STAIR Group for Teens (STAIR: Skills Training in Affect and Interpersonal Regulation)

Teen STAIR Group is an adapted, evidence based curriculum that is designed to help reduce PTSD symptoms, and problems in emotion regulation and social and relationship functioning in youth who have experienced childhood abuse-related trauma.

The Teen Stair Group’s goal is to help youth participants to become informed about the impact of trauma on emotion regulation and social (interpersonal) functioning. Content includes, but is not limited to, increasing emotional awareness, developing strategies to improve emotional regulation, learning strategies for effective assertiveness behaviours and increasing flexibility in interpersonal expectations and behaviours.

This group is an important part of service for youth who are participating in individual intensive trauma-specific therapy related to their experience of childhood interpersonal trauma because it provides them with the opportunity to learn and practice skills that are not only foundational to success in therapy, but to the navigation of daily life and interpersonal relationships. Cedar Centre is the only organization in Canada with permission from the author to offer this special group curriculum. To date, the adult version of the curriculum has been offered to participants in the Adult Program for over three year and has been monitored and researched by McGill University. The results of McGill’s study show significant reduction in PTSD symptoms for participants, post Group. It is the Centre’s expectation that the adapted version for youth will show similar, valuable outcomes for its teen participants.

Newmarket youth comprise the majority of our clients at 33%, though participants do join us from elsewhere in the Region.