Developing 21st Century Skills Through Summer Camp

Dear Friends of Quest,

I hope that this monthly installment of our newsletter finds you happy and healthy!  Our spring sessions are in full swing and summer is just around the corner!  

We are putting into place several new things that I think will help to improve the camp experience.

New Additions for Camp this Summer Include:
--A transportation shuttle service to and from camp
--New field trips for bowling and the movies
--Additional Parent Meetings
--A new registration that will be much more user friendly than our last system and allow for signups by smartphone and tablet
--Additional staff to assist with the administrative details of camp


Summer Dates: July 7 to August 14

Please Click Here to View the Summer Calendar


REGISTRATIONS BY APRIL 15TH WILL RECEIVE $200 OFF SUMMER CAMP COSTS!

This issue of our newsletter features an article regarding how camps can teach children the skills considered critical to be successful in the 21st century.  At Quest, we are proud to provide an innovative treatment program through our therapeutic summer camp and school year therapy groups that have been proven to reduce problem behaviors not only at camp, but in school, at home, and in everyday life.  We hope that our newsletter will be a source of support and applicable information to improve the lives of the amazing children and families in our community.

Sincerely,


Jodie Knott, Ph.D.
Director and Licensed Psychologist
Quest Therapeutic Camps of Southern California





Developing 21st Century Skills Through Summer Campby Nicole Wurm,
Head of Counselor Services

What are 21st Century Skills and why does it matter?
            According to the American Management Association (2013) employers reported that companies with many job openings were unable to hire applicants due to lack of higher level skills. These skills are called 21st Century Skills which include creative solution development, ability to function as a team to solve problems, critical thinking, communication, flexibility, adaptability, social skills, leadership, and much more. The companies that formed the Partnership for 21st Century Skills asked for schools and youth development organizations to begin developing these skills in their students. The development of these skills is critical in preparing children for their adult life and career. Schools are beginning to use 21st Century Skills to develop these skills in conjunction with the new Common Core standards. These skills are an important part of being a well-rounded individual and a capable leader in business or the workforce.

For more information on the 21st Century Skills framework or skills please visit:

http://www.p21.org

http://www.p21.org/storage/documents/1.__p21_framework_2-pager.pdf


How can 21st Century Skills be Built?
            The use of experiential learning is an effective means for developing 21st Century Skills. Experiential learning is the process of learning from experience. Summer camps use experiential learning to develop these skills. Quest camp has taken the lead in developing and preparing children with the skills that will be in high demand for future jobs. A person begins developing these skills by experiencing team building initiatives that draw out the need for these skills. In order to successfully complete the tasks children must work as teams to create innovative solutions. During and after the experience they must reflect on the problem and what methods they can use to create a solution. They are building new knowledge and understandings through reflecting on the process they engaged in during their experience.   Although these skills are beginning to be integrated into schools, camps have been developing these skills in children for decades (Brody, 2013). Summer camps and other outdoor adventure experiential learning facilities are at the forefront of fostering these skills (Hattie et al., 1997; Henderson et al., 2007; Thurber et al. 2007).  Quest camps purposefully create its curriculum to foster the development these skills among its campers.

How Quest Builds 21st Century Skills?
            The games, activities and social interactions that Quest Camps utilize are developed to provide students with the opportunity to experience situations that need these skills. We build these skills up by starting with simpler experiences and construct a scaffold for students to build the knowledge and skills upon. Team building activities occurs several times throughout the week requiring students to work together to solve a problem; the objective of the exercise maybe to develop improved communication skills, teaching methods of problem solving or fostering creative thinking skills. Other experiences are designed to develop leadership, flexibility, social skills, responsibility and adaptability. Quest also integrates some of the information, media, and technology skills through the use of video game making week and movie making week, as well as, creativity, collaboration, communication, innovation etc. Leadership is highly encouraged within our program as campers develop the necessary skills and confidence and their abilities. Quest Camp uses experiential learning through the games, activities, and social interactions to develop the skills they will need to flourish and succeed in the 21st Century workplace and their lives.

**Information in this article is from Nicole's Thesis from California State University, Fullerton.

Taking the Shame out of Parenting for Both Children and Parents

Dear Friends of Quest,

I hope that this monthly installment of our newsletter finds you well!  We are super excited at Quest since we have already been planning many great things for this upcoming summer!  We are putting into place several new things that I think will help to improve the camp experience.

