Sanctuary Psycho-Education Manual

Transcription

Andrus
drus Center for Learning and Innovation
SELF Psycho
Psycho-Education Curriculum
urriculum
Adapted from the SELF Curriculum written by Sandra Bloom, M.D.,
Ruthann Ryan, CNS and Joseph Foderaro CSW
Developed by Jennifer L. Daily, LMSW, Mosaka Henry, BA, Leslie Zeller, LMSW,
LMSW
Siobhan Masterson, CSWR
CSWR, and Landa C. Harrison, LPC
2008
Written by Siobhan Masterson, CSW-R
Contact Siobhan Masterson, CSWR
Sanctuary Coordinator
Andrus Children’s Center
914-965-3701 ext. 1255
[email protected]
Sanctuary Psycho-Education
Education Manual: Introduction
Page i
Psycho-Education
ducation and SELF Group
Safety
Loss
Future
Emotions
Overview
T
his curriculum teaches core Sanctuary concepts in the language of SELF – safety,
emotions, loss and future – with the goal of helping children recover from the
effects of trauma and chronic stress. The curriculum teaches our children why
what happened to them effects the way they act in everyday life and
emphasizes education
on as well as the processing of feelings
feelings.. It is our belief that if children are to
make progress in treatment, they must shift their understanding of what has happened to them
and the role they must play in their own recovery. This manual can provide you will the basic
information and suggested topics and activities for communicating this to the many populations
that your program serves.
The primary task of reeducation involves a change in the person’s self perception. We
believe
eve that increasing awareness, emphasizing safety, and teaching skills to manage feelings
are crucial steps to take in creating an environment that can handle the crucial work of
processing feelings, past trauma, grief and loss. Alone, changes in knowledge,
dge, values and
beliefs won’t result in changes
hanges in behavior unless they are grounded in a changed perception of
the self and situations.
Educators, parents, and policy makers have established that children need a certain set
of skills to be successful in
n the world – the ability to read and write well, to have a good
understanding of math and science, and the ability to use critical thinking skills. But there is a
whole other set of skills that children need, not just to get a good job but to have a good life.
This set of skills is often taught to children, consciously or not, by their family members. In the
best of situations, these concepts are taught during “teachable moments” throughout a day.
Unfortunately, sometimes children do not learn all the skills they need or are taught negative
and destructive ways to live. All children need to learn the skills that will help them to succeed
Sanctuary Psycho-Education
Education Manual: Introduction
Page ii
in the world – the ability to care for themselves and others, the ability to manage their
emotions, the ability to envision a positive future, and the ability to cope with adversity and
loss.
We hope this curriculum encourages a more conscious conversation about how we plan
to teach these crucial social and emotional skills to children. This curriculum supports the
teaching of this knowledge, and we encourage you to develop your own creative means of
teaching children emotional intelligence skills.
Teaching these skills in a variety of settings at your agency, such as the classroom, the
residence, and individual therapy sessions, encourages a shared language from which we can all
draw upon to create Sanctuary. This language can help when the community is struggling or
experiencing any concerns related to Safety, Emotion management, Loss and Future.
We hope your approach in sharing these exercises with the children is one of
collaboration -- a primary Sanctuary principle. The more you collaborate with the children and
with your colleagues, we believe the more successful you will be. Please feel free to modify,
change, or develop your own approaches to teach these concepts to your group, since
creativity and flexibility are also important skills to model for the children.
General Information
The overall frame of this curriculum follows the SELF model – Safety, Emotions, Loss
and Future. Each domain has at least two modules. It follows a natural progression though the
modules can stand alone as well. Ongoing adaptations can be made to target your specific
group and their needs.
The goal is to first work with the group to build a basic
understanding of the concepts of SELF and then explore topics pertinent
to the group’s needs. The order in which the activities are present is not
meant to be addressed in a fully systematic way. For example, one group
may need to spend 4 weeks on Safety to build an awareness of the
multiple safety needs within the group. Another group may need to
target emotional awareness thereby learning how to identify and
negotiate more complex emotional experiences. As a group facilitator,
the task is to monitor the group’s needs, collaborate with members, and
to facilitate learning through the psycho-education groups.
Sanctuary Psycho-Education Manual: Introduction
The goal of the
first group is
to build a basic
understanding
of SELF
Page iii
Lessons- Key Points, Discussion Topics, Activities
Each Section will provide information on the topic and concepts that are vital to try to
teach and process through the following lessons. Sample lessons will be explained. These
lessons are guidelines to use as a base to be built upon. Group dynamics are frequently
changing and therefore, lessons will need to be adapted to suit the needs of the group. Each
lesson will include Key Points that designate the concepts that are to be taught to group
members. These will be followed by an Activity Description. Activities may use art, multimedia
or interactive tasks and materials.
Adaptations for Various Populations
As there are multiple populations being taught the Sanctuary Model, there will be adaptations
and explanations for these.
Suggested Resources and Tools
Each lesson will have Resource Suggestions following it. These may include workbooks,
movies, music, websites and items in the appendix. As this is a working document, if group
leaders discover additional resources, these will be included. It is important to recognize that
movies and music and other pop-culture items are frequently changing and may not apply to all
populations. Resources will be marked as to which population they apply.
Additional Group Structuring Tools
At the start of this manual, there are materials to help to structure groups such as check in
activities, check out activities and other suggestions. Some lessons may have different structuring
options and tools.
Page iv
Facilitator Points to Remember
1. Most of the children are here because of what’s happened to them, not what’s “wrong” with
them.
2. We can either help or hurt each other. Be aware of the power of your words and actions to
create safety together.
3. Everyone must feel safe to do the hard work of growing and healing.
4. Most children and adults react to being afraid and stressed by fighting, running away, or
“freezing.” Those are normal reactions to what we call “trauma.”
5. Feelings are not the enemy -- feelings are natural human reactions designed to protect and help
you. Unfortunately, when people go through a lot of stress or pain, feelings can become very
painful and we learn to avoid them.
6. Teaching children about boundaries is essential-- when to say no, yes, ouch, uh-oh or oops.
7. Part of healing is learning what your feelings are, how to manage them, and how to share them
with yourself and others.
8. Learning how to trust and whom to trust (and not to trust) is an important part of teaching and
healing.
9. Remember that as a facilitator, children will follow your lead! Be sure to role model that you
deserve to be kind to yourself.
10. Triggers are things that remind children of old pain and they react to them with old feelings such
anger, rage, grief, or fear. Help children learn their triggers.
11. Teach group members that there are ways to stay centered and grounded to help them through
the times that they are triggered or when things are especially rough. Remind them that they
can do it!
12. Remember to always BREATHE!
13. Children who have gone through hard things have many losses. It is important to find ways to
honor and respect all the loss they have experienced.
14. Teach members how to manage re-enactment. Help them understand that sometimes any of us
can “reenact” bad things, events, or painful feelings that happened to us. Teach them that they
can stop this from happening by learning about reenactment and by telling their story to a safe
person.
15. Remember that CHANGE is hard and can be terrifying. Change = Loss. Members must feel safe
enough and hopeful enough to take the risk of change. Help them identify what they need to
feel safe enough to take the risks that we will be asking them to take during their participation
in this group.
