Family Breakup and Survival
Reproducible Activities to Address the Challenges Families Face Today
The beauty, distinction, and uniqueness of this particular series is:
EVERY family member has the opportunity to complete a scale on how they feel about themselves, about other family members, as well as how they perceive the other family members feel about them.
The Family Breakup & Survival Workbook contains assessments and self-guided exploration activities for practitioners to use with all family members as they cope with stress and changes associated with a breakup.
Breaking up can mean many different things to different people. This workbook uses the term breakup to include people living in various situations, including legal separation, annulment, dating, divorce, and co-inhabiting. Breakups are incredibly complicated processes that usually involve phases of a breakup between the two people and their families and then various possible stages of a grieving process for all concerned. The activities in this workbook will address all of this.
The Family Breakup & Survival Workbook can be used independently or as part of an integrated curriculum. You may administer any of the assessments and the guided self-exploration activities to an individual or multiple family members with whom you are working, or you may distribute any of the activities over multiple sessions. Feel free to pick and choose those assessments and activities that best lead to the desired outcomes. The assessments and activities are divided into four chapters to help you identify and select assessments easily and quickly.
Chapter I: Communication
This chapter helps family members explore the way information about the breakup was conveyed to them.
Chapter II: Visitation and Relationships
This chapter helps family members explore how visitation is being handled by both parents and how relationships with the family care-givers are progressing.
Chapter III: Feelings
This chapter helps family members explore how well they are managing their current feelings associated with the breakup.
Chapter IV: Changes
This chapter helps family members explore the various changes that resulted from the breakup and how family members are dealing with those changes.
All the assessments and activities in this workbook are reproducible for your convenience.
This workbook is also available in PDF eBook format, making it simple to store on your computer or mobile device and to access with a PDF viewer. The PDF format allows you to easily print copies of the activities and worksheets during therapy and counseling sessions.
Family Breakup and Survival Card Deck
Need a creative way to start your session? Use the Family Breakup and Survival Card Deck. The open-ended questions will break the ice with both kids and adults and stimulate conversation. Use them alone or in conjunction with the corresponding page in the book.
Sample Questions:
When the breakup in your family was revealed, what were your feelings? (Child or Teen)
Who decides on finances for the children’s everyday activities and extras? (Care-Givers)
Often, one feels very negative during or after a breakup, and the person’s body knows it. What warning signs have you had that you are feeling negative? (An example might be headaches.) (ALL)