New Additions for Camp this Summer Include:
--A transportation shuttle service to and from camp
--New field trips for bowling and the movies
--Additional Parent Meetings
--A new registration that will be much more user friendly than our last system and allow for signups by smartphone and tablet
--Additional staff to assist with the administrative details of camp

It is hard to believe that our winter groups will be concluding in the next 2 weeks.  Both of our two therapy groups (our general group with some video game making and our rock climbing therapy group) will be starting the spring sequence on Wednesday, March 19th!  

Summer Dates: July 7 to August 14

Please Click Here to View the Summer Calendar


OUR NEW REGISTRATION SYSTEM WILL BE FULLY ACTIVE BY FRIDAY, MARCH 7TH!  REGISTRATIONS BY APRIL 15TH WILL RECEIVE $200 OFF SUMMER CAMP COSTS!

This issue of our newsletter features an article regarding how to discipline children without them experiencing shame.  At Quest, we are proud to provide an innovative treatment program through our therapeutic summer camp and school year therapy groups that have been proven to reduce problem behaviors not only at camp, but in school, at home, and in everyday life.  We hope that our newsletter will be a source of support and applicable information to improve the lives of the amazing children and families in our community.

Sincerely,


Jodie Knott, Ph.D.
Director and Licensed Psychologist
Quest Therapeutic Camps of Southern California





Taking the Shame out of Parenting for Both Children and Parents    

This month I decided to pull a couple excerpts out of a book by Dr. Brene Brown called, Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent and Lead related to parenting and shame.  I read this book recently and have referred it to many people since and have covered many of the concepts with the children I work with since the book is incredibly well written and clearly details many of Dr. Brown's findings as a leading researcher on shame.  She provides tangible suggestions about how to live more wholeheartedly.  Below are a few quotes from the book specific to parenting and shame that I think are helpful.  Dr. Brown defines guilt as "I did something bad" versus shame which is defined as "I am bad".  She discusses how perfectionism, having prerequisites of when we will be worthy, and the need to change how we look at and discuss guilt and shame to transform our feelings as adults, as well as for children, so that we can all have better shame resilience.

When it comes to parenting, the practice of framing mothers and fathers as good or bad is both rampant and corrosive--it turns parenting into a shame minefield.  The real questions for parents should be: "Are you engaged? Are you paying attention?" If so, plan to make lots of mistakes and bad decisions.  Imperfect parenting moments turn into gifts as our children watch us try to figure out what went wrong and how we can do better next time.  The mandate is not to be perfect and raise happy children.  Perfection doesn't exist, and I've found that what makes children happy doesn't always prepare them to be courageous, engaged adults. (Brown, page 15)

Are we sending overt or covert messages about what makes them more and less lovable?  Or are we focusing more on behaviors that need to change and making it clear that their essential worthiness is not on the table? (Brown, pages 221-222)

In addition to keeping a mindful eye on prerequisites and perfectionism, we can help our children keep and cultivate their sense of worthiness in another way, one that relates back to what we learned about the differences between shame and guilt.  Research indicates that parenting is a primary predictor of how prone our children will be to shame or guilt.  In other words, we have a lot of influence over how our kids think about themselves and their struggles.  Knowing as we do that shame is positively correlated with addiction, depression, aggression, violence, eating disorders, and suicide, and that guilt is inversely correlated with these outcomes, we naturally would want to raise children who use more guilt self-talk than shame.

This means we need to separate our children from their behaviors.  As it turns out, there's a significant difference between you are bad and you did something bad.  And, no it's not just semantics.  Shame corrodes the part of us that believes we can do and be better.  When we shame and label our children, we take away their opportunity to grow and try on new behaviors.  If a child tells a lie, she can change that behavior.  If she is a liar--where's the potential for change in that?

Cultivating more guilt self-talk and less shame self-talk requires rethinking how we discipline and talk to our children.  But it also means explaining these concepts to our kids.  Children are very receptive to talking about shame if we're willing to do it.  By the time they're four and five, we can explain to them the difference between guilt and shame, and how much we love them even when they make bad choices. (Brown, pages 224-225)

Brown, B, (2012) Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent and Lead.

Helping Children to Recognize Emotions in Themselves and Others

Dear Friends of Quest,

Happy New Year!!! I hope that this monthly installment of our newsletter finds you enjoying the holiday season and getting ready to celebrate the start of a new year!

We are excited to have both of our two therapy groups (our general group with some video game making and our rock climbing therapy group) starting the winter sequence on Wednesday, January 8th!

