The Resilient Child

Life throws us many unexpected events and situations, and it has often been said that a situation doesn’t define a person, it’s how the person handles the situation. As adults, our life experiences and lessons learned often guide our actions when we are faced with such situations, but for children, it can be an entirely new challenge. Training your child to be resilient in life will allow them to be more mature socially, and respond more favorably in situations where a more mature response is desired. That is why In Step has created a social development group focused towards these children.

The Resilient Child group is a 12-15 week cognitive-behavioral program for children who frequently engage in negative and all or nothing thinking, have trouble being flexible when the unexpected occurs, are easily ‘stressed-out’, are easily moved to tears, lack assertiveness, and who are quick to personalize situations. The goal of the treatment is to provide children with the skills to not only cope with, but also bounce back from challenging and stressful situations.

The Group Will Focus On:

• Resilience (being able to ‘bounce back’ back from difficult situations)
• Stress management (relaxation training)
• Optimistic Thinking (Thinking glass is half-full, not half-empty)
• Self-Regulation (Being able to tolerate and mage intense emotions)
• Self-Esteem (Can- do Thinking)
• Leadership Skills (Work on assertiveness)

The group is based on the research and program of Alvord, Zucker, and Grados from Alvord, Baker & Associates , LLC. The therapy integrates elements of a behavioral approach (relaxation training and role play) with a cognitive one (e.g., cognitive restructuring, positive self-talk, and problem solving).