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Humor Camp 2026

About this event

Experience and Explore the Uniquely Human Ways HUMOR Helps People Cope, Communicate and Connect

What if laughter is just the beginning?

Comedy makes you laugh. Humor makes you human. There’s a difference — and Humor Camp is here to show you what it is.
Built on co-founder Kermit Cole’s conviction that Humor is one of our most underused superpowers, Humor Camp is an immersive experience where “campers” (aka, small group members) discover how Humor helps people Cope, Communicate, and Connect in ways that genuinely can change lives.

And the setting? Only the most fitting place on earth: Jamestown, NY — hometown of the legendary Lucille Ball. Your base camp is the DoubleTree Hotel, but adventures spill out into the National Comedy Center and the beloved Lucy-Desi Museum. Lucy herself would approve.

By the time camp wraps, you’ll see humor opportunities everywhere and have the confidence to use them artfully. You’ll leave with a sharper eye for Humor’s possibilities, a toolkit full of techniques, and maybe — just maybe — a few new people you’d walk through fire for.
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  • Julie Ostrow, B.A.
    Trained in Improv at The Second City in Chicago, Julie Ostrow’s “zone of genius” lies in humor, communication, and positivity. Her passion as a Humorous Speaker and Communication Coach focuses on teaching how to use improv skills and humor to improve creativity, communication and collaboration. Effective communication and a positive attitude are critical attributes of an effective leader. A positive environment leads to high morale, low turnover, and increased productivity. Learning the art of listening and how to communicate effectively are extremely valuable skills that can be applied to a business setting. Improvisation skills are essential to building effective business relationships— with clients and team members. By applying the rules of improv—Yes, And…; Being in the moment; and Give and Take—you and your team members can ensure that a message is 1.) shared, 2.) heard, and 3.) understood as intended. This leads to discussion and clarification; opportunities to learn from each other, and ways to build solid connections and to communicate more effectively. Whether working with her corporate clients or with individuals interested in developing their interpersonal skillset, Julie is devoted to sharing how being present and truly listening are among the keys to genuinely connecting, communicating with clarity, creatively evolving and boldly advancing in one’s professional or personal world. And, being the first-ever “American Laughing Champion” in 2013, Julie knows a thing or two about laughter and levity.
    Sessions
    • CG1 : Cabin Meeting #1
    • CE-Sat06 : Embrace Humor & Find Courage Even While Facing Uncertainty and Transition
    • CE-Sat07 : Exploring Humor's Value in Coping, Communicating and Connecting
    • CE_Sun08 : Camp Show by Cabins & Synthesizing Conversations
    • CE-F04 : Discovering Humor in Life via Improv
  • Michael Gershe, CHP
    When Michael was only 8-weeks old, he barely survived a car crash caused by a drunk driver. Tragically, though, the crash killed his mother. Years later, with determination and essential humor, Michael went on to become a successful collegiate swimmer, stand-up comedian, speaker, author, college educator, two-time TedxTalk presenter and photographer. He’s quite the Renaissance Man! Strategically combining humor, a powerful and inspirational message, plus over 30 years of stage experience, Michael’s programs on impaired driving prevention have been presented to audiences ranging from high schools, college campuses and military bases to DUI offenders in court-ordered situations. In “Stand-up to Grief,” Michael addresses how to carefully use humor to cope with grief and tragedy, especially from the male perspective. Ring a bell?
    Sessions
  • Robin "Phoenix" Johnson
    Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Robin Johnson served over 20 years in the U.S. Army before becoming a Certified Humor Professional (through AATH). After retiring from the Army, she discovered her new mission: to heal people, organizations and communities through humor. Robin is a veteran fellow at the Hoover Institution (Stanford Univ.) where she is researching the neuroscience of laughter and its impact on the brain. Robin’s work aims to deepen our understanding of how laughter contributes to well-being and cognitive function. She serves as faculty for Thayer Leadership at West Point and the Institute for Defense & Business and guest lectures at Stanford Medical School. Robin also tours internationally as a stand-up comedian with Armed Forces Entertainment, is a TEDx speaker, and a soccer mom.
