Soma Skills Youth Program
Soma Skills is a therapeutic groupwork program that supports young people aged 13 - 25 to explore strategies for self-regulation, stress-relief, social connection and rest. Integrating somatics, mindfulness, movement and pyscho-education, Soma Skills is co-designed with young people to meet their wellbeing needs.
We are grateful to young people and partner organisation staff at the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, Foundation House, the Brotherhood of St Laurence, Melbourne City Mission, the YWCA, STREAT and many others for informing the design of this program.
About this program:
Soma Skills is an innovative group-work program designed for young people aged 13-25 to explore strategies for self-regulation, stress relief, and social connection. Integrating somatics, mindfulness, movement, and psycho-education, Soma Skills is co-designed with participants to meet their specific wellbeing needs. The program combines practical and embodied tools for wellbeing with group discussions, individual reflections, and personal adaptations.
Why Soma Skills?
Despite increased connectivity through media and technology, young people today face heightened loneliness, isolation, and risks of mental health issues and physical inactivity. Body-based mindfulness practices, like those used in Soma Skills, can improve mental health. Research demonstrates that mindfulness practices can be effective in reducing anxiety, depression, and somatic distress in adolescents, along with improving self-esteem and sleep quality (Biegel et al., 2009). Mindfulness interventions also show significant positive effects on executive functioning, attention, depression, anxiety/stress, and negative behaviours (Dunning et al., 2018).
For young people who have experienced trauma, somatic movement and mindfulness can provide safer ways to reconnect with their bodies and minds, particularly for those resistant to traditional talk therapies (Emerson et al., 2009). Body-based mindfulness practices can also enhance interoceptive awareness and skills for regulating physiological arousal, supporting emotional regulation and resilience (Warner et al., 2014).
Integrating insights from previous youth programs with organisations like the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre and Foundation House, Soma Skills is an inclusive, experiential wellbeing program that effectively supports young people to build resilience, enhance social connections, and improve overall mental health.
“As research has shown, somatic interventions that include three core components —yoga-based forms, regulated and focused breathing, and meditation or mindfulness—can improve resilience and help youth learn coping mechanisms and self-regulation skills, improve self-esteem,and increase concentration”
— Gender & Trauma - Somatic Interventions for Girls in Juvenile Justice: Implications for Policy and Practice (Epstein & Gonzales, 2017)
We specialise in small group programs with a maximum capacity of 12 participants. Programs typically run in blocks of 8-12 weeks with the opportunity to extend long-term or ongoing, should it be site appropriate. Sessions are 60 minutes in duration, broken into core segments of connection, movement, mindfulness, reflection and rest.
Soma Skills is co-facilitated with partner organisation staff, who according to child safety legislation, must be in the room with Collective Being facilitators during sessions. This is to ensure that there are always multiple adults in the room with children under the age of 18 years. In the instance that partner organisation staff are not able to be in the room, Soma Skills can be co-facilitated by two Collective Being facilitators.
Each week we cover a different theme:
Week 1 : arriving together
Week 2 : resourcing and safety
Week 3 : curiosity and compassion
Week 4 : stress relief practices
Week 5 : balancing and regulating
Week 6 : boundaries and consent
Week 7 : support for sleep
Week 8 : acknowledging your efforts
Program Model
What young people say about Soma Skills
Get In Touch
Interested in learning more about our Soma Skills Program?
To learn more about offering this program to your clients or community, get in touch with Alexia, our Programs Coordinator (alexia@collectivebeing.org) or contact us below.