SIGN UPS ARE HAPPENING NOW!

This issue of our newsletter features an article regarding how to help children to recognize the emotions that they experience as well as when others are having an emotional reaction.  At Quest, we are proud to provide an innovative treatment program through our therapeutic summer camp and school year therapy groups that have been proven to reduce problem behaviors not only at camp, but in school, at home, and in everyday life.  We hope that our newsletter will be a source of support and applicable information to improve the lives of the amazing children and families in our community.

Sincerely,


Jodie Knott, Ph.D.
Director and Licensed Psychologist
Quest Therapeutic Camps of Southern California





Helping Children to Recognize Emotions in Themselves and Others   

Learning to recognize one's own emotions as well as the emotions of others is a critical skill needed for children and adults to have healthy and positive interactions with others.  While the ability to be able to read facial expressions is typically a well developed, natural skills for people, it is very common for children with attention and social difficulties to have severe struggles in this area.  Typically by preschool, children can make and understand all of the 410 different facial expressions.  "An early skill that has been found to be important for the development of additional social ability is the ability to understand and recognize facial expressions appropriately.  These expressions allow the child to understand the other's mood reaction to their behavior and adapt accordingly." [1]  In general, children on the autism spectrum have been found to struggle significantly since they typically don't give eye contact and instead look at someone's mouth.  This is concerning since approximately 80% of human facial expressions is communicated through the eyes. [2]  In addition, only 7% of emotional meaning is expressed with the use of words, while 55% is conveyed through facial expression, body language, and gestures. [3]  Luckily, children can be taught how to recognize facial expressions and emotions in themselves and others.

There are several resources that can be helpful to help children with recognizing facial expressions and emotions.  A couple of these programs include:

1.  "Let's Face It!"--A face recognition program that teaches facial recognition and emotion recognition in 20 hours.  The program is a free download from the University of Victoria Brain and Cognition Lab and the Yale Child Study Center.  Information is available at: http://web.uvic.ca/. [4]

2. Attainment's Getting the Message, Learning to Read Facial Expressions Program--Pat Crissey provides a solid program with many ways to assess aspects of facial recognition as well as providing a curriculum for how to approach teachable skills and connected practice opportunities.

At Quest, we have also worked with our children by teaching many skills related to face recognition and emotion recognition.  We do this in several ways.  Regarding facial recognition, one key area of our program is trying to make our conversations with our campers explicit and go over with them what benefits they can get out of seeking out more information from facial cues and body language.  We don't just tell our children to give us good eye contact, but we discuss with them the type of information that they should be seeking out through the eye contact that they are giving.  In addition, often parents or teachers will assume that children will understand the adult's emotional experience since their emotions are being conveyed through their facial expressions.  Since the children we work with are prone to struggles in this area we instead are very clear in our language.  For example: I might say to our campers "Right now I am very frustrated.  You can see this by looking at my face.  Pay attention to the shape of my eyebrows and how my hands are on my hips.  Those are both clues that I am frustrated right now."  We often will try to help the children we work with to recognize their own cues as well.  An example of this would be to say to a child, "Right now it looks like you are upset.  I can see that your voice is lower, that your shoulders are slumped, and your mouth is turned down.  These are all cues to me that you might be upset."

For emotional conversations, our campers also often respond best when we give multiple choice options regarding how they are feeling versus an open ended question.  In several instances we work to help our children to rate their various emotions from happy, sad, excited, nervous, etc. on a 1 to 5 scale.  Often we will see less behavioral difficulties when we are successfully able to help our children recognize when they are getting upset and then using appropriate coping strategies.  At Quest, many of our children become proficient at labeling the intensity of an emotion that they are experiencing and then using corresponding coping strategies until they have decreased to a 1 or a 2 on our 5 point scale.  We also routinely use our number scale on days with emotionally intensive field trips such as a trip to a local amusement park when we ask our campers how excited and also how nervous they are and then discuss how we can often feel more than one emotion at a time.

While it takes time to focus on facial expressions and the recognition of emotions it is valuable since this is a key skill for success.  The good news is is that there are good resources out there to help teach your children these skills.

