This innovative 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 behavior 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, visualization, progressive muscle relaxation, and yoga enhance self-regulation. And homework assignments, community field trips, and a parent involvement component help group members generalize 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. About the Author: Mary Karapetian Alvord, Ph.D., is a psychologist and Director of Alvord, Baker & Associates, LLC, located in Rockville and Silver Spring, Maryland. She specializes in the treatment of anxiety disorders in children and adults, and ADHD and problems of emotional and behavioral regulation in children and teens. With more than 30 years of experience, Dr. Alvord's focus has been on resilience and strength-based approaches and she has co-authored articles on these subjects. She is frequently interviewed by national media outlets on topics ranging on stress, anxiety, and social competence, to coping with adversity. Dr. Alvord was honored as the first recipient of the American Psychological Association's Presidential Innovative Practice Citation (2009). Bonnie Zucker, Psy.D, is a licensed psychologist in private practice at Alvord, Baker, & Associates in Rockville, Maryland and at the National Center for the Treatment of Phobias, Anxiety, and Depression. She also authored Anxiety-Free Kids and Take Control of OCD and was named one of Washingtonian Magazine's Top Therapists in the fields of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Troubled Child, Troubled Adolescent, OCD, & Phobias in 2009. In addition to treating children and their families, Dr. Zucker is active in conducting trainings on CBT for other mental health professionals. Judy Johnson Grados, Psy.D, is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Baltimore, Maryland. With over a decade of experience facilitating groups, including several years working with Alvord, Baker & Associates, Dr. Grados specializes in social skills training and the treatment of anxiety disorders in children and adolescents. Dr. Grados earned her Doctoral Degree in clinical psychology from Indiana State University and has completed post-doctoral work in children's mental health services in the School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. |