Friendship and Other Weapons

Signe Whitson is an author and internationally-recognized speaker with over 20 years of experience working with children, teens, and families. She is a licensed social worker, Dean of Students at a K-8 school in northeastern Massachusetts, and the Chief Operating Officer of the Life Space Crisis Intervention Institute, an international training and certification program for helping young people turn problem situations into learning opportunities. Signe is the author of eight books, including How to Be Angry: Strategies to Help Kids Express Anger Constructively (Jessica Kingsley Publishers). For more information, please visit www.signewhitson.com

• Introduction. About this Book. Session 1. Words Matter! Establishing the Ground Rules for Real Friendship. Session 2. Cast Your Vote: Identifying the Values of Real Friendship. Session 3. Silent Whispers: Two Rules for Stopping Gossip. Session 4. The Red Flags of Girl Bullying: When Friendship is Used as a Weapon. Session 5. No More Secrets: Four Rules for STANding Up to Girl Bullying. Session 6. Who Am I? Exploring Personal Strengths. Session 7. I Feel Connected: Finding Common Ground and Celebrating Differences. Session 8. Don't Just Stand There: Three Occasions for Becoming an Ally. Session 9. Standing in Your Shoes: Fostering Empathy and Cooperation in Girls. Session 10. Left Out in the Cold: Understanding the Power of Social Exclusion. Session 11. Sharing S.O.D.A.S. A Problem Solving Method for Girls. Session 12. Writing How-To Books: Ending the Group, Maintaining the Bonds. Supplementary Activities: Preparing Girls for a Social Media World. Session I. Tame that Tune: Evaluating Music Lyrics and Video Imagery. Session II. Is Seeing Really Believing? Evaluating Entertainment and Advertising Imagery. Session III. 24/7 Contact: Guidelines for Texting, IM'ing, and Facebook. References.

Creative, accessible, and well sequenced, "Friendship and Other Weapons" is a good example of a curriculum that is easy to implement and to customize for a group (even for older girls). Ideas for customizing a session are included. The parent involvement expecatation is an effective practice that affirms the family's investment in the group. The use of activities, processing, and journaling are clear indicators that this is a solid group work program (what the author called a "real friendship" group)... "Friendship and Other Weapons" is one of the best curriculums I have encountered. It embodies the value of the group to enable members help themselves and one anoher. I highly recomment this book for any level practitioner. I can see it working especially well in a school or community center. It is adaptable for younger girls or middle schoolers.