16. Remember that Power means being responsible for our thoughts and actions. You have great
power to make change, but at the same time you cannot control or change another human
being.
17. One person has the ability to make this world a better place. Each child around you has
experienced significant trauma and loss and has been exposed to many other helpers before
you. Be mindful of this and of their influence on you. Learn about your members, find hopeful
stories that will help them heal and remember that you must also take care of yourself.
18. Never forget that Play is healing!
19. And that you can be the change that you want to see in the world!
Page v
Safety Module 1: Group Safety
Objective:
Group members will identify basic group expectations and
rules in efforts of developing group cohesion.
Activity Directions:
Key Points
•
Go Slow!
•
Model safe group behavior.
•
Create “safe” group norms.
•
Having Safety and respect
may be the only necessary rule
for the group.
Materials
1. Flip Chart and Markers
2. Art materials for large group
collage (paper, craft materials,
glue, etc.)
3. Points To Remember Handout
Resources
Silver Bullets:
Bullets A Guide to
Initiative Problems, Adventure
Games, and Trust Activities by
Karl Rohnke
*Icebreaker
Icebreaker Activities will help a
new group feel safer and develop
safety from the first group!
Sanctuary Psycho-Education Manual- Safety
1. Go slow. The respect you offer the children will go a
long way toward modeling what you hope from
them. Asking them what they want from the group is
essential. An important statement is that “I commit
to treating you with respect, and ask that you do the
same for me and for each other.” This will be tested
but lays the groundwork for modeling healthy
authority, shared governance, open communication
and trust. An important message for them to hear
will be that “many of the children are here not
because of what is “wrong” with them but because of
what has happened to them.
2. Ask the group some ideas of what people will need to
make this a group where people feel comfortable
enough to talk about their ideas and feelings. Make
sure to emphasize that there is no wrong answer and
that the group leaders take what they say seriously.
3. Write down their answers on a piece of flip chart
paper so everyone can see. If possible, ask a student
to write down the ideas.
4. After the group has identified what they need to feel
safe: some responses might include no cursing, no
making fun of others, listen to one another, no
hitting, etc), put up the definitions of the four types
of safety: physical, emotional, social and moral.
Make sure the definitions are understood by
everyone in the room (see handout for examples).
5. Ask the group to match up their answers to what kind
of safety it identifies (no hitting=physical safety).
6. Now ask the group, if we were to make up rules for
our group, what should they be? Identify rules.
Make sure they are in the positive as well as in the
negative (Keep hands to self instead of no hitting).
Page 1
7. The group can make a group collage or art project on a large piece of thick paper. This is an
opportunity to observe the group process. Make sure that everyone has room and time to draw.
This project can take several sessions. The group can have their picture taken together and
added to the display.
8. Have group members and adults sign the rules. Keep rules visible for remainder of the group.
Group Variations
For older groups of children:
The activity will remain very similar. Process with the group what
kinds of behaviors are necessary to ensure safety and group cohesion. Be sure to develop group rules
that target respect for others, self-worth, and emotional safety with peers. Ask for member volunteers
to write on flip charts and project development.
Take Home Message:
We all need to feel
protected.
Together, we can create a
space that feels safe.
End with a Go-Around: How was Group? What did I
learn from Group? How do I think I did in Group?
Page 2
1. We must all feel safe to do the hard work of growing and healing.
2. Feelings are not the enemy -- feelings are natural human reactions designed to
protect and help you.
3. It is “Ok” to tell others when you are afraid and stressed. Sometimes you can end
up fighting, running away, or “freezing.” These are normal reactions to what we
call “trauma.
4. We all will need to learn about boundaries-- when to say no, yes, ouch, uh-oh or
oops -- is important!
5. An important part of this group and of healing is learning how to trust and
whom to trust. We will work on this together.
6. You deserve to feel better and to be kind to yourself.
7. Remember to always BREATHE.
8. It is hard work to work out a conflict with someone else, but you can learn how to do it.
9. Sometimes even good change can feel frightening. Change = Loss and we have
to feel safe enough and hopeful enough to take the risk of change. What do you
need to feel safe enough?
10. Play is healing!
11. You can heal.
Group #1- Resource Handout
Page 3
Safety Module 2: What is SELF?
Objective:
Have group identify basic group expectations and rules and
develop some beginning group cohesion.
1. Let the group know that you want to each them about
SELF. State that SELF is something that you and others
have discovered helps you figure things out.
Key Points
•
SELF is a compass that helps
you manage life in a healthy
way
•
Future is what guides us!
•
Safety and kindness toward
others is essential!
Materials
1. SELF Compass handout or
paper to create unique compass.
2. Markers, colored pencils,
crayons, etc.
Resource:
Resource:
Icebreakers are an especially important
component of a positive group
experience. Take the time to review
various icebreaker activities and select
some that will suit the needs of your
group during the first few meetings
and when a new member joins the
community.
2. Show them a compass. Ask them about it – what is it?
What does it do? How does it help you? Where does it
point to? Why do people use it? What happens when
you need one and you don’t have one?
3. State that SELF is a compass in a lot of ways, a compass
for how you can manage life in a healthy way.
4. Draw the SELF compass for them on a sheet of big
paper. Explore with the group what each letter is and
what it might mean to them. Why do we say safety is
important? Why is learning about feelings and how to
manage them important? What about Loss? Do they
know how loss might be important to explore? And
end with Future – Future is to self as north is to the
compass – it’s where it guides you to.
5. Ask the group where they would want to go to in their
future if the SELF compass could lead them to
wherever they wanted to go —happiness? Playing
baseball on a team? Safety in their family? Home?
6. Invite the group to draw their compass. Give them
time and various art materials (colored pencils,
crayons, markers, No 2. pencils, etc). You can use the
attached handout or have them design their own SELF
compass. They can draw a picture at each letter or do
whatever they’d like to do.
7. Take some time before the end of group to have the
children show their work to each other, strongly
emphasizing safety and kindness toward one another’s
work.
Page 4
Group Variations
The activity will remain very similar. Ask the Group to draw
or journal about where they would like the SELF compass to lead them- in their life; how they would act
differently, what would be the best possible place to be two years from now? One year? Six months?
Tomorrow?
Quick Stories Variation:
Create a deck of “SELF” and emotion cards that contain one SELF or
emotion word per card (i.e.: physical safety, silly, frightened, Emotions Management=anger;
Future=college etc.). You will want to have at least 5 cards per group member. Pass out five cards to
each group member, plus a blank index card and pencils. Members are to take two-three minutes to
create a story about themselves using all the words on the cards. Then, read or tell these stories to the
group.
Take Home Message:
We all need people
and tools to guide
us toward a positive
future.
Page 5
Safety Module 2 Handout:
SELF Compass
S
F
E
L
Using SELF as my compass, my ideal destination would be…..
Page 6
Safety Module 2: SELF Compass
Objective:
Key Points
•
SELF is a model to guide us
through
through LIFE!
•
Future is what guides us!
•
Safety and kindness toward
others is essential!
Materials
1. Flip Chart and bold markers
2. Map examples
3. Markers, colored pencils, crayons,
construction or drawing paper, etc.
