Red-Blue Dialogue

For the holidays and beyond, some help bridging the red-blue divide--if only temporarily. After that, gloating and resistance can safely resume.

--Here's a ten-page guide from whatisessential.org using something called reflective structured dialogue (RSD).

--Avoid politics altogether with this Time for Family, Time for Talk workbook from talkofalifetime.org.

--Or provoke fights with Let's Talk About the Presidential Election from the ADL, a guide intended for classroom use. But who says you can't give your relatives writing assignments?

Good luck!

Trauma Recovery Workbook

From Quest for Life in Australia, here's a free Trauma Recovery Workbook with sections for children, adults, and communities. Help with identifying symptoms, with resilience, with mindfulness, and on from there...

Find more trauma workbooks (from Amazon, not free) here.

Relationship Worksheets

A Relationship Vision worksheet, and lots more Harville Hendrix/Imago-based material is posted here, courtesy of therapist Vera Eck. Some are self-explanatory. For others, you either need to call a therapist or do some Harville Hendrix reading. Whatever you choose, good luck!

Trauma Worksheets

From the University of Washington Medical Center, here are trauma worksheets for therapists and their clients. Wise for clients to use these with some support, in treatment.

Also on the site (see the sidebar), lots more, including CBT worksheets for anxiety, for depression, substance abuse worksheets, and on from there...

The Whole-Brain Child Workbook

You may have encountered The Whole-Brain Child, Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson's how-to manual aimed at helping you...

Raise calmer, happier children using twelve key strategies, including

• Name It to Tame It: Corral raging right-brain behavior through left-brain storytelling, appealing to the left brain's affinity for words and reasoning to calm emotional storms and bodily tension.
• Engage, Don't Enrage: Keep your child thinking and listening, instead of purely reacting.
• Move It or Lose It: Use physical activities to shift your child's emotional state.
• Let the Clouds of Emotion Roll By: Guide your children when they are stuck on a negative emotion, and help them understand that feelings come and go.
• SIFT: Help children pay attention to the Sensations, Images, Feelings, and Thoughts within them so that they can make better decisions and be more flexible.
• Connect Through Conflict: Use discord to encourage empathy and greater social success.

With half of the book's twelve key strategies loaded up, you may be ready to launch straight into the companion Whole-Brain Child Workbook. This time via worksheets, the book...

[G]ives parents the tools and skills necessary to not only parent more effectively but to help their children grow into emotionally healthy, flexible and happy adults who can sustain intimate connections.

Sounds like a plan. Good luck!