Resilience Builder Program for Children and Adolescents: Enhancing Social Competence and Self-Regulation

This innovative, field-tested program details 30 group sessions designed to help youth bounce back from the challenges in their lives by increasing confidence, self-esteem, self-control, and the use of coping strategies.

Group activities help develop the following specific protective factors associated with resilience: • Proactive orientation toward life • Self-regulation of attention, emotions, and behaviour • Social connections and attachments • Achievements and talents • Community ties • Proactive parenting

Each session encourages self-awareness, flexible thinking, and social competence. Through discussion, role-play, and other hands-on techniques, group members learn about self-talk, personal space awareness, problem solving, anger/anxiety management, friendship skills, and other topics essential to well being and social success.

Relaxation techniques including calm breathing, visualisation, progressive muscle relaxation, and yoga enhance self-regulation. The program applies cognitive-behavioural theory and strategies with sessions which identify, challenge, and correct distorted, or "off the mark," and pessimistic thinking. Homework assignments, community field trips, and a parent involvement component help group members generalise what they learn to the world outside the group.

An accompanying CD with PDF files of all the reproducible materials is included with the book.

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

PART I: Program Overview and Guidelines

• Chapter 1—Building Blocks of Resilience and the Cognitive-Behavioral Approach
• Chapter 2—Overview of the Resilience Builder Program
• Chapter 3—Group Formation and Parent Involvement
• Chapter 4—Behavior Management in Group
• Chapter 5—Session Structure and Guidelines

PART II: Group Sessions

Unit 1

• Session 1.1—Introduction to Group
• Session 1.2—Resilience and Being Proactive
• Session 1.3—Personal Space
• Session 1.4—Leadership
• Session 1.5—Reading Verbal and Nonverbal Cues
• Session 1.6—Initiating and Maintaining Conversations
• Session 1.7—Being a Good Sport: Team Play
• Session 1.8—Being a Good Sport: Field Trip
• Session 1.9—Optimistic Thinking
• Session 1.10—Solving Friendship Problems
• Session 1.11—Stress Management
• Session 1.12—Assertiveness
• Session 1.13—Empathy and Perspective Taking
• Session 1.14—Being a Good Sport: Game Etiquette
• Session 1.15—Review of Sessions

Unit 2

• Session 2.1—Introduction to Group
• Session 2.2—Flexibility
• Session 2.3—Maintaining Conversations
• Session 2.4—Intent Versus Impact
• Session 2.5—On the Mark/Off the Mark Thinking: Part 1
• Session 2.6—On the Mark/Off the Mark Thinking: Part 2
• Session 2.7—Being a Good Sport: Team Play
• Session 2.8—Being a Good Sport: Field Trip
• Session 2.9—Self-Regulation: Anxiety Management
• Session 2.10—Self-Regulation: Anger Management
• Session 2.11—Self-Esteem
• Session 2.12—Teasing and Bullying
• Session 2.13—Choices for Handling Challenges
• Session 2.14—Being a Good Sport: Game Etiquette at Home
• Session 2.15—Review and Showcase

Appendix A—Program Intake and Evaluation Forms

Appendix B—Parent Materials

Appendix C—Supplementary Session Materials

References

About the Authors