Objectives
1. To welcome the students
2. To explain the purpose of the group
3. To get to know each other
4. To have a general idea of how the participants view blended families
before the
intervention begins.
Materials Needed
*
A Sentence Completion Worksheet
*
The "Ideas about Blended Families" Worksheet
(adapted from Margolin, 1996)
*
Pencils
Group Distribution
The group will sit with their chairs forming a circle so that they can
face each other.
Activity 1: What is the
"Talking about Blended Families" group?
The counselor introduces him or herself to the participants and discusses
the purpose of the group, telling them that each one of them is either
experiencing their parent's remarriage or has gone through this process
already. This group is an opportunity to discuss what has happened
in their families and how they feel about it.
Ask each member to introduce himself to the group by saying their first name and their age.
Activity 2: Sentence Completion
Procedure:
The next activity serves to help the children and counselor get to know each other better.
1. Prior to the session, the counselor should prepare a worksheet consisting of the beginning of several sentences that the children will complete. The sentences should be statements that will help each student tell about themselves (e.g. My favorite movie is…My hobbies are…When I am at home, I like to…).
2. Pass these worksheets out to the students along with a pencil and allow about two to five minutes for them to fill complete the sentences.
3. When the children have
finished, go around the circle and ask each child to share one of his or
her answers. Do this so that each participant will be able to give
at least two or three answers.
Activity 3: Ideas about blended
families
The
objective of this activity is to collect some baseline data about the children's
thoughts and beliefs about their parent's remarriage and blended families
in general. Distribute the "Ideas about Blended Families" worksheet
and ask them to rate each statement according to the four options
presented. Upon completion, ask each memebr to share the one or two
items that they feel most strongly about.
Processing Hints
For nonreaders and nonwriters the counselor should read the worsheets aloud instead of distributing the worksheets.
The counselor should use the facilitative responses when discussing their
answers, trying to link participants that share similar ideas.
