The ANCHOR Group

Does it often seem to you like your child gets carried away by worry, anger, or other emotions? Has your child ever complained about feelings being too strong? Emotions can come in powerful waves and leave children feeling out of control. Fortunately, there are mental and behavioral skills that can help keep them anchored when their feelings get stormy.

The ANCHOR group is a structured, time-limited group open to anyone between the ages of 9 and 12. Children in the group are supported in their experience of the feelings they have, and practice mindfulness and cognitive behavioral skills to better understand and manage those emotions.

Through a combination of support, discussions, and practical exercises, your child will learn new ways to relate to their emotional experiences, focusing on the following goals:

Acceptance : Recognizing and accepting your feelings for what they are (an essential first step in managing them)

eNgagement : Actively engaging with your thoughts and feelings, so that you can decide what to do with them

Control : Taking control of how you respond, rather than blindly following wherever your emotions lead

Harmony : Living in harmony with your challenges; you can appreciate them when they don't control you

Openness : Fostering a general openness to a range of internal experiences and ways of reacting to them

Regulation : Developing emotion regulation skills to calm or ride out the waves of your emotions (an ultimate goal)

Expected dates and times: TBA