[1] Semrud-Clickman, M (2007). Social competence in children. New York, NY: Springer, p. 76. as cited in a presentation on Social Difficulties of Learning, Attentional and Autism Spectrum Disorders by Dr. Kevin Blake, 2013.  www.drkevinblake.com.
[2] Dr. Kevin Blake, presentation on Social Difficulties of Learning, Attentional and Autism Spectrum Disorders, 2013.  www.drkevinblake.com.
[3] Mehrabian, 1987, as cited in Getting the Message, learning to read facial expressions by Pat Crissey, 2007, USA.
[4] Dr. Kevin Blake, presentation on Social Difficulties of Learning, Attentional and Autism Spectrum Disorders, 2013.  www.drkevinblake.com.

Behaviors and Characteristics of Happy People

Dear Friends of Quest,

Happy Thanksgiving!!! I hope that this monthly installment of our newsletter finds you happy and healthy, and enjoying your Thanksgiving!  This sequence of our school year fall rock climbing and video game making groups are almost finished until January!  Early registration discounts for our January groups end December 15th so sign up now.

This issue of our newsletter features an article regarding characteristics that are associated with being the most happy.  At Quest, we are proud to provide an innovative treatment program through our therapeutic summer camp and school year therapy groups that have been proven to reduce problem behaviors not only at camp, but in school, at home, and in everyday life.  We hope that our newsletter will be a source of support and applicable information to improve the lives of the amazing children and families in our community.

Sincerely,


Jodie Knott, Ph.D.
Director and Licensed Psychologist
Quest Therapeutic Camps of Southern California



Behaviors and Characteristics of Happy People  
This month with Thanksgiving here it seemed like a great time to discuss happiness as Thanksgiving is often thought of a time to reflect on what we feel blessed by or what we are thankful for.  For this article, I am choosing to summarize a recent article in Psychology Today by Todd Kashdan and Robert Biswas-Diener, two authors who focus on well-being.  They note that:
True happiness is more than a jumble of intensely positive feelings--it's probably better described as a sense of 'peace' or 'contentedness.' Regardless of how it's defined, happiness is partly emotional--and therefore tethered to the truth that each individual's feelings have a natural set point, like a thermostat, which genetic baggage and personality play a role in establishing.  Yes, positive events give you a boost, but before long you swing back toward your natural set point...That is, happiness is a state of mind, and as such, can be intentional and strategic.  Regardless of your emotional set point, your everyday habits and choices...can push the needle on your well-being. [1]

This article by Kashdan and Biswas-Diener present research findings on 5 things that happy people do differently.

1.  The Real Rewards of Risk (when anxiety is an optimal state)
Happy people tend to not just stay in their comfort zone, but choose to venture into new territories to try new things since they tend to be curious.  Even though curiosity can lead to some discomfort and vulnerability, happy people tend to take risks that lead to more positive, emotional experiences of higher intensity.

2.  A Blind Eye to Life's Vicissitudes (the benefit of seeing the forest but not the trees)
The authors report that happy people tend to be less likely to be analytical, detail-oriented, and skeptical about others.  They indicate that paying some attention to detail can help to have a realistic worldview, but happy people do this without getting pulled in too far to little details.
This is not to say that we should take a laissez-faire attitude to all our responsibilities; paying attention to details is helpful. But too much focus on minutiae can be exhausting and paralyzing.  The happiest among us (cheerfully) accept that striving for perfection--and a perfectly smooth interaction with everyone at all times--is a loser's bet. [2]

3.  The Unjealous Friend (we're buoyed by others' good fortune)
Kashdan and Biswas-Diener report that while being able to be there for friends in down times is important it is actually more important when looking at happiness to be able to celebrate with a friend or partner in their most joyful and successful moments.

4.  A Time for Every Feeling (the upside of negative emotions)
The authors report that it is important to have a balance of being able to let go of small things, but not to deny their own feelings.  Kashdan and Biswas-Diener indicate that happy people know that emotions provide good information and that they don't hide from negative emotions, but instead use this information to change their behavior and situations as needed.
Happy, flourishing people don't hide from negative emotions.  They acknowledge that life is full of disappointments and confront them head on, often using feelings of anger effectively to stick up for themselves or those of guilt as motivation to change their own behavior.  This nimble mental shifting between pleasure and pain, the ability to modify behavior to match a situation's demands, is known as psychological flexibility. [3]

5.  The Well-Being Balancing Act (pleasure and purpose work together)
It is important to find balance between finding fun and pleasure in life, with having a purpose in life since purpose can often drive us to take risks and make changes.  They note that people who are happiest are often the most successful at sacrificing pleasures for the short-term to work towards what they aspire for in life.  The authors recommend that in order to find purpose it can be helpful to reflect honestly on what you find most rewarding and meaningful, what you typically excel at, what you wouldn't be willing to give up, and what you crave the most.

