AN EARLY INTERVENTION MODEL

One of the buzzwords, or rather, buzz phrases, in the mental health field today is "early intervention model." While Kids' Turn does not strive towards trendiness, we are pleased to be ahead of the pack, since our program was designed from the get-go with early intervention in mind.

So what exactly is an early intervention model? Simply put, it is prevention. One of the differences between therapy and Kids' Turn, according to Kids' Turn former Program Director Diane Kaufman, is that therapy or treatment often take place after a crisis has occurred and behavioral or emotional problems have developed. "Early intervention is the anticipation of a crisis, looking at the ramifications of it, and using a model or program to prevent the problems from developing as a result of the crisis. This means the problems are greatly diminished, or prevented altogether."

Psychiatrist John Sikorski, who helped design the Kids' Turn curriculum, concurs. "It's like giving a flu shot. We are providing a psychological immunization by offering educational information to people, teaching them about the process they are going through and the usual course of the breakup of the family and the reconstitution into different family structures. Helping children understand that process is what the Kids' Turn program is about. It's more than just sharing the experience, it's gaining information so one does not feel lonely and isolated or victimized."

Many professional studies have confirmed these ideas of prevention. An article in the American Journal of Community Psychology recommended the identification of a stressful event, charting the undesirable psychological outcomes and creating interventions to "short-circuit" those outcomes. Diane says early intervention programs can work especially well in divorce situations."A lot of the time the experiences, feelings and situations are similar for different families, so we can often predict some of the emotions and problems kids experience. It is a powerful tool to get the kids together in the same room, because they can strengthen and benefit one another from their common experiences."

She says this type of intervention can have long-term effects for both parents and children. "We can help prevent or reduce emotional difficulties for the children, but also help establish or refocus parents on their children's needs so they can establish good lines of communication, which have often been damaged or compromised because of the divorce. For parents, statistics show that people with unresolved conflicts with the former spouse are more likely to have failed second marriages. Kids' Turn can help them learn more about themselves in a relationship, to prevent repetition of the same problems and mistakes."

The workshop newsletter plays a role in the communication between parents and children as well. The newsletter is written by the older children, and sent anonymously as a group to the parents. In it, children state what they don't like about the divorce, what they want from their parents, and what they can do when their parents fight. Parents review the newsletter and then respond in a similar fashion, in a newsletter read in the children's groups. Children are often reluctant or unable to express themselves to parents, who can be operating under misconceptions ongoing. When parents hear directly from their children early on exactly what is going on and how they feel, Diane says it gives them an opportunity to address their children's concerns and to deal with the children's feelings of guilt, anger, fear or sadness. "The newsletter is such a powerful tool, it really hits parents, who usually assume it is their child making the statements. The great majority of them really take it to heart." Thus the communication and healing can begin.