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Sandcastles™
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What is Sandcastles |
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Sandcastles™ is a nationally
recognized program to help children cope with
their parents' divorce. It has been
featured on NBC Nightly News, CBS Weekend News,
and in a February 27, 1995 cover story in TIME
Magazine. The creator of Sandcastles™
is M. Gary Newman, LMHC, psychotherapist and
certified family mediator with the Florida
Supreme Court. Newman trained facilitators
in Menomonie, making this program available
to families in Dunn and surrounding counties.
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Goals |
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Sandcastles™ strives to help
children:
Understand their
feelings are normal and that they
are not alone;
Express their
thoughts and feelings
productively in a neutral,
supportive environment;
Begin to feel
comfortable communicating with
their parents and others about
the divorce;
Understand how
divorce affects them and learn
skills to handle their reactions
to it;
See problems
differently and create coping
skills that lead to life changes
related and unrelated to divorce;
and
Understand that
many types of families are
possible.
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How Sandcastles™ is
Structured |
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The Program is the only seminar lasting
3 1/2 hrs. Parents and children meet separately
during the first 3 hours and come together for
the last 1/2 hour.
Children participate in small,
interactive groups with others their own
age. The groups are arranged according to
ages: 6-7, 8-10, 11-13, and 14-17 years
old. To make the Sandcastles™
experience comfortable and enriching, trained
facilitators lead role playing, videos, plays,
group discussions, and workbook activities.
In addition, the children create a newsletter,
featuring their original artwork, detailing the
activities of Sandcastles™.
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Why Should Your Child Attend? |
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When parents divorce, children
experience a variety of emotions ranging from
confusion, guilt, and abandonment to loneliness
and uncertainty. At any age a child may not
understand why parents separate and
divorce. A child or adolescent may also
feel responsible, and be unsure of the
future. Sandcastles™ is a program to
help children understand and cope with these
feelings in a safe and supportive environment
with other children who are experiencing divorce.
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An Assurance to Parents |
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It is not the intent of the program or
the group facilitators to place blame on any one
parent. Group facilitators are encouraged
not to lecture or give advice. Rather, they
provide a healthy atmosphere that encourages
children to develop their own attitudes and
solutions.
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Parent Education |
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Divorce is painful and
confusing. How you handle it as a parent
determines a lot about how your child will
respond to it, both today and in the future.
While your child is participating in their peer
group session, you will have the opportunity to
learn about topics that will allow you to help
your child through this difficult time and the
months to come. Some of those topics include:
How kids' at different ages and stages commonly perceive divorce.
*Coping with kids' common fears about separation.
*Helping your child deal with change.
*How to build a co-parenting relationship, even
when you think you can't.
*Your key role in helping your child rebuild
after the divorce.
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For more Information on Sandcastles™ |
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Contact: Jamie Lawrence-Olson at Positive
Alternatives, Inc. in Menomonie
(715)-235-9552 between the hours of 8:00 am and 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
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Hotline
24 Hour Crisis
Hotline
1-800-491-Teen
(8336)
Contact Us
Phone
715-235-9552
Fax
715-235-1075
Board of Directors
Michael Fairchild
Jim Jasicki
Pinckney Hall
Dave Simpson
Kim Nimsgern
Neal Frey
Deborah Wright
Exec. Director:
Kimberly Edwards
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