Transforming Our Youth Jessica Clark and Lindsey Sitz

OUR GOALS AND OBJECTIVES To create a unique and effective behavioral modification program utilizing a variety of therapy techniques that appeal to children and allow for growth in the areas of respect, responsibility, and the ability to cope with emotions. OUR GOALS AND OBJECTIVES Jessica

Is Talk Therapy Adequate? Children may have a difficult time articulating their feelings into words (Johnson, 2000) Hands-on activities engage the tactile senses and allow for unconscious exploration (Camilleri, 2007) Lindsey

Therapeutic Techniques Sandplay Horticultural Butterflies Recycling Contest Art projects Worry dolls “Color my world” Lindsey

Sandplay Cockle (1993) -Evokes emotions -Beneficial for children with problems in coping Jessica

Plants & Animals in Therapy Master Gardener Project (Alexander, 1995) Pocket Pets (Flom, 2005) Lindsey

Methods Participants Baseline Coding Implementation Control versus experimental group Baseline Coding Implementation Post-intervention Coding Jessica Participants- -Demographics= 5 children, Age, Gender, -Recruitment and permission slips -recruitment for control group -Assigned code names to protect identity -they were made aware they could leave the program at any time, as were their parents Baseline Coding- Through a class of Professor O’Donnell’s last semester, we recruited two volunteers that agreed to observe the children. We agreed to pay them 50 dollars each for their time. They came with us to the club to observe the children from both the experimental and control groups about three times a week, and were provided with coding sheets to use during coding. They were asked to look for behaviors such as the ones shown in this table. The coders were able to establish 100% inter-rater reliability before the start of coding. They were also unaware of the group each child had been assigned to.

Circle of Trust A confidentiality contract signed by each of the participants: “Everyone involved in T.O.Y. is part of a circle of trust. We will share things and hear things that are private. By signing this paper I agree that I _____________ am a part of this circle of trust. I agree to keep all things discussed during T.O.Y. to myself in order to keep the T.O.Y. environment safe and fun.” Lindsey Done at the beginning Stated: read from slide Participants understood and took seriously that they should not repeat other people’s private business to peers outside of the program. An example was made to help the children understand what would consist of inappropriate sharing.

“Sticker Pets” Jessica Reward system to encourage good behavior during sessions. Based on individual and group contingencies.

Reflections from the Participants My favorite part of T.O.Y. was… “Making worry dolls.” “Learning about bullies.” “Going on the trash hunt.” Lindsey

What I learned from T.O.Y… “Competitions for fun.” “Being a better person.” “How to keep calm.” LIndsey

Suitcases LIndsey

Reflections from the Researchers Lindsey Discussion about Disabilities Jessica Recycling Contest Developmentally Appropriate Game (Reddy, 2001) Jessica

Limitations Participants Coders not formally trained Coding time was cut Attendance Lack of control Jessica

Suggestions for Future Research Randomized selection of participants OR T.O.Y. with a group of students with the same presenting problem Male co-leader, more male friendly activities Better limit-setting Reformulating “Plants” Lindsey & Jessica

References Alexander, J., & Others, A. (1995, June 1). Master gardener classroom garden project: An evaluation of the benefits to children. Children's Environments, 12(2), 256- 263. Camilleri, V. (2007). Healing the inner city child: Creative arts therapies with at-risk youth. London England: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Retrieved December 10, 2008, from PsycINFO database. Cockle, S. (1993). Sandplay: A comparative study. International Journal of Play Therapy, 2(2), 1-17. Flom, B.L. (2005). Counseling with pocket pets: Using small animals in elementary counseling programs. Professional School Counseling, 8(5), 469-471. Johnson, D. (2000). Creative therapies. Effective treatments for PTSD: Practice guidelines from the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (pp. 302-314). New York, NY US: Guilford Press. Retrieved December 10, 2008, from PsycINFO database Reddy, L.A., Spencer, P., Hall, T.M., & Rubel, E. (2001). Use of developmentally appropriate games in a child group training program for young children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. In A.A. Drewes, L.J. Carey, & C.E. Schaefer (Eds.), School-Based Therapy (pp. 256-274). New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

lindsey Color My World

Worry Dolls