Resources:
Icebreakers can also benefit the group and
become “warm-up: activities during future
meetings.
World History Text Books: A great
resource to demonstrate how explorers
mapped out their journeys.
Look
specifically for Columbus, Magellan,
Amerigo Vespucci etc.
To teach how the SELF model can help guide group members
through life. To provide a concrete example of how life
without the SELF model has been difficult, and ways in which
the SELF model can help for the future.
1. Engage group members in a brief discussion. State
that a lot has happened to them in their lives and
their work here at in the program is to learn how to
how to cope with all they’ve been through. The SELF
model is how we teach children to cope and get
better.
2. Hand out paper and pencils to each group member.
Explain to them that they will have ten minutes to
draw a brief map of their life. Remind the children
that they need not go into specifics, but to put general
things that happened in their life or events they
remember. Be sure to make supportive statements
during the exercise about how this might be
frustrating or confusing, but to try their best.
3. After the group is completed with the drawing, show
an example of what a life map might look like once
they have come to placement, and how the SELF
model can help them to navigate through the healing
process.
4. Help the group to identify skills that may be important
to learn related to Safety, Emotions, Loss, and Future.
Make a chart on the board or on a flipchart listing
these skills.
5. State how this group will be one way to learn and
practice these skills.
Page 7
Safety Module 3:
Different types of Safety
Objective:
Teach the four different types of safety.
1. Ask group if they remember what SELF stands for. Tell
them that they’ll be learning about four different
kinds of safety and playing a game about it.
Key Points
• Review concept of SELF
• Define the four
SAFETY .
types of
Materials
1. Definitions of Safety handout
2. Scenarios Handout
Resources
Consider
learning
about
and
incorporating the 5 B’s of the Full
Value Contract used in experiential
groups.
The contract is key to
insuring that the group meets their
goals.
Books
Creating the Teachable Moment: An
Innovative Approach to Teaching and
Learning by Darlene L. Stewart
2. Have group members work in pairs, teams, or as a
whole depending on what you are trying to
accomplish. Ask the group members to work
together and that it’s more important to try and
work together than to get the “right” answer.
3. Read (or have a comfortable reader help you) the
definitions of the four types of safety. You can make
visual props of these to put up as well.
4. Now, you or a reader can read the scenarios one at a
time. After each scenario, try to have a pop-corn
discussion about what type of safety they think the
scenario is about and why. Encourage participation.
5. Facilitate the exploration what could happen
differently in the scenario to create more safety.
6. Teachable Moment: Use this opportunity to describe
general scenarios that are happening in your
community, school, or residence.
Make them
general so as not to target (and shame) one
particular child.
Adventure Play: Adventure Activities
for Early Elementary Age Children by
Nancy MacPhee Bower
Website
Project Adventure: www.pa.org
Page 8
Group Variations
Directions:
1. Have a group member read the four definitions. Ask the group for their reactions -- do they agree,
disagree? Which one do they think is the most important? Which one do they think is the most
overlooked? Did any of these definitions surprise them? How are we as a group with these four? As
a school? As a community? What about in our own families? In our home communities? You can
invite group discussion or individual journaling as some ways to encourage reflection about this
topic.
2. State that the more we learn and practice all four of these forms of safety, the better off as a
community we will be.
3. Ask the group to discuss different scenarios on the attached sheet -- ask them which forms of safety
or lack of safety do they see present in the scenario? How might the people in the scenario come up
with a safer solution?
4. Ask the group which safety do they need to work on the most as a group?
5. Have the group come up with one thing they can do in the next week to help the group feel safer in
one way. Make sure to leave a big piece of paper up or some other recorder for the ways they
helped build safety.
Take Home Message:
Safety is not just about being
safe physically -- there are lots
of different ways we all need to
feel safe. If we don’t feel safe
with our feelings, it often leads
to being unsafe with our
Page 9
Four Types of Safety Handout
Physical Safety:
Being safe in your body. Non-violence
is part of physical safety.
Emotional/Psychological
Safety:
Being safe with feelings and knowing
how to take care of yourself when
feelings get big.
Social Safety:
Feeling safe and cared about within a
group. Emotional non-violence is part
of social safety.
Moral Safety:
Knowing right from wrong. Trusting
that the people around you know
right from wrong.
Page 10
Self Module 3: Handouts
Scenarios
1. Jon hit Tyrone after Tyrone called him a name. What kinds of safety were
hurt by those actions?
2. Melissa saw her friends whispering about her and when she said no
whispering they said mind your own business, you’re so nosy.
3. Melissa saw someone steal someone else’s candy.
4. Billy keeps on using Dylan’s things even when Dylan said please don’t touch
my stuff.
5. Mrs. Redstone’s class tries to help each other when one person is upset,
and they know the rules in the class are to be kind and safe.
6. Deb lost her temper and when Anjali tried to help Deb screamed at her.
7. Anjali cried but then Sarah comforted her and then Anjali said thank you.
Then they decided to ask the teacher to help them all work it out.
Feel free to make up your own scenarios based on what you know about your
group. Pay attention to the scenarios that the group members come up with on
their own, they are telling you a lot about what they might be struggling with
themselves.
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Different Types of Safety
Physical Safety: Knowing that your body will not be hurt by others, nor will you hurt you
body yourself. Non-violence is part of physical safety.
Examples:
Emotional/Psychological Safety: Emotional safety is being safe with feelings and knowing
how to take care of yourself when your feelings get “big”.
Examples:
Social Safety: Social safety is feeling safe and cared about within the group. Emotional nonviolence is a part of social safety.
Examples:
Moral Safety: Moral safety is knowing right from wrong. It is important for both the person
and the community to feel morally safe.
Examples:
Mod #3 Handout of older variation
Page 12
Safety Module 4: Effects of Stress and Trauma
Objective:
Teach the fight/flight/freeze response and introduce group to
idea of triggers
1. Tell the group that we’re going to talk about normal
reactions to fear and stress and how stress can affect
the way we act, think and feel.
Key Points
• Stress is Normal!
• Fight, Flight, Freeze
concept
• Stress causes physiological
responses from our body
2. State that most of the children you have worked with
have had hard things happen to them. When stressful
or scary things happen to children, it makes them act
in certain ways.
3. Tell the group we’re going to talk about what happens
to humans when they are stressed. We will use our
imagination to help learn these ideas. Ask them to
pretend that as we are sitting here, all of a sudden, a
gigantic saber tooth tiger leaps through the door,
growling and drooling. Create a strong visualization.
Once they can imagine it ask them:
Materials
1.
Written Visualization of gigantic
saber tooth tiger (if necessary)
2. SaberTooth Handout
3. Drawing materials: Paper,
markers, pencils etc.
Resources
Cowtails and Cobras
by Karl Rohnke: Various Tag game
adaptations and enrichment ideas.
•
What would be happening in your body?
•
What would you be doing?
•
What would you be thinking?
4. Many common responses to the above questions
include: “I’d be running for the door,”
or “I’d be
running for my life.” Try to draw out for them what
would be their major focus and look around the room
for doors or windows that they might be running
toward if there really were a saber tooth.
5. Ask the group if they couldn’t run, what would be
other responses? Identify the fight, flight and freeze
responses as normal reactions of the body when it
thinks you are in danger.
