Hello all,

Happy to be part of this forum! Thank you Eli, for including us.

My team member (Brian Boles) and I took the SPACE training in San Francisco in January 2020. Since then we have been running SPACE groups for parents, and we have just completed our 3rd cohort. We have been tweaking the process and presentation along the way, but the feedback and results have been very positive. In particular, the group has been a terrific built-in group of supporters for the parents as they share their challenges and successes.

Here’s some info about our groups, as currently run:

· We are located in Monterey, CA, USA, at the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula.

· Intake: we do a phone screening to determine fit, a short intake if they are not established within the clinic (an internal referral vs referral from outside of our clinic), and we do an Intro to SPACE night (see next bullet).

· Intro to SPACE night: parents who fit criteria during screening and want to learn more about the program meet via Microsoft TEAMS for a brief overview of the SPACE program. We provide some psychoed, complete the Brief Accommodation Checklist together, and discuss structure and expectations of the program. Those that choose to join the program – and who we have determined are a good fit – complete the 3 measures before joining the group (SCARED, MAaP, FASA).

· Size of groups: We run groups with 4-6 families at a time. Closed group format, via Microsoft TEAMS (due to Covid, but the virtual platform has been great and has allowed parents the freedom to join us and not have a deal with childcare, and call in from separate locations).

· Length: Groups run 60-90 minutes (longer particularly in the first ½ of the group). Sessions get shorter in the second half as we are discussing challenges and successes in implementation.

· Format: Groups are 12 sessions long, 2x a week (group finishes in 6 weeks). We made this change – to 2x a week – following the first cohort. It has really helped sustain momentum and interest with the parents.

· Announcements: We help the parents prepare, workshop, plan and present 2 announcements to the pt prior to the conclusion of the group (12th session), following the foundational sessions (psychoeducation, supportive statements, identifying targets and tracking accommodations), of course!

· Anxiety regulation strategies: Following feedback from our first cohort, we moved to 2x sessions a week, and we incorporated teaching anxiety regulation strategies – as discussed in SPACE – more intentionally into each session. We now teach and have the group practice one skill a week (box breathing, grounding exercises, ice for a crisis, curating a calm down box, etc.), following our discussion of the evening’s agenda. We encourage parents to teach and model the skill they have learned during that session to their child as part of their SPACE homework. We’ve received very positive feedback from parents with this change.

· Booster sessions: graduates of the 12 session SPACE group are invited to optional monthly booster sessions. These are sessions to workshop new announcements, discuss challenges and successes, and keep the material fresh. One/x month, 60-90 minutes, depending on number of attendees.

· The group format has been very positive, but we have had challenges with co-parents in different households that are too conflicted for the group format, and we have found that parents learn at different rates. We’ve slowed down and now role-play supportive statements, and really workshop identifying accommodations and target behaviors to ensure everyone is on the same page.

We are loving SPACE and the positive, exciting results our families have experienced as participants in the program. Looking forward to hearing how others are running their SPACE groups!

Erica & Brian