30-Minute Groups: Navigating Family Dynamics: Fostering Hope and Resilience, Creating a Positive Future, and Building Emotional Strength

by Ginger Healy, Ashley Wright

Overview

Are you looking for an engaging tool to help students thrive amidst complex family dynamics?

Does this sound familiar? You have a student who is navigating a tough family situation. They feel alone, and you know they need a safe space to feel seen and heard.

That's why we created the 30-Minute Groups: Navigating Family Dynamics workbook. This all-in-one resource gives you the tools to teach crucial academic and social skills in a flexible, low-prep format. Designed for small groups in grades 2-9, the lessons require no additional materials, making it easy to implement.

Acknowledging the diverse landscape of childhood, this curriculum offers vital support for students navigating challenges like divorce, single-parenthood, foster care, kinship care, parental incarceration, and more. Students often internalize their family's circumstances, mistakenly believing they are to blame. This curriculum provides a consistent, supportive environment where they can learn that their worth is not defined by external factors.

Inside, you’ll find:

• 10-12 Complete Lessons with ASCA® standards
• Comprehensive Action Plan
• Permission and Completion Letters to send to caregivers
• Attendance Logs
• Pre- and Post-Assessments for program effectiveness
• Results Report to share with interested parties

Topics include self-awareness, emotional resilience, communication, and conflict resolution. Through reflective exercises, role-playing, and self-affirmation practices, participants will build confidence, enhance their sense of self, and learn how to navigate challenges while setting goals for personal growth and future success.

This workbook’s strategic design allows students to empathize, connect with others, and translate their new knowledge into practice. Use 30-Minute Groups: Navigating Family Dynamics workbook to help empower students to understand their value, navigate challenges, and build a strong sense of self, regardless of their family structure!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781965066157
Publisher:	National Center for Youth Issues
Publication date:	09/25/2025
Series:	30-Minute Groups
Pages:	136
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.25(d)
Age Range:	7 - 15 Years

About the Author

Ginger Healy, LCSW, is a dedicated advocate for children and families with over 25 years of experience in trauma and attachment. She began her career as a child abuse investigator and hospital social worker before becoming a school therapist, where she witnessed firsthand the impact of developmental trauma. For 15 years, Ginger served as a social service supervisor at an international adoption agency, further deepening her expertise in attachment and the complex needs of children.

As Director of Programs at the Attachment & Trauma Network (ATN), she co-hosts the Regulated and Relational podcast with Julie Beem, focusing on trauma-sensitive education and therapeutic parenting. Ginger is a nationally recognized speaker and trainer, traveling across the country to equip educators, caregivers, and professionals with tools to build resilience through brain-based, nervous system-informed, and ACEs-aware practices. Her work emphasizes supporting emotional regulation through co-regulation, honoring neurodivergence, prioritizing educator well-being, and creating healing-centered homes, classrooms, and communities.

Ginger is also the author of 30-Minute Groups: Managing Big Emotions: Identifying Triggers, Developing Coping Strategies, and Communicating Effectively and 15-Minute Focus: Regulation and Co-Regulation: Accessible Neuroscience and Connection Strategies that Bring Calm into the Classroom, with accompanying workbook, and additional books on the way. Her books offer practical, compassionate resources for caregivers and professionals. A mother of four, her personal journey with developmental trauma and neurodivergence brings deep empathy to her work. She is committed to fostering safe and connected environments that heal all things human.

Ashley Wright was born and raised in Houston, TX and has been an educator since 2008. She graduated from Sam Houston State University and currently serves as a certified school counselor and Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). Her experience as an elementary classroom teacher helped her realize students were having endless challenges dealing with home, school, and peers. Inspired to serve more students, she became a school counselor, connecting with them both at school and in the community. This role allowed her to provide broader social-emotional support, equipping students with tools to build resilience and stronger relationships.

Ashley's commitment to fostering inclusive and comprehensive educational programs has made a significant impact on countless students, families, and educators at the national level. Her exemplary efforts were recognized when she was honored as a 2022 American School Counselor of the Year Finalist and the 2021 Texas School Counselor of the Year. She is also the author of Passion, Purpose, and Position: Reignite Your Passion, Deepen Your Calling, and Lead Positive Change and 30-Minute Groups: Navigating Family Dynamics. In addition to school counseling, Ashley serves as a national speaker and advocate of the profession to teach students and educators to embrace diversity, increase self-esteem, build character, and maintain resilience. It is her divine belief that "Every human being has the unlimited potential to make positive change in one's life."