The Drawing Board
The Drawing Board is an inclusive system where the main focus is developing, nurturing, and relearning the necessary life skills of emotional regulation and self discovery. For children and youth that struggle with peer conflicts, understanding the cycles of emotions, and how to connect to themselves more consciously, it's important to start from the beginning - return to the drawing board.
Using a phase system of integrating into bigger groups of social exposure, we cycle through each phase with the facilitator that helps each person get to know themselves and who they are in the bigger picture of building friendships. Each phase is outlined below, showing the flow of the system while also being up to take a step back if needed, as no one's journey of building self-regulation is as simple as moving through phases.
Eligibility:
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Children and youth, ages 6-18
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located in or able to travel to Barrie, ON for in-person sessions - virtual options available for Phase 1-2
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No diagnosis necessary and inclusive to those with one (or many)
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Not intended for children with significant risk behaviours beyond Phase 1 (consult with a facilitator if needed)
The Drawing Board is designed into 6-week session blocks as you flow through each phase, with options to return to previous phases if deemed necessary.
Integrated Phases
Each phase is set up with 6 sessions and developed through the learning profile of each individual member. We aim to bring a deeper understanding to how each person understands themselves, others, and how to regulate their emotional reactions.
The facilitators work with both the direct child and the caregivers in delivering the most supportive system - moving through the phases, rewinding a phase or two if needed, and helping to build skills that can move with them through life.
PHASE 1 - 1:1
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the facilitator and child work together to learn the base layer of self-regulation
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these sessions bring individualized learning to one's needs and how to understand them
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focus on each child's goals for self-regulation and social skills
PHASE 3 - 8:1
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the facilitator mediates a larger scale group that continues to focus on learning self-regulation within the bigger group setting
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teaches conflict management for situations we cannot control
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exploration into managing various conflict scenarios
PHASE 2 - 4:1
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groups are paired with a combination of similar aged peers and similar profiles
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the same facilitator continues with teaching the use of self-regulation in small group settings
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basic learning in managing social conflicts with facilitator mediation
PHASE 4 - The Works
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the facilitator brings more teachable moments while mediating win/lose games
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group members may join from various groups to provide broader dynamics
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the group members bring their own goals into practice and develop social skills