Kashdan and Biswas-Diener detail that there is more to life than being happy.  They note that the "good life is best construed as a matrix that includes happiness, occasional sadness, a sense of purpose, playfulness, and psychological flexibility, as well autonomy, mastery, and belonging." [4]  While we can't change everything about our happiness, we can do many things to focus our energy on making healthy habits and choices.

[1] Kashdan, T.B., and Biswas-Diener, R. What happy people do differently. Psychology Today, July/August 2013, p. 52.
[2] Kashdan, T.B., and Biswas-Diener, R. What happy people do differently. Psychology Today, July/August 2013, p. 54.
[3] Kashdan, T.B., and Biswas-Diener, R. What happy people do differently. Psychology Today, July/August 2013, p. 57.
[4] Kashdan, T.B., and Biswas-Diener, R. What happy people do differently. Psychology Today, July/August 2013, p. 54.

Challenging Children's Fears

Dear Friends of Quest,
 
Happy Halloween!!! I hope that this monthly installment of our newsletter finds you happy and healthy, enjoying your fall season!  Our school year fall rock climbing and video game making groups are zooming by!
 
This issue of our newsletter features an article regarding how to assist children to challenge their fears.  At Quest, we are proud to provide an innovative treatment program through our therapeutic summer camp and school year therapy groups that have been proven to reduce problem behaviors not only at camp, but in school, at home, and in everyday life.  We hope that our newsletter will be a source of support and applicable information to improve the lives of the amazing children and families in our community.
 
Sincerely,


Jodie Knott, Ph.D.
Director and Licensed Psychologist
Quest Therapeutic Camps of Southern California




Challenging Children's Fears  

This month with Halloween fast approaching it seemed like a great time to discuss how parents can help children to challenge their fears.  I have a feeling that all the holiday clown commercials lately sparked this topic for me this month since even as an adult I can't help but feel uneasy when those scary creatures flash across my television screen.  Seeing the movie Poltergeist as a child was enough to teach me that clowns are just not to be trusted.  Moving on from my own personal childhood fear...It is very common for children to experience some fears in childhood.  While having fears can be a form of anxiety, these fears are often not a large concern unless children are suffering from many fears or a lot of general anxiety, the fears are causing the child high levels of distress, or are negatively impacting the child.  In these types of cases it can be most helpful to see a licensed professional since a therapist can further assess the level of anxiety a child may be experiencing and create a more comprehensive treatment program individualized for a specific child.

In other cases, where it is just one or two fears that are manageable there are many potential interventions parents can use that can be very helpful for children.  Common childhood fears such as a fear of the dark or monsters under the bed can often be addressed at home.

Some tips that can often help children with their various fears:
1.Try to gather more information from your child about his or her fears.  Often children will have a specific reason that they are afraid to sleep in their own room or are afraid of the dark such as that they are afraid of robbers, a certain type of monster, that a parent often leaves a door unlocked in the house that they always notice, etc.  In many cases, when you know what is driving a specific fear you can target your conversations or interventions to allieviate it.
2.  Help your children avoid things that increase their fears.  I can't tell you how many of the children that come into my office can't pry themselves away from the things that scare them such as certain cartoons, movies, or books.  I feel like I have to personally thank the Goosebumps book series for bringing children again and again into my office over the years.  As the parent, it often becomes your job to decide to limit your child's exposure to certain types of scary entertainment (even if your child begs and pleads that deep down he or she can handle it).
3.  Teach your children skills to manage their anxiety such as relaxation strategies (deep breathing, imagery, progressive relaxation) and help them create positive self-statements to say to themselves ("I am safe right now.  I just need to calm down and relax.  I can trust my parents to keep me safe.")
4.  Some parents are also willing to use some interventions that can be a little unconventional, where as some other parents don't feel these are the best fit for their children.  Some strategies that have been really helpful to get some children who are afraid at night to sleep in their own rooms include creating some sort of keepsake for protection at night to help children feel safe.  I have worked with some children who really found relief by us creating some sort of dream catcher in the office to serve as a reminder that they are safe.  I know several parents who have also either ordered some monster repellants online or made their own "monster spray".  If parents choose to go this route, I tend to advise that they don't make a ritual out of something like a monster spray, but instead have it be something that wards off monsters permanently with one dose.
5.  Provide big rewards and incentives for children who are able to use coping skills to challenge their fears.  Children often respond well to bonuses for each night that they stay in their room for the whole night.

