Group work

Who is this group for:

Primary school aged children who want support managing big emotions like anxiety, anger, or low mood, and who would benefit from learning healthy coping skills

What this group is about:

• A safe and friendly space to build confidence, explore strengths, through fun and creative activities
• Learn about topics including how the brain reacts to stress, managing anger, understanding worries, building confidence, and feeling good about who you are
• Every young person will create a personal Self-Soothe Box to with with tools and reminders of what helps them feel calm and strong

Who is this group for:

Children aged 8–13 who want to build social confidence, understand their strengths, and get support with making and maintaining positive friendships.

What this group is about:

• Children become shipmates sailing together on a journey. Each session is a new part of the voyage, building skills needed to work as a crew.
• Activities focus on building trust, recognising what makes a good friend, understanding barriers like worries or misunderstandings, and celebrating each other’s strengths
• Through storytelling, movement, and sharing, children learn how to communicate, handle conflict, express emotions, and support one another

Who is this group for:

Children and young people who experience strong emotions especially anger and want support to better understand their feelings and manage them in positive ways.

What this group is about:

• Helps children explore emotions and build resilience using games, creative tasks, and fun resources
• Recognising and understanding anger and its triggers through the “flipping your lid” brain model and learning practical ways to manage big emotions
• Through group activities like storytelling, and teamwork, children will build their own emotional “toolbox” to help them stay calm, make good choices, and feel more in control

Who is this group for:

• Young people aged 11–16 who want a safe space to explore their thoughts, emotions, and sense of identity
• For those experiencing low self-esteem, self-doubt, or who want to build confidence, self-awareness, and healthier self-talk

What this group is about:

• Learning to recognise and challenge unhelpful thinking patterns like negative self-talk
• Exploring the difference between inner critic and inner coach voices
• Building positive affirmations, identifying personal strengths, and developing healthy coping strategies
• Celebrating self-expression, uniqueness, and emotional wellbeing through creative, reflective activities

Who is this group for:

• For young people experiencing anxiety wanting to build healthy strategies to reduce anxieties

What this group is about:

• The Calm Skills group helps children learn how to manage anxiety and strong emotions.
• It focuses on building self-awareness and introducing calming techniques like breathing exercises, grounding strategies and positive self-talk.
• Each session is creative, supportive, and led by the same two Barnardo’s workers.
• You don’t have to share any personal experiences. You will have your own private workbook. This will help you understand what makes you anxious & which calm skills work best for you!

Who is this group for:

• For anyone looking for practical skills to better understand and manage their thoughts, feelings, and behaviours
• Especially helpful for those who feel overwhelmed by strong emotions like anxiety, anger, or stress or struggle with reacting impulsively or feeling out of control

What this group is about:

• The Decider Life Skills group teaches fun, memorable and effective strategies based on CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) principles
• You will learn 12 practical skills to help you recognise and manage emotions and make wise decisions when you feel overwhelmed
• Helps you to use self-care and communication to build healthy habits Increases your emotional intelligence, self-respect and resilience

Who is this group for:

Children and young people aged 11-16 who have experienced challenges in life and would like support in building resilience and understanding how to care for their own wellbeing

What this group is about:

• Helping children and young people explore life’s challenges and build resilience using games, creative tasks, and fun resources
• Exploring new ideas to help us develop our resilience in ways that will work for us as individuals.
• Through group activities, we’ll look at different ways of thinking to help children and young people feel calm, make good choices, and feel more in control.
   

Who is this group for:

A fun and friendly group for KS2 children- ages 7-11 . This supportive programme has been designed to help children develop emotional resilience and wellbeing skills.
This group is designed for children who may benefit from extra support with: Low confidence; Low self-esteem; Building resilience; Managing emotions or change; Friendship challenges

What this group is about:

• B – BUMPS happen in life – Learning that challenges are a normal part of life
• O – Others can help – Understanding the importance of seeking support
• U – I am Unique – Building self-worth and celebrating differences
• N – I Never Give Up – Developing perseverance and a growth mindset
• C – I can Cope well – Practising healthy ways to deal with stress
• E – I am okay with my Emotions – Learning to recognise and express feelings safely

Children will be shown resilience skills, using the acronym BOUNCE Join us on a journey to learn how to BOUNCE back when life gets tricky!
In this exciting and fun group, we’ll explore the BOUNCE skills - powerful tools that help us handle worries, stay strong, and feel-good inside and out.