What is TEEN FLASH?
TEEN FLASH runs in North East Essex three times a year. It is a four-workshop programme that is for young people aged between 11 – 16 who self-harm. It is NOT group therapy; it is NOT counselling; it is NOT boring; there are activities to take part in, we don’t sit still all day.
Workshop groups are kept small – we aim for about 8 young people as we know it’s hard to meet new people. And we try to ensure that no one attends from the same school to protect your privacy.
Introduction Session
The introduction session allows young people to decide for themselves whether they want to commit to attending the four workshops; a kind of ‘try before you buy’ if you like. Attendance is currently free, thanks to the National Lottery Community Fund.
This session was introduced after listening to the young people who attended the pilot TEEN FLASH programme. Some of them said they had felt pressurised to attend and suggested if there was an introduction session they could have attended without committing to the whole programme this would have kept parents/referrers/guardians ‘off their backs’ whilst they decided for themselves whether it was the right group for them.
What does TEEN FLASH want to achieve?
The programme aims to create better listening and communication in personal relationships between young people and their parent/carer/guardians. We recognise that nothing nor no one can stop someone from self-harming unless they want to stop. We do provide tools and strategies for dealing with the impulse of self-harming and self-harm itself.
In doing this we hope to reduce the emotional stress within families and create more positive changes in behaviour from all those in the household. The group also aims to raise the self-esteem of young people and reduce their anxieties.
What are the workshops about?
The workshops all link together so we like you to come to all four.
Workshop One: Understanding the teenage brain – is it different from an adult brain? Key teen brain facts – why DO we do stuff? Exploring risk taking behaviour and thinking about the risks of living our lives. Are there risks to self-harm?
Workshop Two: Thinking about self confidence and self-esteem – are they the same thing? Who are our role models – who do we compare ourselves to, or don’t we?
Workshop Three: How do we communicate; listening and styles of communication. How to ask for what we need.
Workshop Four: Are there real alternatives to self-harm? Recognising stress and moving forward. Coping strategies and other ways of thinking.
When does it run?
TEEN FLASH usually run’s as four Saturday workshops on alternate Saturdays starting at 11am as we know young people like their beds 😊.
Before we ask for a commitment to attending all four workshop’s there’s an Introduction Session. This allows young people to decide whether the course is right for them. It also helps us to decide whether we think TEEN FLASH is the right programme for them too.
There’s lots of activities; we discuss the myths and facts of self-harm, explain what the group offers and what is expected if you decide to come along.
And so, what is FLASH?
Alongside TEEN FLASH there is another programme called FLASH (Families Learning About Self Harm) which parents/carers/guardians may attend. The two programmes have linked themes but run completely separately at different venues (where possible) and always with different staff members to maintain the confidence of all concerned.
Our best hope would be that a young person could attend TEEN FLASH and their chosen adult could attend FLASH, but if this isn’t possible (or what you want) then one person may attend ‘their appropriate’ group without the other person attending.
The non-attender may attend the next group if they wish.
If you live in North East Essex and want to find out more about either FLASH or TEEN FLASH contact us via the website, or call us on 01206 562626.
