This facilitator’s guide details procedures for conducting engaging and age-appropriate group sessions to help children adapt quickly to the changes brought about by parental divorce or separation. The guide has everything a therapist or counselor needs to facilitate the program, including a full script and abbreviated outline for each session, numerous handouts for group members and parents, a sample consent form, a program graduation certificate, and much more. Sessions give children the opportunity to clarify misperceptions about divorce and separation, engage in meaningful activities, and discuss topics that they may not have been allowed to explore previously. Because some of these topics may be difficult, each group session includes practice of relaxation skills, homework focused on seeking social support, and opportunities for adaptive cognitive coping. Book Review “These guides do a great job of normalizing the reality of different types of families while also providing behavioral and cognitive strategies for helping children deal with their strong emotions.” —Dr. Stephen Hupp, Professor of Clinical Child and School Psychology, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville About the Author: Jeremy D. Jewell received his PhD in school psychology from the University of Texas at Austin in 2001. He is currently director of the Clinical Child and School Psychology Graduate Program at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. He is the author of dozens of research articles, book chapters, and treatment manuals focused on the psychological assessment and treatment of children and adolescents. In addition to authoring the Kid First Divorce Treatment Program, the Teen First Divorce Treatment Program and the Teen Survival Guide to Parent Divorce or Separation, (Research Press), he is the creator of the Children First Parenting Education Curriculum (www.children1stfoundation.org) and coauthor of the book Great Myths of Child Development (Wiley Blackwell). He currently lives with his wife, Kelly, and daughters, Brea and Chaney, in southern Illinois. For more information regarding Dr. Jewell, visit his website at www.doctorjewell.com. |