This group program was developed by the Children’s Treehouse Foundation, a non-profit foundation dedicated to the emotional support of children who have parents living with cancer. The CLIMB® Teen programat the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation offers six weekly group sessions during which conversation and art are used to help teens age 12 to 17 years old identify and appropriately express complex feelings. The aim is to build upon their strengths and enhance his/her ability to cope with stress associated with the parent’s illness. The parent(s) or guardian(s) must attend a preliminary orientation session prior to their child beginning the program.
Some of the benefits of this program include:
- An increase in the teen’s knowledge about cancer and its treatment
- Normalization of feelings of sadness
- Teens are better able to identify strengths and normalize anxiety
- Teens are better equipped to express and manage anger appropriately
- Communications about feelings are improved
- Communications with the parents or loved one who have cancer are improved
- Overall, teens learn that they are not alone and they are better equipped to express feelings and cope with change
