Celebrating Families!
Session Summaries
National Association for Children of Alcoholics
11426 Rockville Pike, Suite 301
Rockville, MD 20852
301-468-0985
www.nacoa.org
www.celebratingfamilies.net
Celebrating Families! – Session Summaries
Session 1: Orientation and Getting Started
Importance of Topic to Families in Early Recovery
Since COAs and families affected by addiction live by the “Don’t Trust” rule, establishing trust with them is difficult. This session is especially important for building trust, without which no learning or change can take place.
Main Concept
Establish cohesion, trust and safety in group.
A. Group Cohesion and Trust – development of group culture
a. Quiet music playing (with parents keep same music, want habituation)
b. Individual group members greeted by name with nametags
c. Introduction to centering
d. Brief review of this session’s agenda (posted) and purpose of series
e. Get acquainted activities (build trust among participants and leaders)
f. Group Agreements established providing structure and boundaries
i. Confidentiality explained
ii. Right to Pass explained (and honored)
B. Education
a. Introduction to model
b. Introduce Acts of Kindness and Child Affirmation lists
C. Consistent Closing
a. Reflection
b. Serenity Prayer introduced
D. Connecting with My Family
a. Families get acquainted to build trust
b. Family cohesion strengthened through reading, and (optional) book and board game exchange
c. Consistent closing: Unity Prayer
Most Important Activity:
Getting acquainted; establish Group Agreements
Celebrating Families! – Session Summaries
Session 2: Healthy Living
Importance of Topic to Families in Early Recovery
This session sets the foundation of the series – building healthy life skills (research shows the importance of building healthy life skills to prevention). Also, begins the development of self-care, which is essential to prevention and recovery.
Main Concept
Holistic model of healthy living: Physical, Psychological, Social, Spiritual.
A. Consistent Opening
a. Quiet music playing (with parents keep same music, want habituation)
b. Centering in all age groups
c. Group Agreements reviewed
d. Brief review of this session’s agenda (posted)
e. Review of last session
f. Begin Acts of Kindness and Child Affirmation lists
B. Education
a. Healthy Living Circle
b. Parents: Child safety checklist
C. Consistent Closing
Reflection and Serenity Prayer
D. Connecting with My Family
a. Families continue to build trust
b. Children begin sharing from their groups. This gives the children an opportunity to be affirmed by adults. It also models for parents another way to affirm their children
c. Optional book and board game exchange
d. Closing: Unity Prayer
Most Important Activity
The Healthy Living Circle
Celebrating Families! – Session Summaries
Session 3: Nutrition
Importance of Topic to Families in Early Recovery
Since addiction is a disease of the brain, learning to keep our brain chemistry balanced is vital to both recovery and prevention. Eating consistently throughout the day, buying and preparing nutritious foods and choosing healthy snacks are important skills for participants to learn.
Main Concept
Healthy eating is important.
A. Consistent Opening
a. Quiet music playing
b. Centering in all age groups
c. Group Agreements reviewed
d. Brief review of this session’s agenda (posted)
e. Review of last session, ending with Acts of Kindness and Child Affirmation lists
B. Education
a. Let’s Eat Healthy Meals – Game
b. Tips for Healthy Eating
C. Consistent Closing
Reflection and Serenity Prayer
D. Connecting with My Family
a. Children share
b. Hunt for hidden sugars exercise – teaches reading labels
c. Optional book and board game exchange
d. Closing: Unity Prayer
Most Important Activity
Tips for Healthy Eating
Celebrating Families! – Session Summaries
Session 4: Communication
Importance of Topic to Families in Early Recovery
Another rule COAs and families affected by addiction live with is “Don’t Talk.” To break the cycle of addiction in families, this rule must be broken. Communication skills are important to making this happen, as is talking about addiction in ALL CELEBRATING FAMILIES! sessions.