    Sessions
  • Kermit Cole, LMFT, CHP
    Kermit Cole has had an active interest in humor since an early age, noticing that it arose, even and perhaps especially, in the hardest of times. This led to a lifelong interest in the connection between humor and wisdom. During his first career (in film and television), Kermit explored this interest in “Before Comedy,” about the discovery of comedy by prehistoric clowns, and in “Living Proof: HIV and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Exploring how we face fear with laughter from these two divergent perspectives, Kermit was drawn to working more deeply with people in extreme crisis. He earned undergraduate and master’s degrees from Harvard, focusing on Psychology and Philosophy, and a post-graduate certificate in Marriage & Family Therapy from the Council for Relationships in Philadelphia. Throughout, Kermit noticed that laughter was not simply a release of tension, or a distraction, but seemed to arise at pivotal moments of potential or actual change. Working with people in extreme states of trauma and psychosis (and their families) for 20 years, Kermit made humor an integral part of his practice; from eliciting and developing a connection to difficult-to-reach people, to exploring laughter when it arose naturally. Today, Kermit has developed his own theory of why laughter arises – and how to use it – at critical moments of healing… and of being human. Having spent 20 years looking into the research on humor and laughter, Kermit has been presenting his theories about using humor with confidence, precision, power and safety at psychology, philosophy and humor conferences around the world.
    Sessions
    • CE-Sat07 : Exploring Humor's Value in Coping, Communicating and Connecting
    • CE_Sun08 : Camp Show by Cabins & Synthesizing Conversations
    • Non07 : Humor as a Way of Being: Commit to It; USE It!
    • Non-Th03 : PANEL: The Birth of Our (Humor Camp) Creation
    • CE-F02 : COfounders COnnect the Dots: Comedy Historian Lenny Dave Connects Humor Camp Venues to Kermit Cole’s Unique Humor Proposition: Humor is “The Tool Within EACH of us”
  • Lenny Dave, BS, CHP
    Nationally recognized Comedy Historian Lenny Dave, an entertaining, professional speaker, is the first (and only) to ever accomplish the following triple crown honor. He’s performed in 1) the “Red Skelton Entertainment Series” in Vincennes, Indiana, 2) the “Oliver Hardy Festival” in Harlem, Georgia, and 3) at “Borscht Belt Fest” in Ellenville, New York (in the heart of the Catskill Mountains). For over 35 years, utilizing comedy nostalgia as his time-tested tonic, Lenny cognitively stimulates Active Senior and Wellness audiences. In doing so, he creates a joyful sense of community among those who entered the theater as disconnected individuals. A co-founder of Humor Camp, Lenny is also Past President of AATH (Association for Applied & Therapeutic Humor). Lenny’s creative mission is simple, very “human,” and needed now more than ever: To make a positive difference in people’s lives… and to help bring an end to toxic sameness.
    Sessions
    • Non-Th03 : PANEL: The Birth of Our (Humor Camp) Creation
    • CE-F02 : COfounders COnnect the Dots: Comedy Historian Lenny Dave Connects Humor Camp Venues to Kermit Cole’s Unique Humor Proposition: Humor is “The Tool Within EACH of us”
    • Non07 : Humor as a Way of Being: Commit to It; USE It!
    • CE_Sun08 : Camp Show by Cabins & Synthesizing Conversations
  • David Jacobson, LCSW, CCPT_VA_PTSD,CHP
    David Jacobson, MSW LCSW CHP, was one of Banner University Medical Center’s “Top 10” leaders as their Director of Behavioral Health Case Management. He served as Executive National Director of Marketing, Federal Chief of Service for the VA and as Manager of Social Work at UMC where he worked with patients and families of traumas including the tragic shooting event in Tucson (January, 2011) for which he was personally thanked by President Obama for his assistance. Diagnosed with a severe form of arthritis at 22 and through years of struggling with chronic pain, David has developed humor techniques that help him endure the hard times. The owner of Humor Horizons (his professional speaking/consulting business), David is the author of several books on therapeutic humor and has been featured internationally, but usually only on uneventful, slow news days.
