CHILDREN OF DIVORCE:AN 8-WEEK GROUP FOR ADOLESCENTSLucy Hester

EDHS 7240: Group Counseling Procedures

Spring 2013

KENNA’S STORY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dB3chibPz8Y

Kenna has had a lot of struggles, but her story starts with her parents divorce

She titled her video: “The Effects of Divorce on Children’s Mental

Health Through the Life Course”

WHY A DIVORCE GROUP FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS?

DIVORCE AND ITS EFFECTS

Approximately 1 million divorces granted each year in the United States

Estimated that 1 in 3 children under 18 are children of divorce and 20% live in single parent homes

Adjustment problems may continue for 10 years following the divorce

Some effects: Increased impulsivity, distractibility, aggressiveness, acting-out, lowered academic achievement

“Unrealistic to assume that a child can perform well academically when the child is upset by such serious unresolved personal problems as those involved in divorce.” (Drake, 1981)

WHY GROUP COUNSELING?

Positive effects: Normalizes the experience Reduces feelings of isolation and shame Opportunity for peer validation Peer modeling of appropriate behavior Establishes ongoing support system

Provides a place for guidance and support at a time when parents are under great stress

Group counseling is seen as the most practical, efficient, and effective mode of treatment for children of divorce

Group counseling for children of divorce is most appropriate for ages 9-adolescence

Participants become more relaxed, had better coping strategies, and were more willing and able to talk about the divorce with their families

ADOLESCENT CHILDREN OF DIVORCE

Increase in loneliness Increase in competition for parental attention

Exposure to inter-parental conflict and parental distress

Missing one parent, who has left home Increase in anxiety and depression Sadness over loss of original family Moving and changing schools Conflicted loyalties between parents

SIX WEEK GROUP PLAN

WEEK 1: INTRODUCTION

Introductions Introduce your neighbor

Ice-breaker 2 truths and a lie

Establishing rules Establish purpose of the group Introduce bibliotherapy book:

Love and Other Four-Letter Words, by Carolyn Mackler The Last Exit to Normal, Michael Harmon What Happened to Goodbye, Sarah Dessen

Round robin check-in: What are you looking forward to or hoping to get out of group, what are you nervous about?

LOVE AND OTHER FOUR LETTER WORDS

“With her parents splitting up, sixteen-year-old Sammie Davie doesn’t want to feel a thing, but feelings happen. For starters, she’s plenty angy. Her dad’s leaving their upstate New York home to move clear across the country. Her mom’s packing them up and relocating to New York City. And Sammie has no say about any of it. Overnight, Sammie is forced to deal with change… As Sammie realizes that things can’t stay the same forever, that even the people she loves and trusts the most can disappoint her, she begins to accept that change isn’t always bad. It’s how you cope, jumbled feelings and all, that counts. And as she copes, Sammie’s sense of self emerges proud and strong.”

WEEK 2: SHARING OUR STORIES

Review of names and rules Round robin check-in: 1-10 feeling scale Bibliotherapy discussion:

Sammie Davis’s story, what happened in her family?

Use story as a jumping off point for talking about what happened in their own families Share and process Self-disclosure?

Assign next reading assignment Round Robin: High of the week

WEEK 3: MOURNING WHAT IS LOST

Round Robin check-in: 1-10 feelings scale Film strip: Understanding Changes in the

Family: Not Together Anymore Discussion: What have I lost?

Family of origin, less time with one parent Feelings: shame, anxiety, etc.

Reminder of reading assignment Round Robin: High of the week

WEEK 4: COPING STRATEGIES

Round Robin check-in: 1-10 feelings scale Bibliotherapy discussion:

How did Sammie grow and cope? What did she do that was positive?

Jumping off point for discussion about coping mechanisms

Create personal list of coping strategies Homework: Choose one new strategy to

implement Ex: seek out support systems, journal, engage in

positive activities, express creativity

WEEK 5: POSITIVE ASPECTS OF DIVORCE

Check-In: 1-10 Discussion: Positive aspects of divorce

What gains have been made from group? Decide what to do for group party—food? Homework: Prepare for termination by

writing notes to other group members, focusing on their positive attributes and the support they have provided during group.

