Therapeutic Recess
According to the National Alliance on Mental Health, 1 in 6 youth experience a mental health condition each year. Many more experience symptoms such as feelings of hopelessness, lethargy, and anxiety without receiving a formal diagnosis, and of youth who are diagnosed, nearly half do not receive any form of mental health counseling.
Where Chalk Talk® and The Community Clinic meet the needs of youth and adults suffering from acute mental health issues, Doc Wayne’s Therapeutic Recess seeks to provide all youth with the tools to navigate their complex social and emotional lives. Recess teaches youth vital Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) skills through sport-based therapy. Our team of highly-trained Youth Coaches travel to schools throughout Massachusetts to lead structured recess sessions for students, engaging with students through play and conversation while promoting a safe and fun environment for all.
[PLAY] IS THE TICKET IN. IT ALSO BRINGS UP THE PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES BECAUSE THAT’S WHERE THINGS HAPPEN. IF THEY’RE NOT DOING ANYTHING, IT’S HARD TO GIVE THOSE TEACHING MOMENTS…. PLAY IS EVERYTHING. WE MEET THEM WHERE THEY ARE…. GOING INTO THEIR SPACE, LETTING THEM BE THE TEACHER…THAT IS REALLY EMPOWERING FOR KIDS.
Interacting With Students In Their Environment
During sessions, Youth Coaches engage in activities to help facilitate game play, manage group behaviors and conflicts, and promote effective communication skills, and our practices are based on years of research and the experience of our trained clinical staff. Each recess session begins and ends with a Youth Coach-led activity that gives space for students to practice important social-emotional skills and share gratitude for their peers. The physical activity and environment in which recess typically takes place (loud, busy, and full of interpersonal dynamics) often heightens emotional responses from youth. Youth Coaches can provide in the moment support, identify students who need further skill development or clinical assessment, and assist with general awareness around emotion regulation.
You Can Help
By making a referral, one of our trained staff will reach out to see if our services will fit with your needs.
Youth are quicker to open up, engage with staff, and participate in our programming. Providing youth with the skills to navigate their individual, complex social-emotional lives is exactly what Therapeutic Recess seeks to do, and our success with students has led to a massive increase in the services we provide. In the 2023-24 school year, more than 2,700 youth participated in Therapeutic Recess, 1,000 more than the 2022-23 school year. All youth deserve adequate mental health support, and by providing all students with vital social-emotional skills, we set them up for success long after they’ve graduated from Doc Wayne programming.