6. State that many kids with have been through very
stressful situations. When that happens, many kids
feel like there is a saber tooth tiger lurking.
7. State that kids and grownups have an alarm bell inside
Page 13
their brain that’s supposed to go off only when we are in real danger. But when you are really
stressed, the alarm bell goes off all the time.
8. Take out your alarm bell. Tell the group you will ring the bell. Pretend that when the bell rings,
you jump and are ready to go. Explore this with them: ask them what will happen to you (or
them) if the alarm bell is ringing all day long? You can play it out through role play,
demonstration, pretending, or discussion depending on the group.
9. State that we all have things that make our alarm bell go off, especially when we don’t feel safe
physically or with feelings. Do they have any idea what makes their alarm bell go off? What
helps to shut it off? When does it not go off? Explore. It helps to use your own reactions as an
example (use examples that are not too personal).
10. Be cognizant that children in the group might be triggered by the topic itself. Let everyone
know that if they feel their alarm bell going off right in the room they can take a time out or go
sit next to the co-teacher.
11. Tell the group that there are ways to feel better when we are stressed that you will be teaching
throughout the year. Ask them to share, draw or write one way they feel better when they are
upset. You can use the handout attached.
12. If you haven’t already, this is a good time to talk about safety plans and to establish a class
safety plan as well as individual safety plans. These should be reviewed monthly to update and
explore what worked and what didn’t.
13. ADDITIONAL Teaching Tool: You can follow up this lesson with a game of freeze tag, saying that
when we get frozen by that alarm, we need each other sometimes to help us get unstuck.
Group Variations
1. Ask them if they think kids their age sometimes feel stressed or feel attacked. Ask the group to
name some of those situations.
2. Conduct the same Saber Tooth activity (keeping in mind that these are older youngsters)
3. Explore with the group about their tendencies for fight, flight or freeze? Which ones do they
use in school? At home? With friends? In real danger? Be cognizant that children in that room
have trauma histories. This conversation might be a trigger for them, so acknowledge that as
long they stay safe, they can simply listen without talking.
4. Tell the group that there are helpful ways to cope with stress that you will be teaching
throughout the year. Ask them to share or write one way they cope with stress that they’d like
to keep as a tool and one that they’d like to change.
5. If you haven’t already, this is a good time to talk about safety plans and to establish a class
safety plan as well as individual safety plans. These should be reviewed monthly to update
and explore what worked and what didn’t.
Page 14
Take Home Message:
Our bodies are set up to fight, flee,
or freeze when we feel threatened.
But sometimes we feel like that
Sabertooth is always there, which
makes it hard to think and make
good choices. You can learn ways
to feel better and safer!
Page 15
Self Module 4: Handouts
When I feel like there’s a Sabertooth
(I get stressed):
…and my alarm bell goes off,
it helps me to…
Page 16
Emotions Module 1:
Feelings: Mad, Sad, Glad, Scared, Ashamed.
Objective:
Explore and learn that feelings aren’t bad but things to help
us. It’s what we do with our feelings that can cause pain or
positive change.
1.
Ask the group what they think about feelings – are they
good? Bad? Helpful? Annoying? All of the above?
2.
State that our feelings can hurt or feel good, but they
are definitely in our bodies to try to tell us what we
need. But sometimes the feelings can feel too big and
they can get in the way or, sometimes we don’t listen
to our feelings enough.
3.
Teach participants the basic message that feelings are
part of having a human body. They are things we can’t
control, but are used to tell us what we need, what we
like, what hurts us, what makes us afraid. A lot of kids
we work with sometimes struggle with anger, but
anger can be the cover for a lot of other feelings, such
as hurt, sadness, feeling “bad,” (shame), fear and so
on. The key is learning about your feelings and
learning how to express them in ways that are safe.
4.
There are many ways to explore feelings and make the
conversation more experiential and creative. Here are
some suggestions you can do over the course of
several weeks:
Key Points
•
All humans have feelings
•
Feelings tell us what we
need.
•
Knowing how to describe
your feelings is important.
Materials
1.
Koosh ball
2. Candy – M&Ms
3. Art supplies for collage or
stories you may have that
demonstrate feeling states.
Resources:
o
Do the attached feeling sheet, throwing a Koosh
ball or passing it from one person to the next when
they answer the questions
o
Hand out M&Ms and ask them to pick a candy
color that represents a feeling to them, and talk
about one thing that makes or made them feel that
way (for example, red is angry; I picked this red
candy, one time when I felt angry it was when my
father yelled at me for coming home late)
1) Creative Counseling
Techniques:
Techniques An Illustrated
Guide by Ed Jacobs
Sanctuary Psycho-Education Manual- Emotions
Page 1
o
Ask them to draw or create a collage that represents a feeling, and ask the group if they can
then create a group collage with the individual work.
o
Give the group different scenarios, and ask them to guess what the person in the story might
be feeling and why. See if they can relate to that experience, and encourage them to guess
more than one feeling.
Group Variations
The activity will remain very similar.
Feelings are not the enemy -- feelings
are natural human reactions designed
to protect you and help you.
Unfortunately, when people go
through a lot of stress or pain, feelings
can become very painful and we learn
to avoid them.
Take Home Message:
Page 2
Handout: Feeling Sheet
If my anger were an animal, what would it be?
When I am happy, I feel like…
I get embarrassed when…
The feeling I like to feel the most is….
The feeling I do NOT like is…..
When I am angry I wish….
When I am scared, I sometimes…
One thing that makes me laugh is…
One thing that seems to make me sad is…
When I am sad, I feel it in my ….
When I get frustrated it helps to …
My anger is the color of….
My sadness is the color of …
When my friend is sad it helps her to …
I can sometimes make people smile by …
Page 3
Emotions Module 2: My Feelings
Objective:
Learn about your own feelings.
1.
State that we have been learning about our feelings.
There are basic feelings, mad, sad, scared, glad and
ashamed and other feelings too. Everyone has their
own feelings and their own way of expressing feelings.
Sometimes we don’t even realize that you definitely
can feel more than one feeling at once.
2.
Feeling Person: Invite them to do a feeling gingerbread
person with the attached sheet. Let them know that
the sheet lists the five basic feelings, but they can also
add one or two extra feelings.
3.
Invite them to pick a color they think best fits that
feeling – DO NOT assign colors for feelings, since
everyone has very different associations with colors.
Ask them to color the line next to the feeling word, like
a color key.
4.
Invite them to draw where they feel that feeling in
their body, or draw how they are feeling right now. For
example: I feel glad sometimes in my foot- it feels like
dancing!
5.
As the group leader, you will notice many things, but
be mindful of the following: no colors or feelings,
where they experience fear and anger -- sometimes
the anger is in certain places or is hidden -- what
feelings they chose on their own, whether or not they
are satisfied with their work or whether they get
frustrated, etc.
6.
They can share the work with each other or not, but
ask them what that process was like for them.
Interesting? Fun? Annoying? Boring? Model for them
that all feeling reactions are acceptable. (Hint: option
is to keep all of their drawings in a special folder and
give them all their work at the end of the year.
However, if a child really wants his/her drawing it is
important to explore that with them and use your best
judgment.)