Main Concept
Use of “I” Messages
A. Consistent Opening
- Quiet music playing
- Centering in all age groups
- Group Agreements reviewed
- Brief review of this session’s agenda (posted)
- Review of last session
- Add to Acts of Kindness and Child Affirmation lists
B. Education
a. Different ways we communicate exercises
b. Learn how to use “I” Messages
c. Skill of Active Listening
C. Consistent Closing
Reflection and Serenity Prayer
D. Connecting with My Family
a. Children share
b. Guided Conversation – helps families learn how to listen to one another
c. Optional book and board game exchange
d. Unity Prayer
Most Important Activity
Learning the skill of Using “I” Messages
Celebrating Families! – Session Summaries
Session 5: Feelings and Defenses
Importance of Topic to Families in Early Recovery
The final rule COAs and families affected by addiction live by is “Don’t feel.” COAs are usually cut off from their feelings, believing it is safer to bury them than to feel or express them. They accomplish this by using feeling defenses (certain behaviors) to hide them – including using alcohol and other drugs. Essential to recovery and prevention is learning to deal with feelings in healthy ways. This includes learning to: name their feelings, express them in safe and healthy ways, identify when they are using feelings defenses and find safe people with whom they can share their feelings.
Main Concept
All feelings are important.
A. Consistent Opening
- Quiet music playing
- Centering in all age groups
- Group Agreements reviewed
- Brief review of this session’s agenda (posted)
- Review of last session
- Add to Acts of Kindness and Child Affirmation lists
B. Education
a. List of Feelings Words – broadens feelings vocabulary
b. Ways to express feelings safely
c. Defenses Illustration and exercise – helps participants ID their defenses
d. Parents: Application to parenting
C. Consistent Closing
Reflection and Serenity Prayer
D. Connecting with My Family
a. Children share
b. Families create family agreements (similar to group agreements) to make their homes a safe environment for everyone.
c. Optional book and board game exchange
d. Unity Prayer
Most Important Activity
Knowing My Feelings; Expressing My Feelings Safely
Celebrating Families! – Session Summaries
Session 6: Anger Management
Importance of Topic to Families in Early Recovery
COAs and families affected by addiction often have great trouble dealing with anger. On the one hand, anger is often expressed in violent ways, and children learn to deal with their own anger in the same way. On the other hand, some COAs learn to stuff their anger. Both means of dealing with anger are destructive. To live a healthy and addiction free life, participants need to learn the skill of managing their anger in healthy and appropriate ways.
Main Concept
Anger can be expressed safely.
A. Consistent Opening
- Quiet music playing
- Centering in all age groups
- Group Agreements reviewed
- Brief review of this session’s agenda (posted)
- Review of last session
- Add to Acts of Kindness and Child Affirmation lists
B. Education
a. Model for dealing with anger: Children – Traffic Light: Others: Three Steps of Anger Management
b. Using Reducers
c. Safe People
d. Parents – helping children with their anger
C. Consistent Closing
Reflection and Serenity Prayer
D. Connecting with My Family
a. Children share
b. Family Acts of Kindness – help families learn to focus outside of themselves and work together to accomplish a common task
c. Optional book and board game exchange
d. Unity Prayer
Most Important Activity
Children – Traffic Light; Others – Three Steps of Anger Management
Celebrating Families! – Session Summaries
Session 7: Facts About ATOD
Importance of Topic to Families in Early Recovery
COAs learn about using alcohol, tobacco and other drugs from watching their parents or other relatives. They often think the behaviors and attitudes they see are normal and that everyone uses like their mom or dad (or others in their families). They need to learn the truth about using alcohol and other drugs and how it affects people’s bodies, minds, emotions and relationships. Adults in recovery also need this information to have a better understanding of their addiction and the recovery process.
Main Concept
Alcohol, tobacco and other drugs affect our bodies, minds, emotions and relationships.
A. Consistent Opening
- Quiet music playing
- Centering in all age groups
- Group Agreements reviewed
- Brief review of this session’s agenda (posted)
- Review of last session
- Add to Acts of Kindness and Child Affirmation lists
B. Education
a. Impact and deceptiveness of advertising
b. Effects of ATOD on the body, mind, emotions and relationships
c. Tolerance – a warning sign of addiction or possible addiction
d. Teens and Parents: Dr. Amen Video – Which Brain Do You Want? Shows effects of ATOD on the brain.
C. Consistent Closing
Reflection and Serenity Prayer
D. Connecting with My Family
a. Children share
b. Families report on Family Acts of Kindness
c. Truthful Ads Activity – Families create an ad telling the truth about using alcohol and tobacco products.
d. Optional book and board game exchange
e. Unity Prayer
Most Important Activity
Children – Night Before the County Fair. Others: True/False Questions
Celebrating Families! – Session Summaries
Session 8: Chemical Dependency is a Disease
Importance of Topic to Families in Early Recovery
Participants of all ages need to understand that CD is a physical disease that is chronic, progressive, fatal and treatable – and that people with blood relatives who are chemically dependent are at high risk (four times more likely) for becoming addicted themselves if they choose to drink. This lesson also emphasizes the CD Truth Statements, which teaches participants that they are not to blame, nor responsible for another person’s addiction.
