The only trauma-informed curriculum designed to turn men into great dads Amazing Dads Fatherhood Curriculum teaches fathers with kids of all ages to become exceptional parents. These detailed lessons meet dads where they are, starting from the common tendencies of male socialization to help explain key concepts of healthy fathering. Through a trauma-informed approach, this curriculum creates safety in the group setting while delving into critical topics that fathers simply do not tend to talk about with people in their lives. Unlike other fatherhood curricula, Amazing Dads addresses a breadth of topics, empowering men to discuss issues like family of origin, sexuality, how punishment can turn into abuse, self-care, and how toxic messages in the culture can hinder parent-child relationships. Each session incorporates grounding and breathing exercises, in addition to activities, exercises, and experiential opportunities that allow participants to connect with the material on a meaningful level. By the end of this course, fathers will have gained the increased self-awareness needed to enhance their relationships with their children and other family members. Lead fathers through a curriculum of targeted lessons focused on how male socialization affects their parenting Guide participants through exercises for developing relational, communication, and conflict resolution skills Connect with dads on a meaningful level by creating a safe space for discussions of trauma and other difficult subjects Explain important parenting concepts using examples, hands-on activities, and more This curriculum is excellent for use in parenting groups, behavioral health treatment programs, addiction treatment programs, and other community-based programs serving fathers. Dads of all backgrounds, with kids of all ages, will benefit from the wisdom in Amazing Dads Fatherhood Curriculum.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments xiii 1 Research and Theory 1 Male Socialization 1 Values- Based Paradigm 3 A Trauma- Informed Fatherhood Curriculum 4 Male Socialization and Trauma 9 Men with Trauma: What Happens Next? 10 Why Focus on Fathers? 11 “It’s not Trauma” 13 Toxic Water and Traumatic Stigmatization 15 Healing Fathers’ Trauma 15 Conscious Masculinity and Conscious Fatherhood 16 2 Facilitating the Amazing Dads! Program 17 Toxic Water 17 Supporting Conscious Masculinity and Conscious Fatherhood 19 Structure and Content of the Program 20 The Facilitator Philosophy 21 The Facilitator 23 Creating and Maintaining a Safe Container 24 Consistent Communication 24 Consistent Structure 24 The Healing Journey for Facilitators 26 Supervision and Facilitator Self- care 27 Facilitating the Program 28 Surface to Depth 30 Five Relational Postures 31 The Sessions 32 Facilitator Notes and Suggested Dialogue 32 Timing 33 Components of the Sessions 33 Check- In 33 Breathing Exercise 34 Grounding Exercise 34 Feelings/Body Check- In 34 Lectures 35 Interactive Lectures 35 Discussions/Focus Questions 35 Subgroup Discussions 36 Activities 36 Debriefing 36 Check- Out 36 Assignment and Close 36 The Different Learning Styles 37 Organizational Considerations 37 The Workbook 38 Conclusion 39 References 40 Facilitator Survey 42 Meeting 1: Engaging the Father Within 43 Pre- meeting Notes and Prep 43 Meeting Overview and Suggested Timing 43 Introductions – 15 minutes 44 Orientation to Program & Group Agreements – 20 minutes 45 Grounding and Relaxation Exercises – 15 minutes 48 Expectations – What Do You Want to Get Out of This Group? – 15 