Focus: Self Expression and Reflection
Goals:
- Providing an opportunity to reflect on milestones and how they may impact other future life events.
- Provide an outlet to realize how an illness has impacted the timeline.
- Elicit thoughts about hopes and wishes for the future
Materials Needed:
- A quarter of a poster board cut length wise
- Ruler
- Tree slice (picture above)
- Fine point markers
Instructions:
- First, write down easy dates – birthdate and other important events, both positive and negative (e.g., those having to do with an illness – date of initial diagnosis, first treatment, etc.).
- Then, incorporate hopes and wishes for the future.
- Encourage thinking about how the events listed impacted other events on the timeline and talk/think about any associated feelings.
- Discuss the tree slice and the significance of the rings and any markings on the tree slice indicating a lack of nutrients or trauma to the tree.
- As desired, transfer the information from their written timeline to the tree slice while utilizing the rings and markings.
