STRENGTHENING FAMILY COPING RESOURCES
SFCR brings together families living in traumatic contexts to help both children and caregivers reduce posttraumatic stress symptoms. It is rooted in the awareness that routines and rituals can be disrupted by stress and trauma. Over the past decade we have cultivated a welcoming space for our SFCR multifamily groups. When the pandemic began, the task of creating a virtual version of this space felt daunting at first. Luckily the SFCR curriculum had already been adapted for caregiver-only groups, so we quickly converted our inperson multifamily group of almost 40 adults and children into a virtual caregiver-only, adults-only group. This allowed us to continue to provide support to caregivers who had already completed 4 weeks of our 15-week session, and who were navigating increased pandemic-related stress. As schools shifted to virtual learning and many caregivers added “teacher” to their growing list of roles, these groups helped them work together to develop all new household routines to support at-home learning. The caregiver groups, and later the multifamily virtual groups, countered trauma-related isolation and disconnection, which the pandemic exacerbated. They became a source of support that, a caregiver noted, helped them realize they were “not alone” and gave them a “sense of belonging.” During the winter of 2020, our thoughts turned to holiday rituals and traditions involving connection with extended family members and joining in community over meals – which was complicated in a socially distanced world. We held a booster session on Zoom with families who had previously completed the SFCR multifamily group together; and although we could not share a meal in person, we delivered boxed dinners and art supplies so the families could create connections, adapt old family traditions, and create new rituals. Through the creativity and dedication of our therapists and collaboration with SFCR and its organizations across the country adapting SFCR for telehealth, we have now run the SFCR caregiver group and the multifamily group virtually in English and Spanish. Many activities translated easily to telehealth. We used YouTube videos of stories like Harold and the Purple Crayon to teach children problem solving. We were even able to send home plants, which we see as a metaphor for family life: the roots of the plant grow together and influence each other, just like families and groups, and need care and nurturing, just like families and groups. Although we could not plant a group garden together, we created a virtual group garden with images of flowers chosen by each family to represent who they are. Challenging times like this ongoing pandemic require increased effort to notice the positives and find reasons to celebrate, which is always the final activity of SFCR groups. We were delighted at the end of a recent group to hear that the positive energy our therapists always bring had translated to the virtual setting, as a caregiver remarked that she “could feel the good energy through the screen.” Although we could not decorate the room with streamers, we could still share music and laughter, which provided an important reminder for both families and staff that joy and celebration are powerful in the face of stress and trauma.
Traumatic Stress Chronicles, a quarterly newsletter from the Center for Child and Family Traumatic Stress.