Some tips of what to say to children about their fears:
1.  Normalize fears to let children know that pretty much all children and adults have fears.  I consider having some fears or concerns as a sign that your child is conscientious and really cares about their own health and safety, which is a good thing.
2.  Inform your children that you are available to discuss their fears with them.  Children also often benefit from knowing that it can be a sign of strength, not weakness, to be able to discuss their feelings including their fears.
3.  Don't minimize your child's fears or say that his or her fears are silly.  Hearing from a parent that monsters don't exist and just shutting down a conversation typically won't end a child's fears.
4.  Make it clear to your children that you as the parent have the important job to keep them safe and that you make decisions every day to make this happen such as by deciding on safe neighborhoods, wearing seat belts, making healthy eating choices, etc.

While all children are different, many of the strategies listed above can help children to find relief from their fears.  Anxiety is a common experience for many children and using some of the above strategies or meeting with professionals can often help your children to move beyond their fears to find greater peace.

Apps to Assist with Parenting

Dear Friends of Quest,
 
I hope that this monthly installment of our newsletter finds you happy and healthy, enjoying your fall season!  Our school year rock climbing and video game making groups are flying by already!
 
This issue of our newsletter features some recommendations for apps that might be helpful for raising a family in the current electronic age.  At Quest, we are proud to provide an innovative treatment program through our therapeutic summer camp and school year therapy groups that have been proven to reduce problem behaviors not only at camp, but in school, at home, and in everyday life.  We hope that our newsletter will be a source of support and applicable information to improve the lives of the amazing children and families in our community.
 
Sincerely,


Jodie Knott, Ph.D.
Director and Licensed Psychologist
Quest Therapeutic Camps of Southern California





Apps to Assist with Parenting  

As many of the monthly newsletters focus on parenting tips and how to make life easier for families it seems appropriate to mention some of the apps that are available that can be helpful at times for parents in achieving some of their parenting goals.  There are some helpful apps that focus on how to help families monitor the safety of their children, provide reminders, and manage chores, rewards, and allowances.  Some of the suggestions that I will be offering this month come from researching online about a variety of apps available, while others are direct recommendations from some of the parents I work with who have highly recommended these apps.  For all of these recommendations, each parent should reflect on what they would like in an app and what is really a good fit for them and their specific family's unique needs.  This list is also just a small list of what is out there and available as possible resources.

Several recommendations on this list come from Heather Leister, The Iphone Mom at www.theiphonemom.com, who has a whole website designed to evaluate apps for children and their families.  Her top 50 suggestions for moms in a variety of areas including "saving money, organizing, and having fun" are available at www.babble.com.  The three apps she mentions that I specifically want to call attention to are:
1.  Mobicip Safe Browser--provides and alternative web browser that can restrict what your child can access online
2.  iReward Chart--reward chart/incentive program tracker
3. e-Nag Reminders--schedule text message prompts

Lindsay Hutton wrote the "12 Must-Have Apps for Moms" for www.familyeducation.com.  The apps on her list that I specifically wanted to mention are:
1. Mama Bear--"an all-in-one app that allows you to always know where your kids are, what they're doing on social media, who they are with, and, for parents of teens, if they are speeding."  The app also provides updates about social media including notifying parents about inappropriate language, a map feature, and a chance for your child to check-in or notify a parent in an emergency.  
2.  iReward Chart--reward chart also highly rated above
3.  Chore Pad--reward plan for chores

Code9 Mobile--Regarding teen tracking, this app was recommended online since it locates your child, monitors their contacts in the address book, curfew tools to shutdown texting after hours, text message filtering, and the ability to block certain numbers.

Recommendations from my families:
1.  360 Locator--For GPS locating, parents can use this app to locate their children, noting this app is so specific they can even see if their child is on the right side of the street when waiting at a bus stop to make sure their child catches the right bus.
2. iAllowance--a system for tracking rewards, priviliges, and allowance
3. Play Timer--an app that shuts down the electronic when their child's earned time is over
4. Kik--text messaging app
5. Teen Safe--text and facebook tracking (a parent mentioned this is a great app for android users)
6.  Directive Parenting--This is a web based program, developed by Dr. Robert Field, the founder of Quest, to identify problem behaviors, create behavior programs, chart a baseline of behavior, and set rewards and consequences. www.directiveparenting.com

The Newsletter in Review

Dear Friends of Quest,

I hope that this monthly installment of our newsletter finds you happy, healthy, and ready for a great school year!  I can't believe it, but camp has flown by and it is time for the school year rock climbing and video game making groups to start!  I am happy to say that we had an incredible summer this year.  We are also doubling our school year programs with the addition of a video game making group.

