In my practicum working with families experiencing trauma, one of the most frequent problems encountered is maladaptive externalizing behavior of both youth and adults in family systems. This behavior often results in the perpetuation of traumatic cycles, and some families go on to face the pressure of mandated systemic changes by governmental entities such as Child Protective Services and the Department of Juvenile Justice. One specific population in this dynamic that we serve is foster and adoptive youth. For that population, a major goal is the “termination of self-defeating, acting-out behaviors and acceptance of self as loved and lovable within an adopted family” (Jongsma et al., 2014, p. 29).
The purpose of the workshop is to empower each foster and adoptive youth in forming adaptive, integrated, and resilient self-identity across the variety of circumstances they often encounter. The American Psychological Association describes resilience as “the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or significant sources of stress” and as a process that benefits from connection with others in groups (2012). Using trauma-informed methods applied on both an individual and group level, each youth will complete and process activities that empower them to form an integrated identity within their own unique and dynamic constellation of family circumstances. By the end of the workshop, the youth should have as Jongsma et al. (2014) describe as the preeminent goal for this population: “Resolution of the question, ‘Who am I?” (p. 29). By answering this question, each youth will consolidate their new resilient identity which can help prevent the experience of further trauma in their family systems.
The following workshop design is an expanded application of the Caterpillar-to-Butterfly approach for 2.5-6 year-olds very briefly introduced in Trauma-focused CBT for Children and Adolescents: Treatment Applications (Cohen et. al., 2012). As a multimodal TF-CBT/play-based therapy approach for young children, the effectiveness of the therapy hinges on structure and predictability. All sessions follow the same format to develop a theme and to facilitate developmentally-appropriate engagement. Each session will begin with 20 minutes of structured individual activity, shift into 10 minutes of group processing, and conclude with 10 minutes of unstructured, non-directive, free play in which the children can engage as a reward for earlier participation, as social stimulation, or as self-soothing after trauma processing (Cohen et al,. 2012). In the first session, the children are introduced to the caterpillar-to-butterfly narrative and are taught butterfly hugs. As a result of the first session, the children will anticipate the thematic significance of the remaining three sessions as well as have a useful grounding technique that is germane to the theme of trauma and development. In the second session, the children will each develop and then share their caterpillars with the group, identifying what they can change. As a result, the children have a multisensory and social experience that will be the basis of adaptive trauma processing and identity integration. In the third session, the children will each develop and then share their cocoons with the group, identifying what they can do to make the change. As a result, the children continue their multisensory and social experience that empowers their self-efficacy and resilience. In the fourth session, the children will each develop and then share their butterflies with the group, identifying what they can do next in their lives. As a result, the children once again use their multisensory and social experience to crystallize their adaptive identity integration over time. By piecing together these component representations of growth- caterpillar, cocoon, and butterfly- the youth will experience the narrative of being intentional and resilient.
The websites at the bottom of the workshop plan further develop some of the approaches included in the workshop as well as provide other approaches for prevention and resilience for foster and adoptive youth and families. The information is presented in various forms including guides, videos, contact information, and papers and is from various organizations including nonprofit and governmental agencies.