New Release - A trauma-informed, neuroaffirming small group planning protocol!
Australian schools are expanding their efforts to offer Tier 2 small group programs, providing more intensive support where needed. That’s fantastic — but I’m hearing common challenges from educators and clinicians new to small group programs:
“We’re trying to run a small group program, but… …parents pulled their kids out — they didn’t want them missing class. …students refused to turn up. …the kids arrived dysregulated.”
In my 20 years as a psychologist running small group programs, I’ve often worked with young people who are anxious, reluctant, forced to participate, or carrying negative past experiences because their identity, interests, needs, and voice were ignored.
A successful group program isn’t luck — it’s planning. For over 15 years I've refined strategies to overcome these obstacles and create programs that are safe, engaging, and meaningful. I first spoke publicly about my planning process in 2015, contributing to the world’s first Autism MOOC (watch here). It’s not the same as the current version as I wasn’t aware of neuroaffirming principles then, but it does provide insight into my early work.
After 6 months of research and development, today, I’m releasing the Small Group Planning Protocol. Trauma-informed and neuroaffirming, it can be applied to any social-emotional or social small group program. It sits in the Social Stencil Collection and is designed for any educator, facilitator, or therapist — not just Social Stencil users.
The protocol outlines seven essential steps I follow to ensure every group is:
Safe for all participants and for you
Transparent to parents and the students
Grounded in student voice and agency
Individualised and engaging
Presented as short readings and a training videos (20-minutes in total), the steps are simple but structured to remove uncertainty and provide clear guidance for planning successful, trauma-informed, neuroaffirming small groups.
Next year, I’ll formally evaluate the protocol as part of a Melbourne University research project. For now, educators and practitioners are invited to explore it, trial it, and share feedback.
The Small Group Planning Protocol — the tool you didn’t know you needed to run safe, engaging, and impactful small group programs.
