The world would be a much kinder place if we could learn to better identify and manage our emotions and reactions. There is help and hope on that front, dear readers…
Have you heard of the SNAP methodology as it relates to helping children manage their reactions? Here’s an overview of how it works.
If you’re a parent, teacher, grandparent, or counsellor, you certainly know that one of the most difficult, frustrating, lonely, and confusing aspects of raising children is helping kids to manage their emotions, gain emotional intelligence, and understand how best to react to feelings of disappointment, anger, fright, embarrassment, sadness or frustration.
While lashing out, screaming, yelling, hiding, temper tantrums or violence are common and fairly normal reactions, there are better, calmer, kinder ways to react to our sometimes uncomfortable human emotions.
Here’s where the SNAP program comes in. First off, SNAP is an acronym which stands for:
Stop
Now
And
Plan
SNAP® is a specialized, family-focused intervention for boys and girls (and/or gender fluid and non-binary persons) under age 12 who display aggressive and antisocial behavior problems.
How Did SNAP® Emerge?
Helping children early is absolutely critical. According to a scientific study, children who engage in serious, violent, or chronic delinquent behaviors from a young age are on a trajectory for future criminal careers.
As such, The Stop Now and Plan Program (SNAP®) is an evidence-based, award-winning crime prevention model program developed in Canada (wahoo Canada!) by the Child Development Institute (CDI). This straightforward system of steps is now taught around the world.
Since its inception over thirty years ago, the SNAP method has helped children, youth and their families learn self-control and problem-solving skills along with strategies to manage their emotions. SNAP participants learn to calm down and reflect before reacting and to seek out positive solutions to their problems related to antisocial and violent behaviours.
Why It’s Needed
Many of us don’t realize that we are not our emotions… our thoughts and feelings are part of who we are but they are NOT us. Make sense? The SNAP method helps children to identify, name and use their intellect to make choices about how they will act and react in the moment.
It can be scary to feel out of control but this program helps kids & families take back control of their choices and feel more confident and empowered.
If this sounds like something that could benefit you or your child, client, or classroom, reach out to a SNAP-certified counsellor in your area. Personally, I feel that in-person sessions are most effective, but if that isn’t possible, you can access some of the program information online.
So, does SNAP work? Yes, it does!
Dr. Leena Augimeri, SNAP’s co-creator, explains that behaviour can’t be changed overnight but the techniques help clients to “slowly undo and unwind.”
Evaluations have shown that SNAP reduced aggressive conduct and other problem behaviours for boys and girls at 6 months post program and follow-up periods.
And the SNAP model is recognized as one of the “most extensively developed, longest sustained, empirically-based interventions, specifically for pre-offender youth under the age of 12.”
Resources:
Here are SNAP-related resources available online and in locations around the world. Please note that I tried to be as inclusive as possible in terms of geography, language, and (dis)ability but this is not an exhaustive list. If you have other resources to add, please contact me and I will add them.
Child Development Institute (Toronto, Canada and surrounding regions): SNAP Girls and SNAP Boys
Kinark Child & Family Services (Online/available to all): Navigating the Middle Years PDF
Shuswap Family Centre (British Columbia, Canada) : Stop Now and Plan
Newspaper article about the SNAP program: Toronto Guardian
Auberle Changes Lives (McKeesport, PA, U.S.A.): SNAP In-Person Program
CDS Family & Behavioral Health Centre (covering Gainesville, Lake City, and Palatka. Depending on the program we cover Alachua, Bradford, Baker, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Levy, Putnam, Suwannee, Taylor and Union, U.S.A.): SNAP In-Person Program
CAFCAN (Canadian African Families organization), (North York, Ontario, Canada): SNAP In-Person Program
North Ayrshire Council Educational Psychological Services (Irvine, UK): Psychological services for parents, educators and children
Florida Network Child & Family Services (various locations in the state of Florida, U.S.A.): SNAP site coordinators by county
Centre Famille & Ressource (Pierrefonds, Quebec, Canada): Self-Referral Program Questionnaire
Yours in peaceful parenting,
Lisa