Laughing At Ourselves: The ‘Ask Dr Chuck’ Doll

A recent study shows the first physiologic evidence of the role of laughter during psychotherapy. According to results published in the October 2004 Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases, laughter can help support the therapeutic partnership between psychotherapists and their patients. Laughing together magnifies that intensity and may contribute to feelings of rapport between them.

 “Studies show that laughter is incredibly healing and an optimistic viewpoint has a long-term salutary effect on our health,” explained Newtown resident Chuck Berke, a marriage and family therapist who has created Ask Dr Chuck, a doll that delivers 12 therapeutically correct phrases.

Dr Berke is the principal of Berke Psychotherapy Associates, based in Fairfield. Dr Berke is also the executive director of Fairfield Community Services, a state-licensed mental health and substance abuse clinic, and is an executive coach and corporate trainer.

The impetus for Ask Dr Chuck was to find a silly and gentle way to poke fun at oneself and others.

“I think our capacity to laugh at ourselves and to share that laughter of understanding with those around us changes the entire context of our lives,” said Dr Berke. “I’ve helped patients learn to have fun again and what’s better than that? We created the Ask Dr Chuck doll to assist me in my endeavors to get more people to laugh more often. Because, as I tell my wife whenever she asks me to take out the trash, I’m just one man.

“I believe that even the more sane people among us are at least a little bit wacky,” added Dr Berke. “Recognizing that everyone has issues of some type or another helps promote a much healthier way to view ourselves and others. It changes our lens from dark to light. That’s what I do with my patients and that is what I hope Dr Chuck will do for people as well.”

Press Dr Chuck’s hand and he will tell you,  “You’re the finest example of self-esteem and humility I’ve ever seen.” Or he might say, “I think it’s safe to say that any family that uses a straightjacket as their coat of arms is pretty dysfunctional.”

Dr Berke and his business partner Larry Berk created the idea for Ask Dr Chuck when Dr Berke asked one of his patients, “So how do you feel about that?” — a phrase he eschews.

Dr Berke sensed something positive could arise from that repeated question. On his drive home that evening he came up with the idea for Ask Dr Chuck.

Dr Berke, the therapist, and Mr Berk, the creative marketer, had worked together on several other projects over the years, so when Chuck called Larry about the idea, Chula Productions, an amalgamation of Chuck and Larry’s names, was formed.

Mr Berk came up with the idea that the doll should be modeled after Chuck Berke, and so Dr Chuck was born.

“It became Chuck’s own Mini-Me,” said Mr Berk. “I thought this was such a great idea because we all have problems and the Ask Dr Chuck doll provides us with an opportunity to laugh at ourselves in a satirical way. It’s a great gag gift for those friends and relatives who have a hard time laughing at themselves.”

“After all, it’s our friends and relatives who have made us nuts in the first place,” concluded Dr Berke.

Known for his offbeat sense of humor and his blend of empathy and straight talk, Dr Berke has helped hundreds of people dramatically improve their lives.

“The common thread that runs through all of my work as a coach, a manager, and a therapist is my belief that people need to take personal responsibility for their own behavior but they need to do so with a sense of humor,” said Dr Berke. “A somewhat lighter approach allows us to laugh at our own behavior without indicting our souls.”

Dr Berke’s theory is that most people are much too hard on themselves and by extension too hard on those around them. He believes that people often become caught up in doing more of what is already not working, which puts them further and further out on the edge.

Ask Dr Chuck is available on Target.com for $29.99.