FAMILY TRANSITIONS
In-schools programme

FAMILY TRANSITIONS taster course TESTIMONIALS

“Having heart stones at my mum and dad's makes me feel like there's love everywhere.”

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“The sessions make me feel calm at school.”

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“Ocean breath helps me fall asleep at night when I'm not tired and I need to go to bed.”

“Having heart stones at my mum and dad's makes me feel like there's love everywhere.” • “The sessions make me feel calm at school.” • “Ocean breath helps me fall asleep at night when I'm not tired and I need to go to bed.”

We are rolling out our Family Transitions course as a 6-week in-school programme!

If you are an interested school, we’d love to hear from you to set up a meeting. Please contact us at hello@shiftwithin.co.uk

Why this programme matters

The Children’s Commissioner has called for more early intervention support for children who do not meet the threshold for CAMHS, including school-based support and access to early help hubs. Research has shown that separation and divorce can have lasting impacts on children's physical and mental health. According to the Early Intervention Foundation (2022):

  • Children of separating families are 1.7 times more likely to experience mental health difficulties

  • They are 1.9 times more likely to experience educational underachievement

  • Many face increased challenges in peer relationships

With 3.8 million children currently living in separated families across Great Britain (DWP, 2024), it is clear that tailored, compassionate support is urgently needed — not just for parents, but for children navigating these major life changes.

What the Family Transitions programme offers

Our Family Transitions programme (see our attached course outline) helps children understand and manage the emotional and physical effects of change, particularly the family transitions of separation and divorce.

Using gentle movement, breathwork, and mindfulness, alongside simple, practical information on stress and the mind-body connection, our Family Transitions sessions provide:

✔️Gentle movement for regulation & relaxation

✔️Breathing practices to manage worry & stress

✔️Creative activities for self-expression

✔️Confidence building tools for home & school

✔️Nurturing atmosphere to make new friends

Sessions are led by Tara, course author and lead facilitator. Tara brings a depth of personal and professional experience and holds qualifications in:

  • BA Communications

  • 200hr Yoga Teacher Training

  • 600hr Yoga Therapy Training & 50hr Yoga Therapy for Child & Adolescent Mental Health

Both facilitators Tara and Kim are fully insured, enhanced DBS checked, and experienced in working sensitively within small, close-knit communities.

Course outline

  • Week 1: Roots & Resources - Feeling Safe Inside and Out

    Theme: Establishing internal safety and group trust

    Discussion: What helps me to feel safe & loved?

    Movement: Poses to create safety & self-love 

    Breath: Bubble breath to explore fast vs. slow breathing for safety & calm 

    Affirmation: I am safe, I am loved, from the ground below to the sky above 

    Activity: Decorating heart stones- love comes in all shapes and sizes and we can bring it with us wherever we go

  • Week 2: Changing Weather - Grounding the Body, Breath & Mind

    Theme: Understanding what happens inside our bodies during the fight, flight & freeze response 

    Discussion: What happens in my body when we experience big emotions? 

    Movement/game: Warrior, butterfly, mountain 

    Breath: Mountain breath for grounding & calm 

    Affirmation: I, am, here, now with hand gestures 

    Activity: Trees- designing our own tree with what keeps us rooted, what helps us grow, and what worries we want to let go of 

  • Week 3: Ocean of Emotion - Feeling All The Feelings

    Theme: Emotions rise and fall like waves

    Discussion: How do we learn to ride the waves of our emotions?

    Movement/game: Islands of emotions 

    Breath: Ocean breath for regulation and calm 

    Affirmation: The tide is high, the tide is low, I notice my feelings so I can let them flow 

    Activity: Calm/stress jars- create our own jars with water, shells, glitter and stones

  • Week 4: Wind & Worries - Tools For Wobbly Days

    Theme: Finding balance when things feel tricky 

    Discussion: How do we balance ourselves when we feel wobbly?

    Movement/game: Shake it off dance, Balancing poses with windy weather 

    Breath: Snake breath for slowing down and cooling down 

    Affirmation: It sometimes feels like I may fall, but I know that I don’t have to hold it all 

    Activity: Create our own worry dolls

  • Week 5: Fire Inside - Strength Anger & Power

    Theme: Healthy expression of anger and inner strength

    Discussion: What does it feel like when I feel angry or frustrated?

    Movement/game: Warriors thunder clapping 

    Breath: Boxer’s breath with humming for tense/release and regulation 

    Affirmation: When I am feeling angry and I don’t know what to do, I clap my hands like thunder and let the anger through

    Activity: Animal superpower drawing/pose- design our own animal with superpowers

  • Week 6: One Of A Kind - Express Yourself

    Theme: Self-esteem, creativity, and connection

    Discussion: What makes me unique/special and how can I express that?

    Movement/game: Musical yogis 

    Breath: Lion’s breath for confidence 

    Affirmation: Breathing in I slow my mind, breathing out I am one of a kind 

    Activity: Making Hamsas, our own symbol of protection and individuality