The iFriend social skills group starts with a mindfulness activity to let go of the day's stressors and become more present in the room. Let's begin now in the same way: we invite you to take several deep breaths, close your eyes, and allow your thoughts to settle. Take a moment to reflect on a time in your childhood when you felt left out; perhaps you didn't get invited to a classmate's birthday party, no seats were left at your lunch table, or friends were playing kickball at recess without you. Notice the feelings that arise when you think about this memory — maybe you experienced hurt, loneliness, awkwardness, disappointment, jealousy. Many of the children participating in our social skills group struggle with these emotions on a daily basis.

The disruptive period around the time of the divorce can shatter a child's entire living milieu. An 8-week experiential children's group incorporating art and creative activities as well as a concurrent parent group is described. The aim of treatment was to bolster children's abilities to communicate with parents and other caretakers. Overall, participants were observed to effectively release painful affect, communicate more openly, and identify strengths in their family systems. Yalom's therapeutic group factors were incorporated into the treatment model. The research of Davies and Cummings related to children in the context of family therapy was also considered. Group leaders included advance practice registered nurses. Follow-up objective data collected from participants might provide further information about the efficacy of the interventions.

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