Relationships Learning Opportunities
Students In the MiddleŽ
This is a school-based program providing support
groups for students who have experienced family
transitions including divorce, separation, and
remarriage.
The Students In the MiddleŽ program includes:
- Comprehensive training to enhance school counselors' and social workers' knowledge and skills in the areas of divorce, separation, and step-parenting
- An easy-to-use curriculum manual that includes all materials needed to facilitate weekly support groups
- Age-specific activities for students in preschool through high school, including games, discussion and role play topics, and art and writing activities
- Ongoing consultation with Kids In the MiddleŽ and University of Missouri Extension
- Access to an e-mail list for discussion issues with other counselors who have used the Students In the Middle program
- Access to electronic permission forms and parent letters that can be modified to meet your needs
- Training includes a continental breakfast and lunch
What participants have said about Students In the
MiddleŽ:
“[The students in the group] demonstrated coping
strategies they had learned in addition to anger control
and a few other key issues that they also picked up. I
was overwhelmed. It is a great program and it helped my
students.”
-— Judy Trost, Counselor, Louisana Middle School
“Children say they like coming to group and hate missing
it when they’re not in school. One parent said it had
made a noticeable impact on his son.”
-— Angie Spatola, Social Worker, Webster Groves Early
Childhood Education Center
“I love the idea of this . . . As a parent, I enjoyed
the weekly articles for ideas and reassurance for my
role in this.”
-— Parent
Program Goals
Students who participate in the support groups will be
better able to:
- Acknowledge and define divorce or separation
- Identify and express their feelings
- Understand and use healthy coping skills
- Enhance their self-esteem
- Accept the changes in their families
Student comments:
“I’m not afraid to talk about my feelings.”
“When I feel like nobody loves me, I hug someone who
does (pets and family).”
“It helps me know how to handle my feelings.”
Students In the MiddleŽ is a collaboration between
Kids In the MiddleŽ and University of Missouri
Extension.
Kids In the MiddleŽ strengthens family relationships
by providing quality and affordable therapy, education
and support to children and families coping with divorce
and other transitions. They are recognized in the
greater St. Louis metropolitan area as the foremost
authority on the subjects of divorce and family
transitions and their impact on children.
Children are able to share their thoughts and
feelings in a group setting with other kids going
through similar family changes. They learn to understand
the changes in their families and express themselves
through artwork and verbal communication.
University of Missouri Extension provides
research-based information for families experiencing
family transitions, including the Focus on Kids
program for divorcing parents, the Step by Step
program for stepfamilies, the Families and Divorce
program for teachers and childcare providers who
want to learn more about supporting children whose
parents are separating, and the
MissouriFamilies
website.
For more information, please contact:
Kids In the Middle coordinator
121 W. Monroe Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63122
314-909-9922
www.kidsinthemiddle.org
Students In the Middle coordinator
Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS)
University of Missouri Extension
314 Gentry Hall
Columbia, MO 65211
573-882-4035
http://missourifamilies.org/learningopps/learndivorce
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Last update: Tuesday, May 12, 2009
