8.2.1 For All Parent and Child Group Therapists
8.2.1.1 During the Week Preceding Session 1
Ideally, at some point during the week preceding Session 1 (and practically, this is often done at the end of the Introduction Session), all parent group therapists meet together (if there is more than one parent group therapist) to determine which materials each parent group therapist is in charge of covering during Session 1.
Similarly, the child group therapists meet to assign which specific roles each child group therapist is responsible for playing during Session 1.
All parent group and child group therapists ensure they become familiar with the materials to be covered during Session 1.
8.2.1.2 Approximately 20 minutes Prior to Start of Session 1
All parent group therapists and child group therapists meet for approximately 20 min- utes (or more as needed) prior to the start of Session 1 to briefly review which child- parent dyads are expected to require assistance with the separation, which children have food allergies, intolerances, or special dietary needs/requests, and which (if any) families have cancelled Session 1.
The parent group therapists ensure that all the materials needed for P-Session 1 are available (from the list provided in Table6.3).
Similarly, the child group therapists ensure that all the materials needed for C-Session 1 are available (from the list provided in Table6.3).
Table 8.1 Outline of P-Session 1 (excerpt from Table6.4)
Sessiona Parent group
Minutes
1 5 Introduction of children
5 Debrief around separation
10 Brave moments and effective praise 30 How to be a Feeling Catcher
• Body Scan
• Feeling Thermometer How to Be the Boss of My Body
• Spaghetti Arms and Toes
• Balloon Breathing
• Imagery
<1 Wrap up
a45- to 50-minute session; <: less than
8.2.1.3 At the Start of Session 1
At least two child and/or parent group therapists go to the waiting area to greet all parents and children and bring them to the child group room where the other child and/or parent group therapists are already waiting.1
As seen in Tables8.1and8.2, part one of Session 1 (introduction of children) takes approximately five minutes to complete. It begins when all parents and children have entered the child group room where all the parent and child group therapists are present. One of the child group therapists takes the lead and:
1. Welcomes parents and children and invites them to sit down and make themselves comfortable.
2. Introduces all child and parent group therapists (or alternatively, the therapists can introduce themselves).
3. Has a list of each child’s first name on stick-on name tags (one for each child), reads each name out loud while asking the children to identify themselves, approaches the children, asks their permission to put the stick-on name tag on their shirt or top, then asks them how old they are and what grade they are in. If verbal responses from the children are not forthcoming, non-verbal responses are encouraged, for example, asking the child to use their fingers to show how old they are, or to nod, etc. The child group therapist gives each child a few seconds to respond verbally before moving on to asking for a non-verbal response and after a few further seconds, if the children do not respond verbally or non-verbally, their parents are asked to provide the information.
1If parents are in charge of bringing the snacks for the child group sessions, it is typically at that moment that the parent who brings the snack for Session 1 gives the snack to one of the child group therapists.
Table 8.2 Outline of C-Session 1 (excerpt from Table6.4) Sessiona Child group
Minutes
1 5 Introduction of children
10 Circle Time and Story Time—Chap. 1 of the children’s storyb Meet Leo the Lion and discussion of story
5 Purpose, rules, and name of the group 15 How to be a Feeling Catcher
• Body Scans for happy and mad/angry How to Be the Boss of My Body
• Spaghetti Arms and Toes
10 Craft Time
5 Snack Time
<1 Wrap up—one child therapist goes to parent room to signal end of session
a45- to 50-minute session;bChildren’s story section ofTaming Sneaky Fears—Leo the Lion’s story of bravery & Inside Leo’s den: The workbook(Benoit & Monga2018a,b); <: less than
Developing rapport and engaging the children at the start of Session 1 facilitates the separation from the caregiver later on in the session. The child group therapists encourage verbal and non-verbal participation throughout this and all other parts of C-Session 1.
4. After all the children are introduced, the lead child group therapist says, “It’s story time.” This is the signal for another child group therapist to bring the container of puppets to a corner of the room, away from the door (through which parents and parent group therapists will exit), while ushering the children together towards the puppets and asking each child to choose a puppet.2During this time, the parent group therapists quickly, but calmly, usher the parents out of the child group room.
As needed, the parent group therapists actively assist parents to leave and remind them of the instructions provided during the Introduction Session, i.e., smile, look calm and in control, and leave promptly so as to not prolong the separation and increase the children’s anxiety. The child group therapists are ready and able to gently restrain or console children struggling with the separation.
Session 1 continues in the parent group room for the rest of P-Session 1 (described in Sect. 8.3.1) and in the same child group room for C-Session 1 (described in Sect. 8.4.1). This chapter also includes step-by-step guidelines to implement C-Session 2 (Sect. 8.5.1) and C-Session 5 (Sect. 8.6.1) as all these child group sessions focus on the concepts of feeling recognition and management.
2The list of puppets the children can use and the puppets reserved for the child group therapists is provided in Sect.6.3.3.2.