    Sessions
  • Shirley Trout, CHP, PhD
    In short: "Learning is fun ... and Education should be, too!" Shirley's entrepreneurial "career" has included: professional writer; curriculum designer; reporter and editor; professional speaker on the power of humor in learning, parenting and building healthy relationships; portrait photographer and desktop publisher; all while raising four children on the family farm. Her experience as a curriculum designer eventually led her to create the EVATEC model for designing experiential learning structures involving the six considerations she addresses in the process. She is a past president of the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor (aath.org), during which she created the structure that eventually became the organization's Certified Humor Professional (CHP) certification. Prior to her presidency, Shirley led an AATH team that ultimately created the definition of "therapeutic humor." On June 1, 2000, that team confirmed the definition as: "Any intervention that promotes health and wellness by stimulating a playful discovery, expression or appreciation of the absurdity or incongruity of life's situation. This intervention may enhance health or be used as a complementary treatment of illness to facilitate healing or coping, whether physical, emotional, cognitive, social or spiritual." Her book, "Light Dances: Illumination Families with Laughter and Love," underscores how humor research has demonstrated its value in drawing her extended family together through decades of laughter.
    Sessions
  • Dee Baker, M.S.
    Dee Baker is a US Air Force Veteran, founder and CEO of Beyond the Uniform, a for-profit firm elevating women veterans and professionals into unapologetic leadership. Dee’s work is bold but never rigid, believing that transformation often begins with a good laugh and the grace to not take ourselves too seriously. Her power phrase, “Reset, Reframe and Reclaim™,” guides women through life’s pivots with clarity, courage, and a touch of humor. Whether in boardrooms or healing spaces, Dee delivers successful strategies with soul and a contagious belief in what is possible.
    Sessions
    • CE-Sat06 : Embrace Humor & Find Courage Even While Facing Uncertainty and Transition
    • CE-Sat07 : Exploring Humor's Value in Coping, Communicating and Connecting
    • CE_Sun08 : Camp Show by Cabins & Synthesizing Conversations
  • Will Luera, B.S.
    Will Luera is an improviser, director, trainer, and arts leader who has spent his career helping people connect more deeply through comedy, storytelling, and collaboration. He serves as Executive Director of Lifeline Productions, leads training and facilitation work with organizations and teams, and continues to teach and perform improv nationally and internationally. Will recalls that his first improvisation ever was in 8th grade when he got up in front of the class – improvised an entire book report presentation on a book he never read – and received an “A” from the teacher. His work now lives at the intersection of creativity, communication, and human connection – whether he’s onstage, in a classroom, or in a workshop room. At the heart of it all, Will is passionate about using the arts not just to entertain, but to build empathy, spark insight, and bring people together.
    Sessions
    • CE-F01 : EXPERIENCING the "Flipped Classroom" of Humor Camp
    • Non-Th02 : Let's Get This Party Started!
    • CE-Sat07 : Exploring Humor's Value in Coping, Communicating and Connecting
    • CE-F04 : Discovering Humor in Life via Improv
    • CE_Sun08 : Camp Show by Cabins & Synthesizing Conversations
  • Beth Slazak, MA, MBA, CHP
    Beth Slazak is a creativity educator, facilitator and occasional professional troublemaker for those self-afflicted by boring thinking. She serves as Vice President of Curiosity2Create, where she designs learning experiences that turn curiosity into practical action for educators, students and organizations. Beth’s work blends research-based creativity tools with humor, improvisation, and a healthy respect for sticky notes. Whether she is speaking, teaching or facilitating workshops, Beth’s goal is simple: To help people notice what is really going on, ask better questions, and build environments where ideas and people can thrive. Even with a Master of Science in Creative Studies, an MBA and years teaching Creative Problem Solving at the college level, her proudest moment was when she was awarded the coveted “Sparkler Award” in 1983 for her always OTT attitude – and Beth has lived that high for decades.
