Program Language: Portuguese

When people forgive someone who has deeply hurt them, they let go of resentment and the urge to seek revenge, no matter how deserving of these things the wrongdoer may be. The forgiver gives the gifts of acceptance, generosity, and even love. Forgivers give these, not out of grim obligation. Rather, they are given because the forgiver has chosen to have a merciful heart. Forgiveness Therapy is designed to teach the participant how to forgive others through 4 distinct phases. It can be provided in individual or group sessions.

Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) is an evolution-informed, biopsychosocial therapeutic approach that aims to help those who struggle with shame and self-criticism, which can result from experiences of abuse or neglect. CFT teaches clients to cultivate the skills of self-compassion and other-oriented compassion, and to build the courage and wisdom to address life’s difficulties and flourish. It utilizes psychoeducational concepts such as the three emotion regulation systems and understanding the ‘tricky brain,’ and guides participants through a range of mind-body practices. Clients and therapists collaborate on a set of therapeutic goals and tasks; formulation, assessment and therapeutic guidance are crucial.

Compassionate Mind Training (CMT) refers to the specific exercises that people practice in order to stimulate different systems in their brains, bodies, and social relationships. It is typically for nonclinical populations and may be used as a set of self-help exercises.

While the CEBC has only reviewed CFT for use with secondary traumatic stress, it can be used with non-caregiving adults, parents/caregivers, adolescents, and young adults to alleviate other symptoms.

The Community Resiliency Model (CRM)® is a set of six biologically based wellness skills used for self-care that can be practiced by participants to stabilize emotions, ideally resulting in more adaptive thinking when facing emotional and physical distress. CRM's key aim is to inform individuals about the biological responses associated with trauma, stress, and resilience and to learn skills that aid in resetting and stabilizing the nervous system. CRM's six core skills -- Tracking, Resourcing, Grounding, Gesturing, Help Now!, and Shift and Stay -- can be taught through CRM Workshops or shared informally by “CRM Teachers” and “CRM Guides'' who have received training in its strategies. People trained may be professionals or natural leaders within communities, including teachers, ministers, healthcare workers, therapists, first responders, and lay persons. The skills are adaptable across different cultural and religious contexts, enhancing CRM’s accessibility and inclusiveness.

While CRM can be used with many different target populations, this entry is focused only on its use with professionals who work in trauma-exposed organizations or situations and experience secondary traumatic stress. The CEBC Scientific Rating is based on research articles with studies evaluating only this use.

The Incredible Years® Preschool Basic Parent Training Program (Treatment) is a group-based parent curriculum based on video modeling designed to strengthen parent-child interactions and attachment; reduce harsh discipline; foster parents' ability to promote children's social, emotional, and language development; and reduce externalizing and internalizing behaviors. Parents learn how to build school readiness skills and are encouraged to partner with teachers and day care professionals so they can promote children's emotional self-regulation and social skills. Lastly, the program focuses on increasing parents' self-regulation skills and social support.

The Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management Program is a group prevention intervention/training delivered to teachers (which can include teacher aides, school psychologists, and school counselors) of children ages 3-8 years). Group leaders work with teachers in a collaborative and interactive way to strengthen teachers’ classroom management strategies, promote children’s prosocial behavior, school readiness, and reduce children’s classroom aggression and noncooperation with peers and teachers. The program also helps teachers work with parents to support their school involvement and promote consistency between home and school. The program can be delivered as a preventive intervention to all teachers or teachers can participate in the program to address the behaviors or a specific target child with disruptive or oppositional behaviors.

Voices Lite: A Program of Self-Discovery and Empowerment for Girls addresses the unique needs of adolescent girls and young women. This is a shorter 12-session version of the full 18-session Voices: A Program of Self-Discovery and Empowerment for Girls. The program includes modules on self, connecting with others, healthy living, and the journey ahead. Topics include bullying, the pressures of social media, gender exploration, and binge drinking. Texting, social media, and online or “in real life” (IRL) friends also included.

The facilitator’s guide includes background information about young women, gender-responsive principles, and the theoretical foundation of the program. It provides information about conducting the twelve group sessions that are the core of the program (the structure and content for each topic and activity), as well as a program overview and lists of materials needed for the sessions. The program materials also can be used to train staff members in working with girls.

The participant’s journal utilizes an established process called Interactive Journaling®. In the context of girls’ lives, structured journaling provides an outlet for creativity, personal expression, exploration, and application of new concepts and skills.

The Center for Mind-Body Medicine (CMBM) Small Group Model for Adults is an approach designed to heal psychological trauma, relieve stress, reduce symptoms of chronic illness, and increase resilience. Working in small groups of 8–10 people, facilitators teach a variety of self-care techniques drawn from the world’s healing traditions as well as modern medicine to help participants learn to move through emotions and experience their own capacity for self-healing. Trained facilitators guide the experience, helping participants discover their own answers.

The Body Project is delivered to groups of 6-10 participants in 4 1-hour sessions by 1 or 2 facilitators. Participants complete a series of verbal, behavioral, and written activities in which they collectively explore the negative effects of pursuing the unrealistic appearance ideal espoused for women in U.S. culture. These activities are designed to reduce pursuit of the beauty ideal, which in turn aims to reduce body dissatisfaction, unhealthy dieting, negative affect, eating disorder symptoms, risk for future onset of eating disorders, and the harmful effects of social media use.

MBF Teen Safety Matters® is designed to be a comprehensive, primary prevention education program based on polyvictimization research. It was developed by the Monique Burr Foundation for Children (MBF). The program is available to middle schools, high schools, and other organizations, such as child advocacy centers, to educate and empower students, school personnel, and parents with information and universal Safety Rules and strategies to prevent many types of victimization. The curriculum is designed to be practical and easy for schools to implement.

MBF Teen Safety Matters covers bullying, cyberbullying, four types of child abuse (physical, sexual, emotional and neglect), digital abuse, and other digital dangers, as well as relationship abuse, sexual assault, and sex trafficking in three 45-minute lessons (or 6 shorter lessons). The program also provides reinforcement materials and activities for students, parents, and schools.

The CEBC has also reviewed MBF Child Safety Matters® and it can be accessed here.

The Strengthening Families Program (SFP) is a 10- to 14-week parenting and family skills training program for high-risk and general population families. It is unique because the whole family attends and practice new relationship skills together in family groups. SFP is designed to significantly improve parenting skills and family relationships, reduce child maltreatment, children's problem behaviors, delinquency and alcohol and drug abuse; and to improve social competencies and school performance. The program is designed to work with many different ethnicities and races. In addition, it is available as a Home-use DVD for school, behavioral health, and family services to use alone or with case managers. It can also be given to families to view at home.