CLASSES
Girls Group For 12, 13, & 14-year olds
In writing Reviving Ophelia, Dr. Mary Pipher likened this age to a roller coaster ride that ends with the young girls’ self being lost in a Bermuda Triangle abyss of overwhelming media, hormonal, and peer influences. Similarly, in Shakespeare’s Hamlet: Ophelia transformed from a happy, lighthearted child to a teenager who lived only for approval, then died in a stream of flowers blaming herself. Today, mood swings, eating disorders, self-harm, vulnerability to drugs & alcohol, naïve sexual attire, tears, relationship dramas, and unexplainable behaviors are symptomatic of our girls’ normal struggle to step from childhood to adolescence in the raging sea of peer pressure, bullying, Western culture, and social media.
“Parents know only too well that something is happening to their daughters. . . Calm, considerate daughters grow moody, demanding, and distant. . . Girls who liked to hug now bristle when touched. . . Mothers complain they can do nothing right in the eyes of their daughters. . . Fathers bemoan their sudden banishment from their daughters’ lives. . . Parents long for that child who went fishing with them or skipped happily through the kitchen. . .Few parents realize how universal their experiences are. . . Girls stop thinking ‘Who am I?’ and start thinking ‘How can I fit in?’. . . Just when they most need a home base, they cut themselves off,” and/or they enter unhealthy peer or dating relationships.
In this group, we strive to help girls feel heard, know who they are and what they want, develop friendships and support, enhance self-esteem, and process anxiety/grief. Group consists of ice breaker check-ins, therapeutic games, art therapy, pet therapy, and food.
Upcoming dates:
October 15 2:30-4:00
Further dates will be scheduled as we develop our core group.
Cindy Stear, Doctor of Psychology, Master of Science in Clinical Psychopharmacology
Carissa Stear, Art Therapy Intern
Contact Dr. Cindy Stear at drcindystear@connectionstherapycenter.com or call 815-957-0115.
Inquire about our pending group for 9, 10, and 11-year old girls if you want to be put on the wait list. Ask us about insurance coverage for CPT code 90853, Medicaid, or self-pay. No one is turned away due to inability to pay. Due to current Illinois law, mask must be worn unless eating. We also utilize an indoor/outdoor continual air exchange system, small group size, and spaced seating.
