Handout #1 Developed by Joe Grillo, Ph.D. Psychologist Center Mental Health Consultant Long Beach JCC Job Corps Growing Into

2 Growing Into Job Corps  One hour per week  Psychoeducational, group process  Includes discussion, didactic, role play, self assessment, and skill practice  Topics relate to experiences and problems common during CPP and beyond A - intervention integrated into the schedule for new trainees A five-week intervention integrated into the schedule for new trainees

3 Growing Into Job Corps A Sample Schedule: Week 1:Orientation to Emotional Wellness & to Mental Health Services The Wellness Center, Friday 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Week 2:Challenges to Emotional Wellness & Common Mental Health Problems While at Job Corps E. D. & W. Class, Friday 1:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. Week 3:Stressors, Change, Loss, & Stress E. D. & W. Class, Friday 1:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. Week 4:The Anatomy of Stress O.E.P. Class, Monday 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Week 5:Stressbusters: Controlled Breathing; Meditation; Progressive Muscle Relaxation; & Guided Imagery O.E.P. Class, Monday 1:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.

4 Growing Into Job Corps: Week 1 Orientation to Emotional Wellness and to Mental Health Services  Goals  Establish rapport  Create an initial familiarity with mental health services and the concept of feeling emotionally well  Destigmatize seeking and receiving mental health services  Normalize first week experiences  Format  Informal group discussion  Open question and answer  Brief didactic presentation  Introductions of mental health staff and of trainees  Discussion Topics  Trainees’ experiences of the past week, including arriving on center, how other trainees have behaved, first days in the dorm or commuting, cafeteria food, number of rules encountered, the best and worst things that have happened  The importance of early intervention if anyone has been a regular drug user and has stopped using drugs and alcohol upon entering J.C.

5 Growing Into Job Corps: Week 2 Challenges to Emotional Wellness & Common Mental Health Problems While at Job Corps  Goals  Reinforce rapport and continue to destigmatize seeking and receiving mental health services  Normalize CPP experiences  Create familiarity with challenges and problems to encourage self-intervention and self-referral  Format  Group discussion  Didactic presentation  Role play: Trainees enact encountering a peer who is depressed or addicted  Discussion Topics  Addiction & Withdrawal  Depression  Anger  Suicide  Insomnia  Anxiety  Eating problems  ADHD  LD  Handouts  Anger and Learning Disabilities brochures

6 Growing Into Job Corps: Week 3 Stressors, Change, Loss, & Stress  Goals  Maintain rapport, and continue to destigmatize mental health services  Educate trainees in a model of change that they can use to normalize CPP experiences  Format  Group discussion  Didactic presentation  Self-assessment : Using the Holmes & Rahe Social Readjustment Scale adapted for transition age youth to teach about stressors (results are for each individual trainee’s reference only and are not openly discussed)  Group role play: trying to design a totally stress free vacation, and understanding that even good events can be stressors because they represent change  Discussion Topics  What is a Stressor?  The nature of Change  How change, loss, and stress are related  The role of perceived control in stress  How coming to Job Corps may be a stressor, certainly represents change, has resulted in some kind of loss, and may lead to stress  Why even a positive change may require a grieving process but leads to growth  Handouts  Loss, Grieving and Healing brochure

7 Growing Into Job Corps: Week 4 The Anatomy of Stress  Goals  Educate trainees in a model of stress  Provide information that further normalizes CPP (and later) experiences, and promotes self help and appropriate use of mental health and TEAP services  Further the destigmatization of mental health services by engaging trainees in learning how physiology is the underpinning for what they perceive as a psychological experience  Format  Group discussion  Didactic presentation  Discussion Topics  Stress as a physiological phenomenon  Brain anatomy 101  The fight or flight response  Stress hormones  How stress affects neurotransmitters  Common symptoms of stress and the danger of chronic stress  Common healthy and unhealthy responses to stress  Why sex, drugs, alcohol and violence are poor stress reducers  Why exercise and expression are best for getting rid of stress  How self care and relaxation skills can reduced the perception of stress  Handouts  Study guide for Wellness class test

8 GROWING INTO JOB CORPS STUDY GUIDE STRESS: THE BIGGEST THREAT TO EMOTIONAL WELLNESS Stressor: __________________________________________________________________ Stress:_____________________________________________________________________ Stress Model:________________________________________________________________ How Stress Affects the Body: The Fight or Flight Response Heart rate & Blood Pressure: ______________________________________________ Breathing: ______________________________________________________________ Muscles: _______________________________________________________________ Immune System: ________________________________________________________ Common Symptoms of Stress:__________________________________________________ What REALLY WORKS to Reduce Stress: Breathing; Relaxation Techniques What REALLY WORKS to Get Rid of Stress: Talk + Exercise What REALLY DOES NOT WORK to Get Rid of Stress: Drugs, Alcohol, Denial, & Violence Today’s Thought: If you wear out your body, where will you live?

9 Growing Into Job Corps: Week 5 Stressbusters: Controlled Breathing; Meditation; Progressive Muscle Relaxation; & Guided Imagery  Goals  Educate trainees in skills to reduce self-perceived stress during CPP and beyond  Provide practice in prevention and use of self help  Educate trainees in the role of mental health and TEAP services in assisting in learning and maintaining elf help and preventative skills  Format  Group discussion  Didactic presentation  Skill practice, including having trainees take turns in walking others though the steps of controlled breathing and progressive muscle relaxation, and reading a guided imagery script  Discussion Topics  Learning to control breathing  Meditation techniques: Floating on the tip of your nose  Guided Imagery: Trainees at the beach  Progressive Muscle Relaxation: Tense and release  Handouts  Controlled breathing guide and diary