CASE STUDY | Making friends, lacking confidence and managing emotions and anxiety

The YP was finding it difficult to make and keep friends in school, therefore becoming isolated from her peers and lacking confidence. They struggled to manage her emotions and would regularly become anxious in school and have difficulties finding effective coping strategies to manage this.

The Intervention

The YP identified a goal to work towards which was ‘to have helpful and positive ways to manage my emotions and find it easier to make friends’.

The support provided was:

• focused on emotional intelligence and resilience through the use of ‘feelings monsters’. We first explored 6 core feelings and emotions (happy, sad, scared, angry, calm, and loved), and spoke about thoughts associated with these emotions as well as how they feel in the body.
• We then moved on to emotional resilience where they put together a ‘my people bank’ which included all the people who can support them with their emotions and explored several coping strategies including breathing techniques and muscle relaxation.
• Throughout this emotional intelligence and resilience program, they created their own personal tools and resources to use for future reference including a feelings bottle, feelings monster cards and a feelings and emotions canvas.
• I also provided a package of support around friendships and self-confidence.
• On our final session the young person created a ‘treasure chest box’ which we used as a creative activity to review previous sessions and group their tools and resources together to place inside the box to take home. This gave the young person closure on the sessions, and they were able to leave with a box of effective tools and memories.

Outcomes

• YP grew in confidence and emotional literacy, which was recognized by parents, school and the YP themselves. This was apparent through their presentation.
• Personalizing this intervention specifically around the use of ‘feelings monsters’ supported the learning and intervention as this young person related to this and found it to be a fun and personal way to explore their emotions. This proved to be an effective way to then lead on to other aspects of the young person’s life which they identified a support need especially in relation to self-esteem and building and maintaining friendships.

“Positive Futures helped me to be happy and share my thoughts. It really helps” 

Quote from young person on final session.