PROJECT HELP

WHAT IS PROJECT HELP?

Project HELP offers in-school therapy/support groups for adolescents who disclose histories of abuse, neglect or violence and have had limited access to counseling. The program serves approximately 80 young people (ages 11 � 15) each year.  During the 1999-2000 school year, six Project HELP support/therapy groups met weekly at five different middle schools.  Groups are limited to no more than eight students. The groups begin with trust-building activities in which participants learn how to support one another. As group members develop a sense of safety, they begin to address how their victimization affects their feelings about themselves and other people, and how it affects their behavior in and out of school.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

Project HELP offers critical support just as children enter the challenging years of adolescence. The ages between 11 and 14 can be very confusing and problematic for abused and neglected youth trying to establish an identity, a sense of belonging, boy-girl relationships and independence.  Serious drug and alcohol abuse, promiscuity, and gang involvement have their beginnings during early adolescence, especially among those who have been abused and/or neglected.  Project HELP gives children on the threshold of adolescence the opportunity to begin their recovery process before destructive adolescent patterns are established.

WHAT ARE THE GOALS?

WHAT HAPPENS IN GROUP?

Group members engage in interactive activities, games and discussion as they establish the safety and confidentiality necessary to grapple with the effects of traumatic stress. This crucial step takes a few weeks to a few months depending on the make up of the group. Group members learn that trust and safety must be established before intimacy�an important lesson for traumatized individuals that protects them from future victimization.  During this stage, participants concentrate on strengths and positive experiences to increase their inner resources for the next phase of their healing.

After trust and safety are established, participants begin the process of exploring what happened to them and its effect on their lives. The facilitator, a licensed professional counselor, always hangs the material to be processed on some tangible activity�drawing, writing, drama, games, movement, or a heart monitor�that provides structure within which the participants can process their experiences. The focus is on clarifying victim and offender responsibility, boundaries, and how trauma affects their bodies.  As they understand and express more about what happened to them, group members become empowered to find their own way, solve their own problems, and heal from their victimization. Trusting, secure relationships with an understanding adult and peers reduce the emotional trauma of victimization (Friedlander 1993, Herman 1990).

HOW IS PROJECT HELP EVALUATED?

Project HELP is evaluated in three different ways to get a really comprehensive picture of its impact.

• The group facilitator completes a pre-and-post assessment that measures individual progress in the following areas:  issues directly related to abuse, self-esteem issues, mental/emotional functioning, and general development.
• Participants complete a twenty-five question pre-and-post self-evaluation related to above issues.
• At the end of the school year, each group becomes a mini-focus group in which the participants talk about what they have learned through the group and the changes they have noticed in their lives.

The following changes were volunteered in every group and were the most frequently noted:

(1)  Decreased Isolation: The most frequent change that participants reported was a decrease in isolation. All of them agreed that it was very important to have a place to come where they could share their feelings with others who had had similar experiences and where their disclosures would not leave the room. One girl said, "It's like a family, and people get to talk about each other, and they know that if they say something here, it never goes out of the group." Another said, "You see people can understand you, because you don't think nobody will understand you." Most said that they expressed themselves more easily now and talked more frequently with their parents and others.  For example, one participant was able to tell her parents how their expectations were "ruining my life" after years of silent suffering. Others disclosed a history of abuse to their parents for the first time.  A surprising number volunteered that they trusted others more now.

(2)  Increased Self Capacities: Participants also reported that they had greater capacities for self-regulation now than before. They did not get as angry as often, and they did not act out their anger in the same way. One girl said that now she was not so "desperate" to talk and therefore, was no longer talking constantly in her school classes. Another noted that she no longer wanted "to kill" her siblings and was actually helping with them now. Another said, "Ever since the beginning of group I haven't been yelling at my mom, maybe a couple of times, but not like all the time.  I don't like hit her no more, don't throw things at her, because I used to do all that. She used to make me so mad and I used to have to let all my anger out." Another girl said, "When me and my step mom get in arguments, I come in here and tell you all and stuff and then y'all give me feedback and that helps me control and like prevent stuff that's happened before." Acting more appropriately serves to decrease isolation and increases the amount of support participants receive from their families and peer groups. More social support decreases their vulnerability to gangs and inappropriate sexual intimacy.

(3)  Decreased Post Traumatic Stress Symptoms: Another frequently reported change was a decrease in intrusive recollections of their victimization and a decrease in nightmares. One girl was able for the first time in years to sleep in her own bed instead of sleeping in the doorway to her room. She was even able to sleep without a light and no longer had such intrusive nightmares.

(4) Increased Attention for School: As a result of having a place to talk about what had happened, group members felt more focused in class.  They reported more attention for school, and in some cases, improved grades. "Talking to people, 'cause I get it out and I don't think about it as much since I got it out of my system�because I was little when it happened to me, and I couldn't tell nobody 'cause I didn't trust that person and I was just embarrassed and scared." Other examples: " You like rest from all those problems.  You don't have them in mind that much." And, " Like when you talk about it and when you go back to class you're refreshed and ready to learn."

(5)  Increased Future Orientation: Participants volunteered that they thought about the future more now. This is particularly relevant in light of studies that indicate a future orientation is the best contraceptive for teens. As one member said, " It helps me more concentrate on my work than concentrate on what happened. It helps a lot, helps let go of my feelings and think about the future or whatever we talk about."

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