month, at 6:30 pm we will offer a presentation on some topic of wellness at the Newington Town Hall. We are kicking this series off with a presentation by Joyce Saltman on laughter. Future topics will include Food and Motion and their impact on total health in November, Financial well- being: how to achieve and maintain in December, and many more topics in the new year.

Joyce Saltman is a professor Emeritus of Special Education at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, CT. She chose to receive her doctoral degree from Columbia, because she loved the color of their doctoral gown. It was no small feat that she was able to persuade her mentor to allow her to write her dissertation on “Humor in Adult Learning.” She also holds four graduate degrees in the fields of Special Education and Counseling. Joyce’s innovative teaching style has led to the development of a graduate course entitled. “The Enhancement of Learning Through Humor,” as well as a summer institute called, “Healing, Education Laughter and Play (HELP).”

Her experience in the areas of education, therapy, and comedy has provided an outstanding background for her research on “The Therapeutic Value of Laughter.” Since 1983, when Joyce began lecturing on “Laughter,” she has been interviewed by national radio and TV. Her dynamic seminars and articles, always peppered with humor, address such topic as dealing with difficult people, laughter as therapy, parenting, and relationships. Her goal is to enlighten, educate, and entertain while the audience laughs. Joyce has been speaking on "Laughter" and related uplifting topics since 1983, and hopes to be able to die laughing - but not too soon!!!

Joyce is the 2015 recipient of the Doug Fletcher Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for the Applied and Therapeutic Humor (AATH). She also is the first winner of the Outstanding Faculty Award from the Academy for Continuing Education, (ACE) Boynton Beach, FL, as well as the 2015 First prize joke-telling award from the International Society for Humor Studies (ISHS).

As a result of her speaking engagements she has so far been able to donate over one million dollars to her favorite various charities. Intermittently referred to as the “Guru of Laughter,” and “The Chubby Broad from Brooklyn, Joyce helps people lighten up wherever she goes!

 "Laughter: Rx for Survival

This presentation will deal with the physiological benefits of laughter, studies on the mind-body connection, and practical (plus some not-so-practical!) suggestions on ways to bring more laughter into your life. The lecture combines scientific data with comedy, in an effort to provide a mirth-­provoking educational experience.

Objectives:

Upon completion of this presentation the participant will be able to:

.:. Describe several methods of using humor as a form of communication and to cope with stress.

.:. Identify social, psychological, and physiological benefits of laughter.

.: .Identify the techniques for the use of humor as a therapeutic tool.

.:. Use humor to maintain a healthy perspective in his/her own daily life.