 Please checkout our website for
our detailed calendar and more information for our rock climbing and video game making school year groups!
EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT SIGN UPS
HAPPENING TIL SEPTEMBER 10TH!!!

Announcements:

We are asking you to partner with us to help scholarship children into the Quest program who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford it.  We now have two ways that you can help us in this endeavor.

1.  Contribute by donating money to our scholarship fund through the American Camp Association.
These donations are tax deductible and are held specifically by the ACA for our local Quest campers.  To donate please click here and type in "Quest Therapeutic Camps of Southern California" for the camp that you would like to donate to.

2.  Download the Communities for Cause app and some of your regular shopping helps fund kids into Quest.

 
This issue of our newsletter features a summary of all the previous newsletters since there have been a lot of topics covered in the past year and a half. At Quest, we are proud to provide an innovative treatment program through our therapeutic summer camp and school year rock climbing therapy groups that have been proven to reduce problem behaviors not only at camp, but in school, at home, and in everyday life.  We hope that our newsletter will be a source of support and applicable information to improve the lives of the amazing children and families in our community.

Sincerely,


Jodie Knott, Ph.D.
Director and Licensed Psychologist
Quest Therapeutic Camps of Southern California





The Newsletter in Review  

This month seemed like a good time to provide a summary of all the Quest newsletters that have been written since it first began in May of 2011.  I thought this would make sense to do since it would be a way to cover some of the topics that I tend to find the most relevant for families and include things I discuss frequently with both the children and adults I see in my office and at camp.  I am happy to say that our newsletter distribution has grown a lot in the past year and a half.  I strive to have the newsletter be a solid resource with information and tips to help children and families live happier, healthier lives.  Hopefully this review will lead you to some of our archived newsletters that you may have missed or would like to further explore at this time.  Below I have listed the article by name and have labeled the topics covered, as well as placing a star by the articles that are discussed most frequently.  A link is also provided at the bottom of the list for how to access these articles since they are all archived on our website.

Quest Newsletter Article Review 

ARTICLE NAME	TOPICS COVERED
Experiencing Enrichment through Camp	Camp Enrichment
Navigating Dangerous Waters: Kids and Electronics	Parenting
Sensory Integration and Sensory Processing Disorders	Treatment
*Treatment Options for ADHD	Treatment
*The Importance of Social and Emotional Intelligence	Social Skills
The Power of Exercise	Alternative Health Options
*Success at Home Starts with Home(work)	School Parenting
*The Wild West of Parenting	Parenting
Last Child in the Woods	Alternative Health Options
*Take the Emotion Out of Parenting	Parenting
*Strategies to Help Children Overcome Social Challenges	Social Skills
Determining Whether an Assessment is Needed for Your Child	Assessment
*Being a Parent Detective	Parenting
Making the Most Out of the Holidays	Enrichment
Making Changes Count and Last	Goal Setting
*Positive Change Through Praise	Parenting
Parents Are People Too	Parenting Enrichment
The Amazing Power of Camp	Camp Enrichment
Using Positive Behavior Support in the Home	Parenting
Setting Children Up for Success in Game Play with Others	Social Skills
*Relaxation Strategies for a More Happy, Calm Life	Treatment Parenting
Supporting Children's Academic Growth with 504 and IEP	School
Why Rock Climbing	Alternative Health Options
Teaching Children to be Honest	Parenting
Helping Prepare Teens with Attention and Learning Difficulties for College	School
Increasing Happiness and Goal Attainment	Goal Setting
*Increasing Task Completion and the School Behavior Tracker	School
*Being Clear About the Nonnegotiable	Parenting
*What ADHD Is and Isn't	Treatment
The Keys to Successful Family Problem Solving	Parenting
The Unique Power of Group Interventions	Camp Treatment
Providing Children with Enriching Summer Experiences	Camp Enrichment
Long Term Benefits of Behavioral Therapy	Treatment

To sign up for the Quest Newsletter: Please click the link on the left side of this newsletter.

To see archived newsletters: Please click here.