WEEK 6: TERMINATION

Check-in: 1-10 scale Group Party! Exchange of letters Reflect on what has been shared, learned,

new coping strategies Celebrate new supportive relationships

created within group

THINGS TO CONSIDER…..

POTENTIAL CRITICAL INCIDENTS AND GROUP PROBLEMS

Variations in maturity and developmental level

Variations in difficulty with divorce, length of time since divorce

Discomfort in self-disclosing information about family

Co-morbidity—potential for students with severe anxiety or depression issues that would require a referral

GROUP STAGES Forming

Group members will be introduced to one another and to the expectations and purposes of group

Storming Group members will learn about the effects of divorce and

through bibliotherapy will share their own experiences Norming

Group members will reflect on what they have lost and how they have been affected by divorce

Performing Group members will share coping mechanisms and positive

aspects of divorce Mourning

Group members will share what the support in group has meant to them, reflect on what has been learned, and celebrate the personal shared time together

GROUP SKILLS

Active Listening Reflecting Feelings Supporting Empathizing Facilitating Disclosing Oneself Terminating

A COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL APPROACH

Brief, structured, time-limited interventions Integration of homework assignments Restructuring of irrational beliefs about

family and divorce Teachable life skills and coping mechanisms

ETHICAL AND MULTICULTURAL CONSIDERATIONS

CBT is one of the more multi-culturally friendly methods

Some cultures may place more emphasis on keeping family issues private and therefore students should not be pressured to share more than what they are comfortable with

THERAPEUTIC FACTORS

Universality Altruism Instillation of Hope Guidance Imparting Information Developing Social Skills Interpersonal Learning Cohesion Catharsis Existential Factors Imitative Behavior Corrective Recapitulation of Family of Origin Issues

REFERENCES Alpert-Gillis, L. J., Pedro-Carroll, J. L., & Cowen, E. L. (1989). The Children of Divorce

Intervention Program: Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Program for Young Urban Children. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57(5), 583-589.

Civitci, N., Civitci, A., & Fiyakali, N. C. (2009). Loneliness and Life Satisfaction in Adolescents with Divorced and Non-Divorced Parents. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 9(2), 513-525.

DeLucia-Waack, J. L., & Gellman, R. A. (2007). The Efficacy of Using Music in Children of Divorce Groups: Impact on Anxiety, Depression, and Irrational Beliefs About Divorce. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 11(4), 272-282.

Jupp, J. J., & Purcell, I. P. (1992). A School-based Group Programme to Uncover and Change the Problematic Beliefs of Children from Divorced Families. School Psychology International, 13(17), 17-27. doi: 10.1177/0143034392131002

Kalter, N., Pikar, J., & Lesowitz, M. (1984). School-Based Developmental Facilitation Groups for Children of Divorce: A Preventive Intervention. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 54(4), 613-622.

Lesowitz, M., Kalter, N., Pickar, J., Chethik, M. & Schaefer, M. (1987). School-Based Developmental Facilitation Groups for Children of Divorce: Issues of Group Process. Psychotherapy, 24(1), 90-95.

Pérusse, R., Goodnough, G. E., & Lee, V. V. (2009), Group Counseling in the Schools. Psychology in the Schools, 46(3). 225-230. doi: 10.1002/pits.20369

Wadsby, M., & Svedin, C. G. (1996). Academic Achievement in Children of Divorce. Journal of Psychology, 34(4), 325-336.

Yauman, B. E. (1991). School-Based Group Counseling for Children of Divorce: A Review of the Literature. Elementary School Guidance & Counseling, 26(2), 130-139.

Ziffer, J. M., Crawford, E., & Penney-Wietor, J. (2007). The Boomerang Bunch: A School-Based Multifamily Group Approach for Students and Their Families Recovering from Parental Separation and Divorce. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 32(2), 154-163.