We Support you:

Goal Reunification
Support Group Curriculum
April 5th, 14th, 19th

Spring 2016
Erinn LeVine

We Support You: Goal Reunification

April 5, 2016 Curriculum

Erinn LeVine: Facilitator

Parents fill out Sign in sheets and grab a name tag

Everyone sits down in a circle in conference room and introductions are
made
Ice Breaker Activity: Beach Ball Activity with questions on ball
Tell us something about yesterday
Tell us something you do well
What is something you learned last week?
Tell us your favorite holiday?
If you could go on vacation where would you go?
(Talk about and discuss this for 10 minutes or so)
Go over Guidelines and Rules in group (5-10 minutes)
Confidentiality
Respect others opinions
Everyone is an equal
What are some other guidelines do you think we need as a group?
Add 2 or 3 more
Successful Visits? (15-20 minutes)
Talk with parents about how it can be stressful only seeing their child once a
week and how it is awkward having someone watch your every move when
you interact with your child. Ask the parents how their experiences have
been so far and how do they think that it can be improved or continued to
make it successful
Offer tips (on sheet of paper given to parents) and read them outload give
examples with them and ask them to come up with examples too.
*Playing a board game
* Making a snack together
*Making a craft together

*Reading to your child

These tips help promote child development and good attachment between
you and your child and you are helping your child grow
Take a Break and mingle get more snacks and drinks and talk with peers (10
minutes)

Communication (15-20 mintutes)

Handout sheets and discuss

Ask group if there is something that they would like for us to talk about in the
future for the other 2 group meetings
Do the gift card drawing
Then dismiss and say thank you for coming and have a good night

We Support You: Goal Reunification

April 14, 2016 Curriculum
Erinn LeVine: Facilitator

Parents fill out Sign in sheets and grab a name tag

Everyone sits down in a circle in conference room and introductions are
made
Ice Breaker Activity: Beach Ball Activity with questions on ball (10 minutes)
Tell us something about yesterday
Tell us something you do well
What is something you learned last week?
Tell us your favorite holiday?
If you could go on vacation where would you go?
(Talk about and discuss this for 10 minutes or so)
Go over Guidelines and Rules in group (5-10 minutes)
Confidentiality (10 minutes)
Respect others opinions
Everyone is an equal
What are some other guidelines do you think we need as a group?
Add 2 or 3 more
Stress Management (talk about stress to everyone how people respond to it)
Stress is normal
Too much can affect your mental and physical well being
Make your stress work for you and not against you
Physical exercise can help you relax and you can handle emotional stress

Stress tips (10-15 minutes go over)

Be aware of your own reactions to stress
Helping yourself, try a physical activity, share your stress talk to someone
about your concerns and if
serious seek a professional
Its ok to cry because it is a form of relief
Create a quiet scene read a book or play peaceful music
Avoid self-medication medications over the counter does remove what
caused the stress it is just temporary and it could be habit forming
Know your limits, if something is out of your control and cannot be changed
at the moment dont fight it accept it for now until you can change it
Take care of yourself
Make time for fun
Be a participant volunteer in the community and give back
Check off tasks getting everything done at once can be stressful
You dont have to always be right cooperation instead of confrontation, give
in a little on both sides and the strain will be reduced and both of you will
feel more comfortable
(Ask group, what are some things you do/ can do to reduce stress?)

Hand out exercises related to stress and discuss

How stress can affect your children? Go over with parents according to their
learning style (20 Minutes)
More specifically, the way parents help their children react emotionally to
stress may be central to the transmission of anxiety from parent to child.
Parents are prime agents in shaping the way that children learn to identify,
experience, express, and regulate their emotional states.(Eisenberg, 1998)

In Parenting you shape the way your child reacts to stress. Children learn
from you by the way you handle your own stress and anxiety. They learn
identify, experience and regulate their emotions according to your own stress
management.
Specifically, the theory states that children look to their parents for cues
about how to understand and react emotionally to situations, and that the
messages children receive during affective interchanges (e.g., is emotion
scary?; can it be regulated?) Inform childrens ability to understand and
regulate their emotional responses later in development [35]. (Fonagy,
2002)
Children look to their parents for cues to understand on how to react
emotionally and they learn now how to respond emotionally later in life.
When they see you handle a stressful situation effectively they learn how to
deal with their own stress if they see you out of control they will be as well.

