Transitioning Away from Partnership with Children

I’ve talked about Ryan a lot this year—his ups and downs and breakthrough moments. He’s worked with us for a number of years and between the end of last year and this year he’s made great progress and has become a student others can look up to.  In the fall he was in our bookstore group, but since that is a half year program, we decided it was time for Ryan and Partnership to go their separate ways.

Sometimes a hard break isn’t very easy for our students.  When they’ve worked with Partnership for so long, it becomes an integrated part of their lives and it’s hard to move away from. A few weeks after Ryan left Partnership, he started popping his head in to say hi, or would hang around the Partnership room during free periods. 

Finally Ryan confided in me how much he missed the group.  He has lunch during the period the bookstore is open, so I talking with him about helping out with the store.  He was so excited! Not only does Ryan again feel connected to Partnership, but he’s able to take on a leadership role (something he never could have done in past years) and help other students understand how to run the store. I’m so proud of how much Ryan has grown over the past years with Partnership’s help. And it’s wonderful to have an “alumni” present at the store to aid other students and act as a role model.

And the Light Bulb Goes Off

I’ve been working with Isaac since the beginning of the year. During the fall he was part of the bereavement group. He lost his father several years ago and never really addressed the loss. Very recently he lost his grandmother to cancer. Isaac had a lot of built up anger about both deaths and as a result took it out on other students and mainly his little brother. In the Bereavement Group he was quiet and removed but started to open up and release some of his anger.

As I mentioned the other week, our Bereavement group is a half year program and we generally try not to keep students in the group for the second session unless necessary. Isaac seemed to be making some progress but was still very violent towards his brother. I felt he still needed Partnership with Children’s support and moved him to our Bookstore Group where he continues to progress.

The other day, Isaac made a HUGE breakthrough! We were speaking about role models, and as I looked at him, I could immediately see a change in his thinking. It was like a light bulb went off in his head and everything became clear. After the group he came over to me and said he realized he needed to be a better role model for his little brother. “I haven’t been very nice to him lately and I should be someone he can look up to. I need to spend more time with him. I think I’ll take him to play basketball after school.”

I couldn’t have been prouder! Isaac understood the importance of positive role models in a person’s life and realized he could be just that for his little brother in the absence of their father. Not only will his little brother benefit from the decision, but it will help Isaac heal from the trauma he’s recently faced. Now that the idea is there, I can’t wait to see the change unfold!

Time to Pick New Groups

Back in September, I discussed the process of selecting students for our small group counseling program. The majority of our small groups run for the entire school year (October through June), allowing students to see the same faces week to week and become more comfortable in expressing their feelings. Yet some groups such as the Bookstore Group and Bereavement Groups, are based on a half year curriculum, which means we are required to reconstruct the groups in January/February.

It’s always fun putting together the small groups and meeting new students, but it’s SO MUCH EASIER in the spring. Teachers know us better and we’re constantly on their mind, so referrals come more frequently. And of course, just as a satisfied client might recommend a business to a friend, our students are constantly taking to their friends about the great activities they do with Partnership. Our students are our biggest marketer! Word of mouth passes quickly and I’m often approached by students asking if they can be in this group or another. Sometimes, it isn’t even a student who needs counseling, but just wants to participate because they know their friends do.

Of course, while we do have a lot of fun in our small groups, Partnership with Children’s small groups are not just some distraction from the regular school day.  It is important that we select students who show the highest need when it comes to social, emotional and behavior skill development. Having more detailed referrals from teachers and even getting to know students better through our full classroom push-ins allows us to select students who would best benefit from our program.

It feels fantastic to be so popular, but even more uplifting is the consistent positive feedback we receive from our students, their parents and the school administration. I feel that my team makes great strides in developing the social and emotional skills of the students we work with, but when I hear it first hand from a client, I KNOW we’re making a difference.