Practice Self-Regulation™ has nine core components that make up a foundation for long-term health and well-being. The content of each component (what is taught) is listed below, followed by a description of the intervention’s pedagogy (how the content should be taught) and implementation guidance (the learning environment in which the program should be taught).
1. Practice Self-Regulation™ is Trauma-Informed: Acknowledging and understanding the impact of adverse childhood experiences and trauma on current behavior.
2. Self-Regulation: Introducing, teaching, and supporting each participant’s practice of self-regulation (thoughts, feelings, physiological reactions, behavior, and outcomes). Facilitate understanding and exploration of self-regulation’s relationship to, and influence on sexual decision-making.
3. Practice Self-Regulation Workbook: Youth generally complete the workbook on their own time. Some need support working on it during sessions in collaboration with the facilitator. The workbook contains self-directed activities that help simplify complex concepts related to trauma. This helps youth more easily understand and apply effective coping strategies for self-regulation and optimal sexual decision-making. The workbook provides a clearly defined and structured way of guiding youth through the therapeutic process.
4. Multi-Sensory Activities: Neuroscience indicates that multi-sensory activities enhance brain processing and executive functioning (working memory, analysis and synthesis, organizational skills, internal speech, emotional and behavioral regulation). Each session includes at least one multi-sensory activity such as guided imagery or other mindfulness practices. Other activities enhance self-awareness through drawing and/or writing, such as creating a personal shield for self-protection or a self-portrait of the person they want to be.
5. Positive Youth Development: Research indicates that focusing on strength and resources promotes therapeutic change. It also indicates that people are more likely to be successful working towards a goal (sexual health) rather than trying to avoid something negative (pregnancy, STI’s, harm to self or others). This represents contrast between approach and avoidance focused interventions.
6. Self-Efficacy (autonomy): Motivational Interviewing is used as the foundational philosophical approach to promote life-long optimal sexual decision-making. This involves helping youth to understand influences on sexual decision-making, addressing discord, ambivalence, and increasing motivation to practice optimal sexual decision-making.
7. Personal Values: Youth identify personal values and refer to them throughout the process in order to move towards alignment between their stated values and behavior.
8. Uniform Session Structure: Creating and maintaining a safe, stable, and supportive environment is a foundation of trauma-informed care. Predictability is an element of stability and identifying clear expectations for change influences successful outcomes in psychotherapy. Using a uniform session structure streamlines the therapeutic process and reduces stress for both therapists and participants. After the first introductory session the following nine involve:
- Checking-in and facilitating a decision dialogue
- Monitoring progress in the workbook
- Sex education and/or multi-sensory activities
- Obtaining client feedback through Wrap Up questions
9. Future Orientation: Research indicates that future orientation is a predictive factor for positive youth development and youth violence prevention.