    Sessions
    • CE-F01 : EXPERIENCING the "Flipped Classroom" of Humor Camp
    • CE-Sat07 : Exploring Humor's Value in Coping, Communicating and Connecting
    • CE_Sun08 : Camp Show by Cabins & Synthesizing Conversations
    • CE-F04 : Discovering Humor in Life via Improv
  • Theresa Hummel-Krallinger, CHRO
    Theresa is the founder of High Five Performance, Inc. and a leadership and workplace culture consultant whose secret weapon has always been laughter. A professional stand-up comedian over 20 years, Emmy Award winner, and Wharton CHRO program graduate, Theresa brings that rare combination of business credibility and comedic instinct to everything she does; from conference keynotes to management workshops to her “Meet the Author” interview series. Her “Make Waves” career development program has been helping employees and organizations stop treading water and start making a real splash since long before it became a book. Theresa is a longtime member of SHRM and ATD, a speaker on the HR and organizational development circuit, and spent 18 years on the faculty at Temple University. Theresa understands, “Humor isn’t a soft skill. It’s a survival skill. The best facilitators don’t train, they converse.”
    Sessions
    • Non-TH01 : You'll See What You Seek: Take responsibility for what you’re going to get out of Humor Camp
    • CE-Sat06 : Embrace Humor & Find Courage Even While Facing Uncertainty and Transition
    • CE-Sat07 : Exploring Humor's Value in Coping, Communicating and Connecting
    • CE_Sun08 : Camp Show by Cabins & Synthesizing Conversations
  • Judi Olive, RN, USAF (Ret.), CHP
    As an RN, USAF Veteran, CHP, Speaker, Comedian and Author, Judi is a mental health registered nurse who served in the USAF Nurse Corps and continues to serve America’s Veterans at the Bay Pines VA. She has won awards for her involvement in veteran case management and teaching the power of using humor; both in treating patients and for the medical staff who work in unrelenting, high stress, military/medical environments. Judi knows that asking for mental health help is a strength, not a weakness. She writes comedy about her own mental health recovery with her rescue dachshunds. Judi uses her journey to help traumatized Veterans be confident enough to start their own mental health journey. It is Judi’s mission to use hope, humor and levity to light (and enlighten) their healing path.
    Sessions
    • CE-Sat07 : Exploring Humor's Value in Coping, Communicating and Connecting
    • CE_Sun08 : Camp Show by Cabins & Synthesizing Conversations
  • Renee Cohn-Jones, PhD, CHP
    Dr. Renee is a Clinical Psychologist and motivational speaker who helps organizations build cultures of connection, resilience, and humor-infused leadership. With a background in emotional intelligence and inclusion, she’s known for her ability to connect across generations, industries, and backgrounds. Her work bridges emotional insight with lively storytelling, energizing teams, inspiring leaders, and sparking meaningful change. Dr. Renee dreams of a world where humor is recognized not as a distraction from serious work, but as a powerful tool for doing it better. As “Jalapena the Clown,” Dr. Renee has spent over three decades helping people laugh, connect, and heal. She’s performed for audiences of all ages and even traveled to Russia with Patch Adams, using laughter as a bridge across pain, language, and culture.
    Sessions
    • CE-Sat06 : Embrace Humor & Find Courage Even While Facing Uncertainty and Transition
    • CE_Sun08 : Camp Show by Cabins & Synthesizing Conversations
  • Loren Hecht, MA
    For the past 10 years, Loren has spent her days not in an “Intermission,” but rather on an “Inner-Mission.” As the entertaining, storytelling architect of the insightful “Cathedral of the Self,” she has taken her literary message from the page to the stage, performing in theaters, cabarets and improvs across the country. Loren understands that writing (alchemizing one’s life through language) is an act essential for connecting with the Self – and her teaching/acting is essential for connecting with others. Loren has taught Writing Composition and Critical Thinking at the university level for 25 years and currently hosts the “Becoming Real” podcast. Where is she today? At the end of one of her favorite books, the main character, while gazing out the window into a rural, isolated landscape, tells his friend, “We’re going back to the world.” Indeed, Loren’s going back!
    Sessions
    • CE_Sun08 : Camp Show by Cabins & Synthesizing Conversations

