Adapting Childhood Comes First for children

In the present study, an attempt was made to adopt an intervention strategy from the principles expressed in Childhood Comes First: A Crash Course in Childhood for Adults (Helfer, 1978) to address the needs of abused children in a group format. The constructs underlying the tasks which comprise the crash course were generally found to be adaptable for use with children. They are: (1) sensory training; (2) self-acceptance; (3) self-control; (4) responsibility; (5) accepting one's own feelings; and (6) relating to others. The experience of working with seven abused children in a group which met weekly for six months to address these issues is described.