Education Authority Y Box Doc

ACTIVITY: TURNING POINTS

Thoughts / Feelings

What happened?

Then what?

CORE COMPETENCY 1 AND/OR 2

Type: Group or Individual

Aim: To reduce interpersonal violence Objective: To explore opportunities to ‘interrupt’ patterns of behavior Methodology: Step 1: The facilitators ask the participant/s to think about a time that the either witnessed or experienced violence as a victim or perpetrator Step 2: The facilitator asks the participant/s to take a few minutes to think back on that experience Some prompts may be: when was this? Where was it? Who was there? How were you feeling? What were you thinking? What was the other person doing/saying? Step 3: The participants are then given a worksheet and asked to provide a step by step sequence of the incident (see below). Initially, ask them to fill in the ‘what’ happened boxes, e.g. this then that, then that etc. second time, ask them to complete the ‘why’ boxes, e.g. what was I thinking/feeling between the boxes that led to the next interaction? Step 4: Ask for a volunteer. Once one is chosen ask that they share their story. The group first of all reviews the entire sequence. Second time around, invite the group to identify possible interruption points between each interaction or alternative ways of thinking about what just happened. For instance, someone may decide that a different practical choice could change the sequence or by thinking about what happened in one particular box in a different way, could have changed the behavioural response in the subsequent interaction. Step 5: Ask the participants to then review their own sequence and look for possible interruption points. Step 6: Provide the participant/s with blank sequence sheets and ask them to complete at least one during the week. Ask them to bring to the next session and review with the group. Tools required: Sequence worksheet Pens/markers Flipchart

54

55