Bronfenbrenner ecological Theory

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/18718154671546152/

The Microsystem
Consisting of the childs most immediate environment (physically, socially
and psychologically), this core entity stands as the childs venue for initially
learning about the world. As the childs most intimate learning setting, it
offers him or her a reference point of the world.

The Exosystem
In so many cases exosystems bring about stress in families because we do
not attend to them as we should. Our absence from a system makes it no
less powerful in our lives (Garbarino, 1992). For example, many children
realize the stress of their parents workplaces

The Macro system

The larger systems of cultural beliefs, societal values, political trends, and
community happenings act as a powerful source of energy in our lives.
The macro systems we live in inuence what, how, when and where we carry
out our relations.

The Mesosystem
There must be loving adults beyond the parents who engage in caring ways
with our children.

Is there anything that you would like to talk about in future group meetings
that you have concerns about?

Thank you and have a good night

Below are handouts that are discussed

Exercises to Reduce Stress

Use self-massage when you can - simply rubbing one palm with the thumb
from your other hand can release endorphins - move up to the spots behind
your ears and really feel tension dissolve!

Create a mantra; personal affirmations can boost self confidence and selfesteem and silence internal criticism which could be contributing to stress.

Write it down, a journal is a great way to divest yourself of the junk you carry
around all day - spill it out on paper and let it go before you lay down to
sleep.

Bask in the warmth. Rub your hands together briskly to create heat, then cup
your hands over your face for five seconds while you breathe deeply with
your eyes closed.

Do a little self-acupressure. Press your fingers to the center of your forehead

in the dip between your eyes above your nose, to the back of the neck in the
hollow of your skull, and on the backs of your shoulders between the neck
and the shoulder blades.

Shake yourself down. Hold your arms out to your sides and let your hands
hang limp from the wrists. Shake your arms for 10 seconds or so, and feel
the stress ying out from your fingertips.

Take a mental trip. Stare up into the sky or out the window and imagine
yourself taking a trip somewhere exotic and far away.

Take a literal trip. This could range from a long walk to a weekend getaway
on an island somewhere. Commit to having fun for the duration of the trip,
however short - no stress allowed.

Take a soak - if you don't have time for a full bath, try sticking your hands or
feet in some hot, scented water. You'll feel more relaxed and soothe your
aching muscles.

Stress tips
Be aware of your own reactions to stress
Helping yourself, try a physical activity, share your stress talk to someone
about tour concerns and if
serious seek a professional
Its ok to cry because it is a form of relief
Create a quiet scene read a book or play peaceful music
Avoid self-medication medications over the counter does remove what
caused the stress it is just temporary and it could be habit forming
Know your limits, if something is out of your control and cannot be changed
at the moment dont fight it accept it for now until you can change it
Take care of yourself
Make time for fun
Be a participant volunteer in the community and give back
Check off tasks getting everything done at once can be stressful
You dont have to always be right cooperation instead of confrontation, give
in a little on both sides and the strain will be reduced and both of you will
feel more comfortable

We Support You: Goal Reunification

April 19, 2016 Curriculum
Erinn LeVine: Facilitator

Parents fill out Sign in sheets and grab a name tag

Everyone sits down in a circle in conference room and introductions are
made
Ice Breaker:
M&M Activity (10 minutes)
Color
Red: a favorite Food
Orange: a favorite movie or television show
Yellow: something about yesterday
Green: one of your favorite songs or musicians
Blue: something you cant live without
Brown: anything without
Give everyone M&M bags and let them pick out color and say
Go over guidelines (5 Minutes)
Confidentiality
Respect others opinions
Everyone is an equal
What are some other guidelines do you think we need as a group if group
wants to add any more

Empathy Definition (talk about this to everyone in the group) (15-20 Minutes)

Empathy is the experience of understanding another person's condition

from their perspective. You place yourself in their shoes and feel what they
are feeling. Empathy is known to increase prosocial (helping) behaviors.
While American culture might be socializing people into becoming more
individualistic rather than empathic, research has uncovered the existence of
"mirror neurons," which react to emotions expressed by others and then
reproduce them. https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/empathy