CE Info

Earn up to 12.5 CE Credit Hours

Each professional is responsible for the individual requirements as stipulated by his/her licensing agency. Please contact your individual licensing board/regulatory agency to review continuing education requirements for licensure renewal. Please note: You must attend "live" (in real-time) for the duration of the training to earn CE credits.

After the event, you will receive access to your evaluation and continuing education certificate via a personalized "attendee dashboard" link, hosted on the CE-Go website. This link will be sent to the email account you used to register for the event.

Upon accessing the CE-Go "attendee dashboard", you will be able to:

  • Complete evaluation forms for the event
  • Download your continuing education certificate in a PDF format

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the CE-Go platform, please contact CE-Go at 888-498-5578 or by email at support@ce-go.com Please Note: Emails for this event will come from "support@ce-go.com".

If you have any continuing education related questions, please contact your event organizer.

Please make sure to check your spam/junk folder in case those emails get "stuck". We'd also suggest "Allowlisting" support@ce-go.com. This tells your email client that you know this sender and trust them, which will keep emails from this contact at the top of your inbox and out of the junk folder.

Target Audience

This educational activity is intended for -- but not limited to -- behavioral health professionals, such as psychologists, social workers, counselors, and MFT's, as well as prevention educators and trauma specialists. Others who will benefit may come from education, health professions, corporate settings and faith communities. Individuals and couples who want to strengthen their personal relationships will also benefit by attending.

Continuing Education Credit Hours are available from the following organizations

In-Person

Joint Accreditation
Joint Accreditation
In support of improving patient care, CE Learning Systems is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
Nurses (ANCC) Credit Designation Statement
Successful completion of this program qualifies for up to 12.5 contact hours for nurses.
Interprofessional Continuing Education
This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credits for learning and change.
American Psychological Association
Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship of the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP office maintains responsibility for the content of the programs.
Association of Social Work Boards
As a Jointly Accredited Organization, CE Learning Systems is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. Social workers completing this course receive up to 12.5 clinical continuing education credits.
New York Education Department's State Board for Social Work
CE Learning Systems, LLC  (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #0060.
New York Education Department Board of Creative Arts Therapy
CE Learning Systems, LLC  (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board of Creative Arts Therapy as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #CAT-0008
New York Education Department for Licensed Mental Health Counselors
CE Learning Systems, LLC  (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0072.
New York Education Department Board for Licensed Psychoanalysts
CE Learning Systems, LLC  (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychoanalysts as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #P-0031.
New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology
CE Learning Systems, LLC  (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #PSY-0016.
New York Education Department's State Board for Marriage and Family Therapy
CE Learning Systems, LLC  (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Marriage and Family Therapy as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MFT-0045.

Event Learning Objectives

  • Describe the value of incorporating humor into professional settings, such as counseling, therapy, education, and work places, for example.
  • Explain why Humor, as an innate “tool” available to humans, works to help people cope, communicate and connect in healthy, productive ways.
  • Compare research-based Humor styles, especially as they appear during lived experiences.
  • Invent creative demonstrations that reveal Humor’s role in helping people cope, communicate, and/or connect.
  • Assess how Improv can help people recognize opportunities and can sharpen techniques for adding Humor into interactions with others.
  • Identify Humor’s role in helping people in a wide range of situations and settings, from overcoming trauma to leading a work team, and from managing self-advocacy to enhancing learning and learning environments.

Policies

Where can I find my Attendee Dashboard link?
Upon registering, you should receive an email from support@ce-go.com with a link to access your Attendee Dashboard. If you do not see it in your inbox, please check your spam/junk folder. If you still cannot locate the email, you may retrieve your Attendee Dashboard link by clicking HERE

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Full Refund Policy

Cancel by August 7, 2026 – Full Refund (less bank fees)

50% Refund Policy

Cancel by September 4, 2026 – 50% Refund (less bank fees)

No Refund Policy

Cancel after September 4, 2026 – No Refund

CELS Grievance Policy
If a grievance arises pertaining to continuing education activities or processes, please contact Tyler Gibson via confidential email to tyler@celearningsystems.com as soon as possible, so that the nature of the concern may be addressed in a timely fashion.

Disclosures

DISCLOSURE OF RELEVANT FINANCIAL RELATIONSHIPS
CE Learning Systems adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity ― including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others ― are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (formerly known as commercial interests).

The following relevant financial relationships have been disclosed by this activity’s planners, faculty, and the reviewer:


PLANNERS AND REVIEWER
The planners of this activity have reported that they have no relevant financial relationships.

FACULTY
The faculty of this activity have reported that they have no relevant financial relationships.
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Humor Camp 2026
You Have Completed This course
$695.00 - $845.00
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  • CE Hours
    12.5
  • Type
    In-Person Event
  • Location
    Jamestown, NY (150 W 4th St, Jamestown, NY 14701)
  • Date
    October 08 - 11, 2026
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