Key Points
•
Basic feelings are: mad, sad,
scared, glad and ashamed.
•
We may experience different
feelings in different parts of our
bodies.
•
There are many ways to describe
feelings.
Materials
1.
Crayons
and
copies
gingerbread
handout
following page.
2.
Colored chalk to draw a rainbow
3.
Puzzles
Resources:
1) Play Therapy Resources:
The Feelings Company
www.feelingscompany.com
of
on
Page 4
Additional Activities:
7.
Feeling Rainbow: Draw a picture of a rainbow on the board. State that sometimes we feel more
than one feeling at once, and often some feelings cover up other feelings. You can be happy, and
underneath is fear, and maybe underneath fear is a little excitement.
8.
Draw anger on the top of a rainbow. Ask them what is sometimes underneath anger? Answers
might be sadness, fear. If it isn’t mentioned, make sure to mention feeling embarrassed, since
shame is a key feeling underneath anger.
9.
Feeling Puzzle: Use generic puzzle kits. You can do five feelings at once, or two feeling puzzles at
a time to be more manageable. Each puzzle is the primary feelings (mad, sad, scared, glad, and
ashamed), but on individual puzzle pieces is written another word that fits in that category. A
great site to find words is www.cnvc.org. For example, written on the anger puzzle pieces could
be rageful, frustrated, annoyed, impatient, irritated, furious, not pleased, and so on.
10. The children can pick up a feeling piece, and figure out which puzzle it’s in by the word on the
piece. The adults can coach them and help with the puzzle connecting, but the goal is simply to
teach the more subtle words that belong to each primary feeling category.
11. Feeling Charades: You can model for the group first, acting out a feeling and having them guess
which one it is. Then have feeling cards ready to hand out to each child, who can role play the
feeling and have the group guess it.
12. Feeling Poetry: Have the group work on a feeling poetry over the course of several sessions. If
you have a digital camera, you can take a picture of children pretending to be sad, mad, scared,
ashamed, and scared (and add their own feelings) and post it in the classroom. See poetry
handout.
Group Variations
The activities will remain very similar, though it will be
necessary to adapt the activities to match the developmental level of your group. Additional ideas for
teaching emotions to older groups of children include:
1- Use Music:
• Play a song that speaks about joy, sadness, anger etc. Explore the group’s reaction to
the song. Song recommendations are included in the Reference section at the end of
this module.
• Play loud, angry music. Check the physical reactions of the group members’ bodies.
Now, play calm music and note if there is a change in the physical reactions. Discuss
the implication of music on our emotions and how this might be important information
for us to be aware of in the future.
Page 5
Take Home Message:
It’s important to learn about
feelings -- the more words you
have for them, the better you can
express and figure out what you
are feelings and what you might
need.
Page 6
Handout: Gingerbread Person
Ashamed: _________________
Sad: _______________________
Mad: _____________________
Scared: _____________________
Glad: _____________________
___________:________________
___________:______________
Page 7
Emotions Module 3: Volume Control of Feelings
Objective:
Learn about intensity of feelings and how to notice when
you’re volume control is either too low or too high.
Needed: TV or radio in the room
1.
State that everyone in this room has feelings. We’re
talking about being more aware of what the feelings
are that we have, but feelings are also sometimes loud
or quiet.
2.
Ask the group about something they felt just a tiny bit
of feeling about. You can play the radio as an example
of “low volume feeling.” As you play the radio at
volume 1 or 2, ask the group if they can hear the
music. Explore the metaphor: What are the kinds of
noises or music they wouldn’t want to be too loud?
What are feelings that they don’t want too loud either?
What’s music you like to be louder? What feelings do
you like to turn up?
3.
Now ask the group if there is something they felt very
big feelings about. Put the volume on ten. Ask the
group their reaction to the music being so loud -- did it
jolt them? Did they cover their ears? What is it about
putting the music on volume 10 that makes us want to
cover our ears? (It hurts, you can’t think, etc). You can
make a connection to that alarm talked about earlier.
4.
State that feelings are like the music. Sometimes kids
turn their feelings down too low so they can’t listen to
them, or too high so that they are overwhelmed by
them. Explore with the group whether they have ever
experienced this -- are they a person who turns down
or turns up? What feelings are they more likely to turn
up too high (anger is common) and what feelings are
they more likely to turn down too low (happiness and
hurt might be some). Ask group members to give
examples of times when they have experienced the
“highs and lows”.
5.
Facilitators may also describe scenarios in which they
are aware during daily experience that may trigger
Key Points
•
We can think about feelings
as loud or quiet.
•
When we turn the volume up
too high or too low, it may
affect our behaviors.
•
It is important to have
strategies that help you turn
your feelings up or down.
Materials
1. Radio or TV
2. Volume control handout
3. “How Full am I?” handout
Resources:
Creative Counseling Techniques: An
Illustrated Guide by Ed Jacobs
Page 8
loud or quiet feelings. Additionally, the facilitator may want to have each member describe what
their behaviors look like when one of their feelings is up too high or too low
6.
Ask the group if they can help you make a list of things to do when a person is either feeling too
overwhelmed or too numb. Use the attached sheet as an example.
Group Variations
Take Home Message:
Feelings are important but they
have to be at the right volume for
us to be able to listen to them.
Learn about your own volume
control panel and practice these
skills.
Page 9
Handout: Volume Control
Volume 1
Numb
When I can’t feel my
feelings, I can:
Volume 10
Overwhelmed
When I feel
overwhelmed, I can:
Journal
Use my safety plan
Draw
Breathe
Talk to someone
Color my feelings
Use grounding
Imagine turning the
volume control down!
Move & exercise
Focus on my senses
Play
Set boundaries
Page 10
Handout: “How Full Am I”
Page 11
Emotions Module 4: Safe Place
Objective:
Teach safe place visualization skill.
Key Points
•
We can sometimes feel
feelings just by
remembering events.
•
Imagining or remembering
things can also make us feel
better.
•
Sometimes visualizing a
safe place can help manage
feelings.
1.
Start by telling the group that you want to teach them a
skill that some children have found helpful when they
are experiencing difficult feelings. Praise them for
trying a new skill, and encourage them to tell you their
reactions, both positive and negative. Ways to calm
down are like sports -- they are all good, but some
people like and are good at different ones.
2.
Ask the group if they can remember a time when they
were upset or angry. Ask them if you asked them to
really go back there in their minds, would they be able
to? Use example of something common (peer calling
them a name, getting into fight with parents, being
frustrated at school). Ask them if imagining that
situation would make them feel better or worse?
Explore that topic if appropriate. This can be a chance
to be playful, such as imagining disgusting food or a
rainy day (keeping the negative visualization mild).
3.
State that when we imagine something in our minds,
we can often feel the physical and emotional feeling
that connects to that image or situation.
But
sometimes we don’t stop to think about what people,
images, places can make us feel better when we
imagine them or even be aware of how often we think
about things that make us feel worse.
4.
Tell them that the more you know about what makes
you feel better, the more choice you have about what
you visualize. State that we will explore what image or
“place” can make us feel happier when we picture it.
