“Assuming responsibility is the basic condition for change.”
The Safety Check Protocol, which is at the core of therapeutic parenting, is a brain-based behaviour intervention that shifts the brain from the amygdala’s flight-fight-freeze to the logic and reasoning of the prefrontal cortex. Based on the concepts of Reality Therapy, Choice Theory, 10 Units of Concern theory, felt Safety, and Brain Gym exercises, the Safety Check Protocol works on establishing healthy relationships and providing opportunity and skills to learn adaptive ways of getting one’s basic needs of safety, love and belonging, freedom, and survival met.
At Camp Attach, the Safety Check Protocol is used by parents when children display or express maladaptive behaviours and/or behaviours that parents want to see changed in their child/family. In the first half of the week, parents are able to call a Safety Check and the Camp Attach interventions team brings the child to a therapeutic intervention room to help them work through their behaviours, giving parents an opportunity to rest and get a break from the negative or maladaptive behaviours. During the second part of the week, parents are provided the skills, coaching, and support necessary to begin taking over the Safety Check Protocol with their children, readying them to take the skills home.
The Safety Check Protocol and the intervention room both provide a calm, safe, therapeutic environment in which children are provided with opportunities to reach the three main goals of the process (below). While the process can take as little as a few minutes to complete, it can take a child much longer for a child to be able to get their brain shifted and take responsibility.
Camp Attach uses “A+” (to the best of a child’s ability) to help children follow directions, shift their brains, and feel success at accomplishing the process, as well as high levels of respect to help children feel safe and valued. These high expectations of A+ action and respect mean that a child who is in the fight-flight-freeze part of the brain may take a while to get to the logic and reasoning that leads to compliance, responsibility, and restitution. The more Safety Checks are used by parents, the quicker children become at shifting their brains and finding success!
The Safety Check Protocol has 3 main goals:
- To shift the brain to logical thinking through the use of brain-shifting exercises.
- To allow children to take responsibility for their behaviours, opening up opportunities for change.
- To repair damages to the parent-child relationship through restitution.
Brain-shifters (brain-shifting exercises) used in the Safety Check Protocol include:
- strong sitting
- jumping jacks
- brain jumps
- brain boosters (super brain yoga)
- mini trampoline jumping
Each brain shifter is designed to shift the brain to logic and reasoning, allowing each child the opportunity to think clearly and calmly as they work through the process.
Throughout the Safety Check Protocol, connection, felt-safety, and respect remain at the forefront.
A Safety Check Journal Protocol is used with teens ages 13 – 17. This protocol follows the same guidelines and goals as the Safety Check Protocol, while also attending to the developmental needs of teenagers for independence, autonomy, and more in-depth problem solving.
Our intervention program for toddlers also works to meet their developmental needs of co-regulation and support, and age-appropriate protocols are used to help your toddler succeed to the best of their ability.
Camp Attach: Where Strong Parents Make Strong Kids