minutes 53 Group Discussion: What Is Fatherhood? – 35 minutes 54 Commitment to Conscious Fatherhood – 5 minutes 55 Check- Out – 10 minutes 56 Assignments & Close – 5 minutes 57 Meeting 2: The Man Rules 59 Pre- meeting Notes and Prep 59 Meeting Overview and Suggested Timing 59 Check- In Process – 20 minutes 60 Mini- Lecture: The Water – 10 minutes 66 Activity: The Man Rules – 40 minutes 68 Activity: Components of Healthy Fathering – 15 minutes 73 Activity: Subgroup Discussions – 20 minutes 75 Closing Thoughts on the Rules 76 Check- Out – 10 minutes 77 Assignment & Close – 5 minutes 78 Meeting 3: Toxic Water 79 Pre- meeting Notes and Prep 79 Meeting Overview and Suggested Timing 80 Check- In – 15 minutes 80 Lecture: The Toxins in The Water – 25 minutes 83 Check- In Scale Introduction: What’s Your Number? – 5 minutes 88 Small Group Discussion: The Shoes of Another – 30 minutes 88 Large Group Discussion: Cleansing The Water – 30 minutes 90 Check- Out – 10 minutes 92 Assignment & Close – 5 minutes 92 For Facilitators: Prompts for Shoes of Another Exercise 93 Meeting 4: Dads and Trauma: Breaking the Cycle 94 Pre- meeting Notes and Prep 94 Meeting Overview and Suggested Timing 95 Check- In – 15 minutes 95 Interactive Lecture: What Is Trauma? – 20 minutes 98 Interactive Lecture: Dads and Trauma – 35 minutes 101 Activity: The Colors of Life – 25 minutes 105 Check- Out – 10 minutes 106 Exercise: Five Senses Mindfulness – 10 minutes 106 Assignment & Close – 5 minutes 108 Meeting 5: Making the Connections – Mental Health, Addiction, and Trauma 111 Pre- meeting Notes and Prep 111 Meeting Overview and Suggested Timing 112 Check- In – 15 minutes 112 Lecture: Adverse Childhood Experiences – 25 minutes 114 Mini- Lecture: Mental Health and Addiction – 5 minutes 117 Small Group Activity: Let’s Get Real – 35 minutes 120 Activity: Juggling My Life – 25 minutes 121 Check- Out – 10 minutes 125 Assignment & Close – 5 minutes 126 Meeting 6: Feelings… Nothing More than Feelings 128 Pre- meeting Notes and Prep 128 Meeting Overview and Suggested Timing 128 Check- In – 15 minutes 129 Mini- Lecture: Men and Feelings – 5 minutes 132 Mini- Lecture: The Anger Funnel – 15 minutes 133 Activity: Digging Deeper and Sharing Feelings – 50 minutes 136 Activity: A Picture of Anger – 15 minutes 138 Check- Out – 15 minutes 140 Assignment & Close – 5 minutes 142 Meeting 7: Exploring Family Dynamics, Past and Present 143 Pre- meeting Notes and Prep 143 Meeting Overview and Suggested Timing 144 Check- In – 15 minutes 144 Activity: The Woman Rules – 15 minutes 147 Activity: Family Sculpture – 40 minutes 148 Discussion: Debriefing the Family Sculpture – 15 minutes 155 Activity: Creating Family of Origin Collage – 15 minutes 157 Check- Out – 15 minutes 158 Assignment & Close – 5 minutes 160 Meeting 8: Father of Mine 162 Pre- meeting Notes and Prep 162 Meeting Overview and Suggested Timing 163 Check- In – 10 minutes 163 Activity: Sharing Family of Origin Collages – 15 minutes 166 Activity: Identifying Expectations for Fathers – 35 minutes 167 Subgroup Discussions: Relationships with Our Fathers – 35 minutes 170 Check- Out – 15 minutes 172 Assignments & Close – 10 minutes 173 Meeting 9: Mothers 176 Pre- meeting Notes and Prep 176 Meeting Overview and Suggested Timing 177 Check- In – 10 minutes 177 Activity: Reading Father Letters – 25 minutes 179 Optional Discussion with Any Dad Who Did Not Do the Letter/Project 181 Interactive Lecture: Mother Rules and Expectations – 30 minutes 182 Subgroup Discussions: Relationships with Our Mothers – 30 minutes 186 