Materials
1. Visualization Questions
2. Quiet Space for group
Resources:
1)
Guided Imagery for Groups:
Fifty Visualizations that promote
Problem –Solving, Creativity, and
Well-Being. By Andrew Schwartz
Visualization:
Ask the group to get comfortable. Invite them to close their
eyes BUT they don’t have to! Ask them to remember a
moment or time in their life (it doesn’t have to have been a
long time, can be a small or short moment) when they felt
happy, proud, protected or cared about.
Page 12
Once they have a moment in their minds, ask them to stay with it a moment, and when they are ready,
open their eyes.
Explore with the Group, either as a pair and share or as a large group, using some of the following
questions:
1. Where were you?
2. What were you doing?
3. Who was with you?
4. What was the best feeling that you had?
5. What did you think to yourself?
6. Where did you feel the happiness in your body?
7. Did they notice any changes at all I the way they feel right now because of this positive
memory?
5.
Now ask the group to imagine that they have the power to create a place that would be the
perfect place for them to feel happy, protected from harm, content, and it was filled with
everything they loved that is good for them. It could be a beach house, a playground, a room
filled with music, your favorite place.
1. What would this place be like?
2. Would it be outside or inside?
3. What would the temperature be like? Sounds? Smells?
4. Who would you allow in this safe place? How would you let them in?
5. What would be in there? What would you enjoy doing?
6. What kind of food would you want to have in it?
7. If they were to name this place, what would they call it?
When you have a place in mind that you feel is a perfect place for you, just wander in your mind in this
place for a while. Enjoy the sounds, sights, smells that you can imagine. And when you are ready,
slowly open your eyes.
When the group members have opened their eyes, ask them what that was like. State that they can
dislike or like the exercise, you want to hear their opinions.
Ask the group if this is something that they would want to try in the future. Recommend to them that
they should try it when they are feeling calm at first; because if they wait until they are feeling stressed
their thinking brain won’t be working.
Page 13
Again, you can ask them if they’d want to add this to their safety plans. Encourage them to practice this
exercise at least once during the week, and let you know the experience. Make sure that if you are
asking them to practice, you do it too.
Group Variations
visualizations that are developmentally appropriate for the group.
Utilize varied
Take Home Message:
Be aware of what you’re thinking
–it
affects
your
feelings.
Visualization can be a great way
to change your feeling state by
using your imagination and turn
down the volume if you are
overwhelmed.
Page 14
Emotions Module 5: Being Grounded In Your Body
Objective:
Learn grounding technique.
1.
Remind the group about the lesson we covered that
showed us how we might have our feelings turned up
to very loud or very quiet Ask group if they noticed a
time they were at volume 10 or 1 lately. See if group
can identify times when they were at a high volume.
What did they do? Did it work? What happens when it
is that high a volume?
2.
Tell them that you want to teach them another
technique they can like or dislike, it can work or not
work for them but it is something many people use
when they get overwhelmed.
3.
Explain that when we get overwhelmed we aren’t
totally present to what is going on (the music hurts our
ears). At the end of learning it we’ll play a game.
4.
One way to turn the volume lower is to do a five
senses check -
5.
To do this you ask yourself to name three things for
each of the five senses (ask the group to name the
senses of smell, sight, hearing, touch and taste).
6.
Ask for one or two volunteers to name one or two
things from a sense. An example might be I hear loud
noises in the hall, but if I listen closely I can also hear
the humming of the air conditioner, I hear the bird
outside, I can smell the dusty room, the smell of my
shirt, etc.
7.
Encourage them to pay close attention to stimuli that
is not obvious.
8.
After everyone does a grounding technique, ask them
about any changes in their body or thinking -- do they
feel calmer or not? More attentive or not? Would they
consider trying it again?
Key Points
•
•
•
Grounding is essential for
emotions management and/
or “volume control”
Using our five senses can
help us “turn down” the
volume and increase our
ability to negotiate intense
feelings.
Opening our eyes and
noticing the things around
us can help us reorient to the
here and now.
Materials
• None required
Resources:
1) Mosaic Minds:
Staying Safe:
Grounding
Grounding techniques for children:
http://www.mosaicminds.org/safe
-ground-new.shtml
Page 15
9.
You can end the group by playing “I-Spy.”
Group Variations
For older groups of children: The activity will remain very similar. Ending the group with a
fun group game or initiative will enhance group cohesion and help model and teach children how to
manage intense emotional reactions.
Take Home Message:
Practice using grounding when
you are calm so that when you
start to get overwhelmed you can
use it to calm down.
Page 16
Future Module 1: Empowerment and Healthy Power
Objective:
Use real example of one person’s ability to effect change and
use power in a healthy way.
Key Points
•
People see the world
different ways.
•
People can have power in
many different ways.
•
Being empowered means
using power to create positive
things.
1.
Explore group’s ideas about what they like about the
world and what they would like to change. Introduce
the idea of power and how as they grow older they will
discover that they can do things create change for
themselves.
2.
Ask the group about what they think power is: Is it the
power to do things, just physical strength, when do
they feel powerful and proud? Who has it? Who
doesn’t?
3.
State that power can be used over people, some
people don’t feel powerful at all even though they do
have some power, but power when it is used properly
can be used to create positive things. Empowered
means using your own power but not stealing and
squashing anyone else’s.
4.
ART PROJECT: Encourage them to imagine how they
would use their power to create the perfect world -what would the group’s perfect world be like -- have
them talk about it, imagine it, talk about what would
not be in it. When they have a list of components, put
up mural paper, and invite them to draw their world
together.
Consider discussing how planning is
determined and by what means, how space is used,
and by what means decisions are made regarding the
project. Allow for plenty of time to create their art
work.
5.
VOTING PROJECT: Introduce the idea of democracy
and how they will have the ability to cast their vote
when they get older. One person can have an impact
on the world. Ask them to participate in a class vote.
Ask them to vote on what games they want to play
next week in the group. Explain that they can all
“nominate” a game, and then when the nominations
are in they can vote on the games. They can vote for
in
Materials
1. Mural paper and art supplies
2. Games that are ageappropriate
for
group
members
Resources:
1)
Boundary Power:
Power How I Treat
You, How I Let You Treat Me,
How I Treat Myself by O’Neil &
Newbold
Page 1
one or two games, and the games with the most votes wins.
Group Variations
The activity will remain very similar. Utilize varied activities that are developmentally appropriate for
the group.
Take Home Message:
Using one’s power to make the world a
better place is one example of
empowerment.
Many kids have seen
power used to control or threaten others,
but there are healthy uses of power as
well.
Page 2
Future Module 2: One Step at a Time
Objective:
Explore how change happens in small steps and it’s easy to
forget to notice our successes over time.
1.
Ask the group how far they think they have come since
the beginning of the group. Explore what they have
learned and practiced and remember for them where
they were at the beginning and where they are now.
2.
Talk about small successes and small steps. Some
examples might include: “it used to take us 10 minutes
to settle into group and begin community meeting, but
now we get started right away.” Or “in order to create
our mural in the last group, we had to talk about what
we wanted to do, gather our materials, agree on how
we were going to make it, then create our mural. In
order to successfully create the product, we had to
take lots of small steps to get there.”
3.
Use the metaphor of steps: draw feet, do a mold of a
foot, do feet painting, use your imagination.
