Goal for the Life Night:
The goal of this Night is to address the growing concern of teen self-mutilation. We provide a Night for parents that addresses the seriousness and issues surrounding this topic as well as a Night for teens that gives healthy alternatives to dealing with the emotions that often lead to cutting.
Life Night at a Glance:
NOTE: In order for this Night to work, there are a number of things we need to recommend as vital to the success of this program: 1) Schedule your pastor or parish priest for this Night. 2) Recruit a couple local counselors or therapists to be a part of this Night, one for the Parents Session and one for the Teen Session. 3) Plan an evening with your CORE a month or so in advance to go through this topic with them beforehand. You also will need a counselor available for this advance session, ideally one of the same counselors who will be present on the actual Night. And 4) You may want to facilitate the Parent’s night the week prior, to better prepare them for the teens when they come home from their LIFE Night on the topic. If you choose to run the nights simultaneously, you will want/need someone to copy the appropriate segments from the I.V. Loop #8, so that both rooms have the videos they need.
Self-mutilation or “cutting” is on the rise among teens today. It is the intentional cutting, burning, or injuring of one’s own body as a way to cope with stress, anxiety, or other negative emotions. This Night will break open this difficult topic for both teens and parents by offering sessions for both groups. Although we realize that many teens do not struggle with this issue, it is important to address it and give both parents and teens the tools to deal with it in healthy and productive ways. The parent session will help increase awareness of the issue and give parents practical warning signs and sources of help for their teens. The teen session will introduce the issue, but will focus more on healthy ways to deal with feelings of stress, anxiety, and abandonment. In order for this Night to work, it is vital to work with your pastor or parish priest. It is also important to ask for help from a local, Christian, professional therapist; his or her presence will help address any major issues that might come up. Make sure to let parents know in advance that they will be encouraged to stay after LIFE TEEN Mass for this Night.
Parent Session :
A priest or CORE member or parent leader can facilitate this. Make sure this person is well prepared. You may want to facilitate the Parent’s night the week prior, to better prepare them for the teens when they come home from their LIFE Night on the topic. If you choose to run the nights simultaneously, you will want/need someone to copy the appropriate segments from the I.V. Loop #8, so that both rooms have the videos they need.