Wellspring Camps Clinical Blog

Welcome to the Wellspring Parents Blog!

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Behavior Contracting

In our years of experience, Wellspring staff have seen behavior contracts between campers and their families to encourage continued progress.

A behavior contract is a simple agreement between camper and loved ones that involves

a. personal goals

b. agreements between parties for when and what kind of help is required to achieve these goals

c. a timeline for when goals will be achieved

d. rewards for achieving these goals

Behavior contracts can be as simple or complex as the family wants. Both short- and long-term goals can be listed, and rewards should match the difficulty of the goal achieved. The trick to a successful contract is to write it so that camper and family member(s) agree on concrete goals, help and rewards, and stick to the plan for success.

Here an example of a short contract with some suggested rewards:

Behavioral%20Contract%20for%20Weight%20Control-%20Example%203-07.pdf

Labels: Prepping for Home, The Wellspring Plan

posted by Wellspring Camps at 9:51 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Positive Coping and Self-Statements

Dealing with anxiety or frustration - whether its the stresses of daily living or a major life change - can be difficult. Often, stressful times, events, even people can throw us off our routine or distract us from focusing on our goals, and we find ourselves making poor eating or behavior choices without thinking.

Many campers express making poor decisions at such times, and the Wellspring Plan suggests finding positive solutions or ways of reacting during high-risk situations. Positive self-statements often help campers redirect their thoughts from the stressor back to their goals and the sense of accomplishment they feel in achieving these goals.

Positive self-statements can be used before, during or after a stressful event or interaction, and can be used as often as an individual needs them. Below are some suggestions for statements, but feel free to create your own...just as your campers have been doing!

When prepping for a stressor:

*I can create a plan to deal with this.

*Worrying won't help - Plan instead!

*My anxiety tells me that I have a challenge facing me.

During the stressor:

*Just take it one step at a time - follow my plan.

*Relax, I'm in control. (Can be accompanied by slow, deep breathing.)

*This is not the worst thing that could happen - I can manage this.

Rewarding yourself after the stressor:

*I did it!

*That was not as bad as I thought it would be.

*I'm making progress.

*My plan worked.

Labels: Healthy Lifestyle, The Wellspring Plan

posted by Wellspring Camps at 10:11 AM 0 comments

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Rewarding healthy lifestyle changes

Over the past several weeks, Wellspring campers have been working hard and pushing themselves to make positive, healthy changes in their lives. These changes not only include the foods they eat, but also the way each camper deals with personal emotions, as well as the activities they do on a daily basis.

Its important to reward these choices and challenges with emotional and tangible supports. For parents, family members and close friends, emotional support can take several forms:

* Taking time to listen when your camper chooses to give his/her opinion from a Wellspring Plan point of view

*Asking your camper "how can I help?" or "what can I do to support you on this?" and being willing to compromise according to their needs

*Role modeling healthy activity and lifestyle - including SMJ-ing! - and asking your camper to join you in these activities

More physical or tangible rewards might include:

*Choosing not to have high-fat foods in the home for the health of your camper, even though another family member may enjoy them

*Gifts or rewards when campers achieve their goals including gym membership, workout clothes, fitness equipment, or gift certificates to athletic/sports stores

*Choosing activities to do as a group that are more physical - such as bowling, camping, visiting a park or lake, instead of something sedentary

^thanks to Lauren Kirk for this photo

Labels: Healthy Lifestyle

posted by Wellspring Camps at 5:39 AM 0 comments

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Many camps have recently welcomed parents and loved ones for Family Workshop Weekend. For campers, this was a chance to review their progess, set goals for their future after camp, and to teach their parents about the Wellspring program and how they have grown through this experience.

Some CBT groups encouraged campers to write letters to their parents, asking for help in continuing their weight control and lifestyle changes at home. Some requests were very specific, and included:

*Please clear all full-fat products from cupboards and the fridge

* Please call my school to ask for healthier lunch options and better foods in the vending machines

* Please help me stay active by driving me to the gym/walking with me in the morning/being my exercise buddy

* Please give me emotional support when I struggle to stay on the Plan

* Please take me to the grocery store with you

* Please allow me to make my own mistakes and maintain my own program

Are any of these requests things you could do

to support your child when he/she comes home?

Labels: Prepping for Home

posted by Wellspring Camps at 2:38 PM 0 comments

Monday, July 13, 2009

Grocery & Restaurant Trips - Camper Reactions

A few thoughts from our campers on the recent grocery and restaurant challenge trips made in the last week:

"I thought the grocery trip wass really helpful because I learned many things about what I buy at home. The restaurant trip was really easy and helpful to order without oil or fatty products. It made it seem easier to ask what the food was cooked in than to eat when you didn't know what it was made of." Sarah D., WNY

"The restaurant and grocery trip was really fun. The grocery trip made me realize that I can still get good non-fat foods, but the restaurant trip made me think that its going to be difficult to order good tasting healthy food." Devon T., WNY

"The grocery store trip helped because I saw the good foods that we could still eat. The restaurant was hard to find the healthy low fat foods bt it was good to practice ordering food that needs to be prepared healthy." Joy L., WNY

Labels: Camper Thoughts

posted by Wellspring Camps at 9:52 PM 0 comments

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Prepping for Home – already! Finding healthy alternatives and making plans for potentially dangerous situations

This week at many Wellspring Camps, campers ventured out into the “real” world for their Grocery and Restaurant Challenges.

Their task at the grocery store was to find at least 5 foods they regularly enjoy, and to look for a healthier alternative. They looked for low fat and fewer calorie options, and also kept in mind sugar, fiber, vitamins, and other nutritional details.

The Restaurant Challenge tested campers’ assertive ordering and eating powers – their task at this meal was to try to “stay on The Wellspring Plan” when ordering food at restaurants. An overwhelming majority of campers chose to order “on Plan” and put in the hard work and preparation it takes to stay focused in a potentially hazardous environment!

Labels: Healthy Lifestyle, Prepping for Home

posted by Wellspring Camps at 2:45 PM 0 comments

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Setting Goals

This week, campers set goals for their camp experience, both individually and in groups.

Its important to work toward lofty goals to feel like you’ve achieved something, and to reward yourself for your accomplishments. Campers suggested short- and long-term goals for themselves, and suggested positive rewards for attaining each goal.

Some examples include:

Goal:	Reward:
Drink 4 water bottles each day this week	Earn four orange beads to spend in Well-Mart (our Wellspring store!)
Try a new soup this week	Eat dinner with my BC
Maintain a good attitude on the challenging Ropes course	Earn acknowledgment at Summit Meeting

Campers are recognized for their achievements at Summit Meetings, earning beads, increased phone time, and other tangible rewards for challenging themselves, encouraging others, and meeting their personal goals.

Before they leave, campers will develop a Plan for Home that will help them maintain their weight losses and reward future accomplishments.

Labels: Healthy Lifestyle, The Wellspring Plan

posted by Wellspring Camps at 9:18 AM 0 comments