4.
After they have their own artistic image of a foot, ask
the group to write on it one thing they have done,
learned or accomplished since the beginning of the
year. Encourage them to write more than one of they
can.
5.
If the person cannot come up with anything, ask the
group to help.
6.
Explore with group what that process was like -- did
they notice anything new? How do they feel at the
moment they started celebrating their successes?
Afraid? Negative? Proud?
7.
Decide as a group what they want to do with the
footprints. Some groups decide to display, glue on
walls like a journey, bring home.
Key Points
•
•
•
Achieving success takes
effort and small steps.
It is important to notice the
small gains we make on the
way to bigger goals!
Recognizing small steps
can help keep us motivated!
Materials
1. Molding clay or plaster of
Paris
2. Art supplies
Resources:
1) Making
aking
It: The HipHip-Hop
Guide to True Survival by
Edward Dejesus
Page 3
Group Variations
The activity will remain very similar. Utilize varied art activities that are developmentally appropriate for
the group.
Take Home Message:
It is very important to notice
all the growth you’ve made
and to support each other in
our healing process.
Page 4
Future Module 3: Play is Healing
Objective:
Have fun as a group and talk about the importance of fun and
play in their lives.
Key Points
•
Play and fun are part of
feeling better.
•
We need to remember what it
feels like to have fun so that
we can bring up that feeling
when we need to.
•
There are many ways to
remember feelings so we can
bring them back up when we
need them.
1.
Remind the group that they voted last week on games
to play for this group.
2.
State that learning how to enjoy life is definitely about
learning how to laugh and have fun. Sometimes the
children you have worked with have a lot of worries
and sad times, but sometimes it is really important to
learn how to play.
3.
Play all the games that the group voted on. If there’s
time, play the other games as well, or play them next
week. Make sure the group members know that all the
games nominated will be played, but the games that
won the most votes will be played first.
4.
After playing, ask the group how we should remember
this feeling – should we draw it? Take a picture? How
can we remind each other how much fun we had
together? Be sure to have the materials necessary to
complete the project identified by the group.
Playing games teaches children it is ok to:
Materials
1. Age appropriate games for
members
2. Art supplies
Live
Love
Laugh!
Resources:
Play Therapy
Therapy Primer
by Kevin J. O'Connor
Page 5
Group Variations
The activity will remain very similar. Utilize varied art and creative activities that are developmentally
appropriate for the group.
Take Home Message:
Play is good for us and
playing together is a good
way to remember that we care
about each other.
Page 6
Future Module 4: Making the World a Better Place
Objective:
Explore how our group can make a small difference in our
community.
1.
Remind the group about the discussion they had during
Module 1 referring to Power. Review with group
members what they liked about the world when they
talked about power Explore with the group their vision
for how to make the world a better place talked about
in the module about power. Talk about how to create a
safer, more peaceful place.
2.
When the children identify a particular issue or act that
they see as important, explore this. For example, if it is
recycling, talk about ways the group might be able to
help with recycling. Is there a recycling program
already established at your program? If the issue is
peace, is there a local community group that is
addressing safety and non-violence?
3.
When you’ve identified what the group might want to
do, ask the group members if they would be willing to
do one thing to help. For example, host a bake sale for
a group that’s working on their identified issue. As the
group decides, you may want to comment on the way
that they work together democratically, or make
suggestions about how to be more democratic if they
struggle to come to consensus.
4.
The group members can write a letter to the local
group, invite a local spokesperson to come talk to
them or the program, etc. Be creative!
5.
Work with the group to do this project and make sure
they are as empowered as possible. Share their
accomplishments with your larger therapeutic
community in the manner the children decide.
Key Points
•
Anyone can make the world
better!
•
When people come together to
make the world better, they
can achieve even more.
•
Even a small group of
students can reach out to a
larger community to make
positive change.
Materials
1.
Lists of local groups or
projects to which group
members can contribute
Resources:
Why Community Matters
By Nicholas V. Longo
Page 7
Group Variations
Utilize varied civic minded activities that are developmentally appropriate for the group. Consider
things like volunteer work at a retirement community or at the local animal shelter.
Take Home Message:
We can make the
world a safe, peaceful
place by just being in
it.
Page 8
Loss Module 1: Tangible, Intangible Loss Collage
Objective:
Acknowledge and explore loss as an inevitable part of life, and
as something that many children have suffered from and
experienced.
1.
Define what loss is and discuss the different types of
loss: tangible and intangible. Note that loss is a very
difficult experience that many children have had to go
through. Loss brings about painful feelings. Sometimes
the children you’ve worked with have lost what feels
like everything – family, a parent, a home. Some have
lost things that you don’t always notice – their hope of
having a “normal” childhood, lost old friends, feel loss
about not doing well in school.
2.
It’s so important to find a place, a place, a way and a
person to whom to express your losses, but to also do
it in a way that you don’t feel overwhelmed by the
feelings. You can say, for example, “Today we’re going
to explore the issue of loss a bit, and to also encourage
you to explore it with people that you trust outside the
group as well.”
3.
Ask them to think about one loss that they have
experienced. Encourage them that safety is first, so if
they begin to feel intense feelings in the group, they
can always take a break.
4.
Sometimes drawing, poetry, music and other art helps
us to express feelings of loss.
5.
Collage: Let them know today they’ll be doing a
collage or drawing about one loss in their life. It
doesn’t have to be their biggest loss, but perhaps a
smaller more manageable one.
6.
Give them the time they need to draw, glue pictures,
and create something around loss. Make sure they
know you will ask them about it at the end, but they
don’t have to share what it’s about.
7.
Drawing: You can invite them to draw on two separate
Key Points
•
Some losses involve things we
can see or touch, like the loss of a
person or pet when he or she dies.
•
Some losses that are harder to see
but still create strong feelings,
like the loss of trust when
someone is hurt by another
person.
•
Sharing losses through art or
drawing can help with painful
feelings and even negative
behaviors.
Materials
Materials
1.
Magazines from which to cut
pictures and words
2. Butcher Paper or Large
Construction Paper
3. Crayons, Markers, Glue
Resources:
Sanctuary Psycho-Education Manual- Loss
Page 1
papers. On the first paper it can say, “Sometimes my heart hurts when...” and on the other side
or the other piece of paper it can read, “Sometimes my heart feels light and happy when...” Invite
them to write and draw about their feelings and experiences for both of those and encourage
them to share it with the group after.
8.
At the end of the process ask the group members what this was like for them -- easier or more
difficult than they expected? Positive or negative?
9.
End the group by reviewing their safety plans and asking how they can help each other feel safe
the rest of the day.
Group Variations
The activity will remain very similar. Utilize varied activities that are developmentally appropriate for
the group. Sometimes drawing, poetry, music, and other art helps us to express feelings of loss.
Consider asking group members to bring in music that “speaks” to the issue of loss.
Take Home Message:
Loss is a part of life. Loss often brings
up painful feelings so it’s important
and healing to find ways to express
your feelings about loss using art,
music, poetry and other creative means.
Page 2
Loss Module 2: Coping with Loss
Objective:
Explore with group what helps them cope with loss and what
we can do for the community to support each other during a
loss.
