Therapeutic Resources
Tools That Work
The therapeutic component at the Manchester Village School incorporates the principles of Mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Rational Emotive- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help create the emotional and psychological capacity to live healthy and productive lives.The goal of the group work is to provide each student with an individualized “tool-box” of proven techniques to help them solve problems. Our ultimate goal is to open up to our students a rational and resilient approach to living that will help them increase academic, interpersonal and social skills.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the practice of complete present- moment awareness. Mindfulness practices taught at the Village School include paying attention to the present moment without judgement, seated meditation and mindful exercises, such as walking meditation and yoga. Research demonstrates the wide-reaching benefits of mindfulness practices, including improved psychological health through reduced stress, anxiety and depression. Numerous studies have shown that developing the capacity to focus attention in the present moment can lead to better classroom performance, greater personal
satisfaction and more adaptive interpersonal relationships.
Cognitive Skills
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a unique, empirically-based intervention that creates an awareness of and access to the qualities of acceptance and mindfulness. Students are encouraged to identify and choose healthy and adaptive values such as honesty, perseverance and integrity. Using specific tools, they are taught to engage in committed action, which are driven by these values.
The principles of ACT are translated into powerful tools that encourage each student to live full and meaningful lives while also accepting the difficulties and painful experiences which will inevitably occur.
Rational Emotive - Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (RE-CBT) is an evidenced-based, cognitive behavioral treatment. It is both a practical and action-oriented approach to managing challenges and disturbances of thought, emotion and behavior. RE-CBT focuses mainly on the present. We work with currently held attitudes, painful emotions and unhelpful behaviors that can impact the lives of our students in negative ways. The practice of RE-CBT provides students with the tools to identify and challenge irrational beliefs and then restructure them with more rational beliefs. The ability to face the world rationally and realistically increases resiliency, allowing students to function adaptively even in difficult times.