Main Concept
People with blood relatives with the disease of chemical dependency are at very high risk to become addicted themselves if they drink or use.
A. Consistent Opening
a. Quiet music playing
b. Centering in all age groups
c. Group Agreements reviewed
d. Brief review of this session’s agenda (posted)
e. Review of last session
f. Add to Acts of Kindness and Child Affirmation lists
B. Education
a. Symptoms and progression of the disease of CD
b. The Disease of CD Exercise
c. CD Truth Statements
d. Teens and parents: Introduction to Brain Chemistry
e. Parents: Talking to your children about alcohol and other drugs
C. Consistent Closing
Reflection and Serenity Prayer
D. Connecting with My Family
a. Children share
b. Reports on Family Acts of Kindness
c. WOW Moments –families learn to see beauty in the world around them
d. Optional book and board game exchange
e. Closing: Unity Prayer
Most Important Activity
Children and Pre-adolescents: Disease of CD Exercise. Adolescents and Parents: Role Play.
Celebrating Families! – Session Summaries
Session 9: Chemical Dependency Affects the Whole Family
Importance of Topic to Families in Early Recovery
Participants need to learn how a family member’s addiction affects them and that the person who is addicted is not the only one who needs help. They also need to remember the Truth Statements, reinforcing that they are not to blame, nor responsible for the family member’s addiction.
Main Concept
If one member of a family is chemically dependent, all family members are affected.
A. Consistent Opening
a. Quiet music playing
b. Centering in all age groups
c. Group Agreements reviewed
d. Brief review of this session’s agenda (posted)
e. Review of last session
f. Add to Acts of Kindness and Child Affirmation lists
B. Education
a. Things I inherited – I may have also inherited disease of CD
b. Effects of CD on family members
c. CD Truth Statements
d. Parents: Recovering parents – what can you do?
C. Consistent Closing
Begin WOW Moments List
Reflection and Serenity Prayer
D. Connecting with My Family
a. Children share
b. Families report on Family Acts of Kindness
c. Bubble Gum Family – demonstrates how a family member’s addiction affects everyone
d. Optional book and board game exchange
e. Closing: Unity Prayer
Most Important Activity
Children/Pre-Adolescents: CD Truth Statements. Adolescents and Parents: Family Role Play and CD Truth Statements.
Celebrating Families! – Session Summaries
Session 10: Goal Setting
Importance of Topic to Families in Early Recovery
Learning new healthy living skills can feel overwhelming. This is especially true for families in early recovery who have had little to no skills development in the past. Parents, especially, can feel paralyzed by feelings of guilt and failure. All participants can feel hopeless if they feel they need to make ALL these changes at once. By learning how to set realistic and achievable goals, participants learn they can manage the changes they wish to make by taking one small step at a time!
Main Concept
Learning the steps of setting and achieving a goal
A. Consistent Opening
a. Quiet music playing
b. Centering in all age groups
c. Group Agreements reviewed
d. Brief review of this session’s agenda (posted)
e. Review of last session
f. Add to Acts of Kindness, Child Affirmations, and WOW Moments lists
B. Education
a. Learn process of setting realistic and achievable goals
b. Set a personal goal to work on this week
c. Parents: discuss risk and resiliency factors
C. Consistent Closing
Add to WOW Moments List
Reflection and Serenity Prayer
D. Connecting with My Family
a. Children share
b. Families report on Family Acts of Kindness
c. Family Goal Setting – helps families learn how to work together to improve their family life
d. Optional Book and board game exchange
e. Closing: Unity Prayer
Most Important Activity
Goal Setting
Celebrating Families! – Session Summaries
Session 11: Making Healthy Choices
Importance of Topic to Families in Early Recovery
People in recovery have usually learned poor decision making skills from their families, including the choice to use alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. As parents, they pass on these poor decision making skills to their children. It is often this inability to make wise, healthy choices that leads COAs into trouble as youth and adults. This session teaches participants a simple process for making healthy choices.