1.
State that loss is a very difficult experience -- it brings
up grief, sadness, despair, a “hole in the heart.”
2.
1. People may have different
feelings when they have a
loss.
Ask the group if there was anything that helped them
or helps them cope with loss. Write down all the
responses.
3.
2. People cope with loss in
different ways.
Offer to the group that they can write a poem, write a
letter, or draw about what they need when they are
sad. Remind group members that Safety Plans can be a
tool to help them manage their feels around a loss.
4.
When they have created their poems or art projects,
ask the group if they are able to share with each other.
Ask them to pay attention to the fact that we need
each other, especially at times of loss.
5.
This exercise can be used when there has been a loss in
your community -- a death, a beloved staff person or
child leaving the community.
6.
When a loss is current, it’s important to state that loss
is a part of life and it’s important to give us time to
process it. But for some kids, saying goodbye also
brings up old feelings (Past vs. Present).
7.
If there is a current loss affecting the group, you can
ask the group members to do something creative to
say good bye to this person and to share what this
person meant to them. Some ideas are audio tapes,
goodbye mural, letters, poems, taking a picture of
them to send to the person, writing stories and
sharing, using ritual such as letting something go into
the wind, etc.
Key Points
3. Sharing with others through
words or art can help people
cope with loss.
Materials
1. Crayons, markers, paper,
Paint, glue, pens, pencils.
2. Other art materials as needed
Resources:
Poetry:
Poetry
The Duration of Grief
by Liane Ellison Norman
Page 3
Group Variations
The activity will remain very similar. Utilize varied activities focused around saying “good-bye” that are
developmentally appropriate for the group.
Take Home Message:
Find what helps
you to cope with
loss.
Page 4
Loss Module 3: Reenactment
Objective:
Teach concept of reenactment triangle and roles in order to
use throughout the year as this dynamic arises. Use role
plays, stories, movies, etc to demonstrate concept. Finally,
goal is to teach children how to increase awareness regarding
what reenactment scenarios they play out and how to be
more aware of their feelings a reactivity toward others.
1.
Share with the group that children who have gone
through difficult things sometimes play those things out
over and over again, but not realizing that they are
doing it. These “bad replays” are normal for children
who have gone through stressful experiences or
trauma. Give them an example or two, such as
someone who gets beaten up by their older brother
and then gets in to fights at school all the time. Or
someone who has to stop fights at home who always
breaks up fights in school.
2.
Ask them of they ever do anything over and over again
that they enjoy doing? This is replaying good things.
3.
But then there are things we play out over and over
again that are negative or painful, especially connected
to power and abuse. Ask the group to if they see
friends who do things that seem crazy but they do it
anyway? Do they ever do something they wish they
could stop?
4.
Point out the triangle to them, roles can be explained
as bully, victim, and rescuer. See if group can identify
all the various roles people played in the dynamic,
pointing out that we can all get pulled into all the roles
quickly.
5.
Ask the group to help you with an exercise. Take out a
scarf or another object that can be tugged. You and
your co-leader or another child will pretend to do tugof-war, with neither side winning but stuck.
6.
Ask the group for ideas about how to get out of the
struggle. After a child suggests letting go, talk about
that. How hard is it to let go when we’re arguing?
Key Points
1. People tend to repeat what we
know.
2. We don’t always realize that
we are repeating things in
behaviors or interactions!
3. When repeating traumatic
experiences, people usually
fall into one of three
categories: bully, rescuer or
victim.
Materials
1. Chalk Board or handout of
the roles in the reenactment
triangle
2. Large scarf
Page 5
What would have happened if you didn’t let go? Have you ever gotten into this kind of “tug-ofwar”? Have arguments you have had with others felt similar to this tug-of-war.
7.
Talk about ways to be more aware, make choices, and get out of the tug-of-war.
Rescuer
Perpetrator
Victim
Take Home Message:
Reenactment is never having to say
goodbye and reliving very old pain. We
can all get pulled into each other’s
reenactments, so it is so important to
know your feelings, take responsibility
for yourself, and be mindful.
Page 6
Loss Module 4: Fear of Change
Objective:
Increase awareness of the fear of change and the tendency of
humans to gravitate to the familiar even if it’s not healthy for
them.
Key Points
•
What we don’t know can
seem scary, even it if is
safer than what is familiar!
•
Many things may seem
scary when we do them for
the first time.
•
People react in different
ways to change.
Materials
1.
Paper and art supplies for
drawing exercise if used.
2. Toys or pictures of a
caterpillar and a butterfly.
Resources:
1.
Fear of change can be addressed in many different
ways: It’s important to use real examples and examples
that can be drawn upon as metaphors throughout the
group.
2.
Storytelling: Tell the following story:
Once there was a woman who lived in an apartment. She
had a cat. One day she came home and went into the
kitchen, and what do you think was there? A mouse! It was
crouched in the corner, staring at the cat that had it cornered.
There was the cat, ready to pounce, and the mouse, frozen
and staring at its enemy. So the woman ran and got a
shoebox so she could try and save the mouse, and bring it
outside to the woods outside and let it free. She knelt down
and held out the shoebox exactly where the mouse was so
that it could climb in.
There sat the mouse. It was panicked – it stared at the cat,
something it knew but was clearly dangerous and then it
stared at that box, something it didn’t know or understand. It
continued to stare, eyes darting back and forth between the
cat and the box. Its eyes went back and forth, staring at the
cat and the unknown box.
Finally, it made its decision – it went for it. What do you think
it ran toward? Why? Once the group processes a bit, you can
tell them that this originated from a true story and in this
story the mouse did indeed run toward the cat (but thankfully
was able to get away).
3.
Metaphors for Living
By
Jackie Gerstein, EdD., LPCC
This story can be replaced or added to with your own
stories. After telling the story or stories, ask the group
to explore their own fears about change. As much as
possible speak in the metaphors of the story – who or
what is the cat in your life? Who or what is the
shoebox? Has change been a bad experience for you in
the past? Have you ever run toward the cat? Why do
Page 7
we feel so comfortable doing the same old same old, even though it’s dangerous?
4.
Drawing: Explore with the group about things that were scary for them to try but they did
anyway. Examples can include coming to the new school, riding a bike. Have the group draw a
picture of a time they were afraid but tried something new anyway. The group can choose to
display the pictures.
5.
Enactments: Rearrange a few things in the room. Sit with the changes without commenting for a
couple of minutes. Explore members’ reactions to the changes: how did it make them feel in
their bodies? What did they wonder? Did they notice? How did they react? Make the analogy
that change happens often without us being prepared for it. If we react strongly to small changes,
how have we reacted to larger changes?
6.
Metaphors: Bring in a toy caterpillar and a toy butterfly. Talk about the transition from caterpillar
to pupa to butterfly. Where did the caterpillar go? Is it gone? Has it just changed? Was the
butterfly there all along?
7.
End with a go-around with how people are feeling.
Take Home Message:
Everyone is afraid to change sometimes.
For many children who have experienced
losses, change often reminds them of
pain. But with change comes growth,
possibilities and hope for a better future.
It’s important to express our fears about
change but to change anyway.
Page 8

Sanctuary Psycho-Education Manual

Transcription

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