Check- Out – 15 minutes 187 Assignments & Close – 10 minutes 189 Meeting 10: Healthy Relationships Are for Us Too! 191 Pre- meeting Notes and Prep 191 Meeting Overview and Suggested Timing 192 Check- In – 10 minutes 192 Activity: Reading Letters to Mothers – 25 minutes 194 Interactive Lecture: Healthy Relationships – 15 minutes 197 Activity: Repairing – 45 minutes 199 Mini- Lecture: Men, Trauma, and Relationships – 5 minutes 203 Check- Out – 15 minutes 204 Assignments & Close – 5 minutes 206 Meeting 11: Communication Is Key 208 Pre- meeting Notes and Prep 208 Meeting Overview and Suggested Timing 208 Check- In – 15 minutes 209 Interactive Lecture: Men and Communication – 25 minutes 214 Lecture: PAR (Pause, Assess, Respond) – 20 minutes 218 Modeling Listening Skills – 10 minutes 221 Activity: Back- to- Back Drawing – 30 minutes 223 Check- Out – 15 minutes 225 Assignments & Close – 5 minutes 226 Meeting 12: Let’s Talk About Sex 230 Pre- meeting Notes and Prep 230 Meeting Overview and Suggested Timing 231 Check- In – 15 minutes 231 Activity: Sex and Feelings – 20 minutes 236 Interactive Lecture: Sexuality and Intimacy – 40 minutes 240 Activity & Discussion: What I Wish I had Known – 25 minutes 243 Check- Out – 15 minutes 244 Assignments & Close – 5 minutes 244 Meeting 13: Let’s REALLY Talk About Sex 246 Pre- meeting Notes and Prep 246 Meeting Overview and Suggested Timing 246 Check- In – 15 Minutes 247 Activity: Let’s Talk About Sex – 40 Minutes 251 Interactive Lecture: The Importance of Consent – 20 Minutes 254 Subgroup Activity: “The Sex Talk” – 30 Minutes 257 Check- Out – 15 Minutes 258 Assignments & Close – 5 Minutes 259 Meeting 14: Men’s Health 261 Pre- meeting Notes and Prep 261 Meeting Overview and Suggested Timing 261 Check- In – 15 minutes 262 Interactive Lecture: What Is Wellness and Why Does It Matter? – 40 minutes 266 Subgroup Activity: My Physical Health – 30 minutes 273 Subgroup Activity: Creating a Plan for Your Wellness – 20 minutes 274 Check- Out – 10 minutes 275 Assignments & Close – 5 minutes 276 Meeting 15: Healthy Discipline 277 Pre- meeting Notes and Prep 277 Meeting Overview and Suggested Timing 278 Check- In – 15 minutes 278 Interactive Lecture: Defining Discipline – 15 minutes 283 Subgroup Discussions: Healthy Discipline – 25 minutes 285 Activity: Abuse and Discipline – 40 minutes 287 Debrief and Wrap- Up of Discipline and Abuse 290 Mini- Lecture: Stopping the Cycle – 5 minutes 292 Check- Out – 15 minutes 294 Assignment & Close – 5 minutes 295 Meeting 16: The Art of Play 297 Pre- meeting Notes and Prep 297 Meeting Overview and Suggested Timing 298 Check- In – 15 minutes 298 Lecture: The Importance of Play – 10 minutes 301 Large Group Discussion: How Do You Play? – 15 minutes 302 Subgroup Discussions: Teachable Moments – 35 minutes 304 Activity: Playtime! – 25 minutes 306 Check- Out – 15 minutes 307 Assignment & Close – 5 minutes 308 Meeting 17: A Balancing Act 310 Pre- meeting Notes and Prep 310 Meeting Overview and Suggested Timing 311 Check- In – 15 minutes 311 Subgroup Discussions: Finding Balance – 35 minutes 314 Activity: Bullseye – 15 minutes 316 Activity: My Amazing Dad Action Plan – 35 minutes 319 Check- Out – 15 minutes 320 Assignment & Close – 5 minutes 321 Meeting 18: Vision of Fatherhood 324 Pre- meeting Notes and Prep 324 Meeting Overview and Suggested Timing 325 Check- In – 15 minutes 326 Activity: Coat of Arms – 30 minutes 328 Activity: Coat of Arms Presentations – 30 minutes 330 Activity: Connections Made – 25 minutes 330 Check- Out and Close – 20 minutes 334