Kid strategy of the week:

Healthy Body Boundaries: Establishing healthy body boundaries is important for all children, and caregivers and therapists can start instilling concepts of consent, body privacy, and body autonomy at a young age. Explore the resources below in session with your client or with their caregivers. Have your client color one of the coloring pages below and talk about the concept of “I am the boss of my body.” Discuss what kinds of touch are safe, as well as how the Ct can communicate if they don’t want to be touched or if someone is in their bubble. Use this as an opportunity to teach caregivers ways to practice consent at home (for example, responding quickly when a child says “stop” during a tickle fight, or not forcing them to hug or kiss relatives if they don’t want to).  Source

Coloring pages:

https://themamabeareffect.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/47136684_10161340288625492_5831179627791384576_o.jpg 

https://themamabeareffect.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/46938720_10161340288690492_6572709347808247808_o.jpg

Sample Progress Note: The focus of the session was (tailor based on treatment plan). The therapist provided psychoeducation around body safety, consent, and body boundaries using art-based and visual aids. The Ct (was/was not) able to identify several of their body boundaries

Couples strategy of the week:

What Are Healthy Boundaries? Boundaries are natural limits in relationships that help us understand what each person is okay and not okay with, as well as what each person in the relationship is responsible for. Individuals are responsible for their bodies, words, handling their emotions, attitudes, values, and preferences. With healthy boundaries, each individual in the relationship is able to ask for what they need, say “no,” and respect the other person’s needs and wishes. To learn more, visit here

Sample Progress Note: The focus of this session was… The therapist helped the couple improve their relationship functioning by providing psycho-education about boundaries and exploring boundaries within the relationship. The couple was (receptive/not receptive/somewhat receptive) to learning about boundaries, and they reported that exploring boundaries in their relationship was (helpful/not helpful/challenging).

Adult strategy of the week:

Understanding Healthy Boundaries: To put it simply, boundaries are a way to understand how we relate to ourselves and other people. Individuals can have boundaries that range from rigid, to healthy, to porous, and oftentimes someone’s boundaries can be different depending on the context. For example, someone with healthy boundaries around their time may have rigid emotional boundaries. MyTherapistAid.com offers a comprehensive overview of the characteristics of each boundary type.

Sample Progress Note: The focus of this session was… The therapist helped the client understand relationship patterns by providing psycho-education about boundaries. The client was (receptive/not receptive/somewhat receptive) to exploring their relationships and relationship patterns through the framework of boundaries, and they reported that doing this was (helpful/challenging/not helpful).

Meditation/Mindfulness strategy of the week:

A Meditation for Setting Boundaries: Listen to this guided meditation by Michelle Chalfant for setting boundaries. The meditation is about 17 minutes long.

Source: https://insighttimer.com/michellechalfant/guided-meditations/a-meditation-for-setting-boundaries (17:06)

Sample Progress Note: The focus of this session was… The therapist led a meditation activity (A Meditation for Setting Boundaries). Ct. (engaged/did not engage in the activity), and they reported that the meditation activity was (helpful/difficult/not helpful).