Group goals/objectives to be covered:
By the end of sessions, the group will identify 3 coping mechanisms to address mental health/trauma.
- The group will brainstorm and discuss various coping strategies
- The group will discuss the feasibility of utilizing coping mechanisms in their daily routines
By the end of sessions, the group will demonstrate improved levels of empowerment as measured by the Multicultural Psychological Empowerment Scale for Saudi Women (MPES-SW).
- The group will discuss self-awareness
- The group will learn and explore different dimensions of empowerment (i.e. self-efficacy and self-determination)
- The group will brainstorm positive self-affirmations and discuss how to implement them into their daily routines
Brief agenda:
Icebreaker- 5 minutes
Activity- 25 minutes
MPES-SW- 15 minutes
Conference Evaluation- 15 minutes
Conclusion
Lesson plan:
Icebreaker (5 minutes): Ask group participants to go around in a circle and share the most valuable thing they learned during sessions.
Activity (25 minutes):
Ask group members to share various coping strategies that they have used, currently use, or have heard about. Facilitator will write these on a whiteboard. Facilitator will provide group members with sheets of paper and a pencil. Ask group members to write down a stressful situation that they have recently experienced (allow 5 minutes). Ask for volunteers to share their stressful situations. As a group, identify coping mechanisms that may be used to lessen the impact of the stressful situation.
Follow-up Discussion Question:
- Are these coping mechanisms realistic for you to use?
- If not, why not? What would you prefer to do instead? Can you think of how to alter the coping mechanism in a way that encourages you to use it?
MPES-SW (15 minutes):
Have the group members fill out the MPES-SW (refer to Supplemental Materials) again.
After completion, the group facilitator should return the MPES-SW forms that were previously completed by group participants during the first session. Ask group participants to compare their results prior to sessions to after sessions have been completed. Have group participants identify their areas of improvement, as well as areas that still need to be improved upon.
Conference Evaluation (15 minutes):
Have the group members fill out the conference evaluation (refer to Supplemental Materials). Request honesty from group members and emphasize that their responses will be anonymous (ask group members not to put their names on the handout). Additionally, note that their responses will be greatly appreciated by conference coordinators and group facilitators. To ensure anonymity, have group members stack their completed evaluations upside down on an empty desk/table at the front of the room.
Conclusion: Congratulate the group members on their completion of the conference. Thank group members for their active participation and willingness to learn more about IPV, empowerment, mental health, and coping. Facilitators should stay after the close of the group for any remaining questions, comments, or concerns.
Resources/handouts/activities/materials needed:
- MPES-SW Empowerment Scale (reference Supplemental Materials)
- Sheets of paper
- Pencils
- Conference Evaluation (reference Supplemental Materials)
Reference list for resources:
Moubarak, H. S., Afthanorhan, A., & Alrasheedi, E. (2021). Multicultural Psychological Empowerment Scale for Saudi Women. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.768616