Empathy is about connection and truly relating with someone. And while its
not always easy to empathize, it does help a great deal.
http://www.psychicsuniverse.com/articles/home-family/family/empathy-vssympathy-what%E2%80%99s-difference
Sympathy
You may express concern or feel sorry for their difficulties, but you dont
identify with their emotions on a deep gut level as with empathy. Although
you may not have that same connection, displaying sympathy still shows
that you care. http://www.psychicsuniverse.com/articles/homefamily/family/empathy-vs-sympathy-what%E2%80%99s-difference
Differences (talk about the differences and how to understand it)
Sympathy can come across as pity when you express that you are sorry for
someone
Empathy says I feel with you, while sympathy says I feel for you. Both
are important when it comes to showing you care.
Give out worksheets on empathy and have group fill it out and discuss
amongst the group.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/aryXWRQ2zKU/UBb5Byge_II/AAAAAAAABeM/OidVG5rLQw/s1600/inyourshoes5.jpg (source for shoe picture)

Talk about empathy towards children (15-20 minutes)

When infants are young they imitate us and become like us by making body
movements and through childhood this develops into empathy. This is up to
you as a parent if this is nurtured

Meltzoff suggests parents begin nurturing empathy by playing imitative,

reciprocal games with their babies. These can include using simple facial
expressions such as opening their mouths, thrusting out their tongues, even
just smiling. (This shows that for those of you that have small children
playing with them matters and smiling and talking to them because they are
learning for you.)
"Ask open-ended questions, such as 'Help me understand what happened,'"
Levine says. "Put effort and energy into understanding what your child or
someone else went through. Then reect back his or her feelings with a
comment like, 'You must have been really disappointed." (Ask questions and
ask them to help you understand what happened put effort into
understanding what they go through. Reect on their feelings by
commenting.)
Talk with your child about their day and listen to what they have to say
"Take every opportunity to say to your child, 'How would you feel if that were
you? What would you do?'"
Read books to your children that deal with feelings, Duffell suggests.
"Engage in a dialogue about the book," she says. "Ask your child, 'How do
you think this person is feeling now?'"
Find ways for your kids to show care and concern for others, Glaze says.
"Maybe a neighbor is ill. Ask your children, 'How do we want to show him we
care?'
https://www.parentmap.com/article/teaching-kindness-and-empathy-tochildren
What are some ways you can teach or show your child empathy? (10-15
Minutes)

Talk with group about it then hand out work sheet

How to teach empathy

Show empathy to your children. Young children (like all of us) love to
receive empathy. Research shows that parenting with empathy and
emotional guidance encourages healthy emotional growth.
Provide simple, clear explanations about how other people feel when they
are sad or hurt. This is especially important if your child has caused these

feelings in another. ("It makes Carlos feel bad when you call him names.")
When this happens, be firm as you explain how these feelings work.
Be a good role model for empathy. Children are some of the best copycats
around, and they are likely to copy the ways they see you treat people.
Praise your toddler's early acts of empathy -- they are wonderful signs of
learning to care about other people. When your toddler gives up his favorite
toy to a younger sibling who's crying, make sure he knows you appreciate his
action.
Don't expect empathy every time -- young children are still learning how
emotions work, and how people get along with others. Encourage empathy -but don't expect perfection.
https://www.parentmap.com/article/teaching-kindness-and-empathy-tochildren

Provide opportunity for the group to talk with one another and ask group to if
there is anything they have concerns about or want to talk about. (10
minutes)
Thank you and have a good night

Important notes:

In the curriculum is highlighted important topics in the nurturing

program and the curriculum could be modified to fit in other important
topics that surround the nurturing program at The Tree House.
For example:
Inappropriate expectations for children
Corporal punishment
Role Reversal
Teaching Power and independence in children

Since the program isnt required and not funded it would be beneficial
if you provide incentive for parents to come such as snacks and drinks
and a gift card drawing.

Provide a guest speaker with a success story and someone with

resources to offer parents.

References

Eisenberg N, Cumberland A, Spinrad TL (1998) Parental socialization of

emotion. Psychol Inq 9(4):241273. doi:10.1207/ s15327965pli0904_1

Fonagy P, Gergely G, Jurist E, Target M (2002) Affect regulation, mentalization

and the development of the self. Other Press , NewYork
https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/empathy

http://www.psychicsuniverse.com/articles/home-family/family/empathy-vssympathy-what%E2%80%99s-difference
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/aryXWRQ2zKU/UBb5Byge_II/AAAAAAAABeM/OidVG5rLQw/s1600/inyourshoes5.jpg (source for shoe picture)

https://www.parentmap.com/article/teaching-kindness-and-empathy-tochildren