Speaking SEBH: Your Camp's Guide Script

Warm-Up: What's the Word? (5 minutes)

"Good morning, everyone! Welcome to 'Speaking SEBH: Your Camp's Guide.' Before we dive in, let's get our brains warmed up. I've handed out a Speaking SEBH Warm-Up sheet. Take about two minutes to write down any SEBH, ABA, PBIS, or SEL terms you know and a quick thought on what they mean to you. Don't worry about being 'right' – this is just to see what's already floating around."

(Allow 2 minutes for writing. Then, invite a few participants to share.)

"Thank you for sharing! As you can see, we all come with different levels of familiarity and understanding. That's perfectly normal, and it highlights exactly why we're here today – to get on the same page with our language."

Introduction to SEBH & Acronyms (5 minutes)

(Display Speaking SEB Slide Deck - Slide 1: Welcome to Speaking SEBH)

"So, why is a common language around social, emotional, behavioral health topics so crucial for us as camp leaders? Think about communicating with parents, with your staff, and even with school personnel. When everyone uses the same terms and understands them in the same way, we can provide consistent, effective support for our K-12 campers. Our goal today is to demystify some of these key acronyms and concepts."

(Display Speaking SEB Slide Deck - Slide 2: What is SEBH?)

"Let's start with the big umbrella term: SEBH. This stands for Social, Emotional, Behavioral Health. It's essentially a broad way to describe how children and young people interact with their world. 'Social' refers to how they interact with others. 'Emotional' is about how they understand and manage their own feelings. 'Behavioral' covers their observable actions and reactions. And 'Health' ties it all together, focusing on their overall well-being and functioning. So, when we talk about SEBH, we're talking about the whole child – how they navigate their world, how they feel about it, how they show it, and how they maintain their overall well-being."

(Display Speaking SEB Slide Deck - Slide 3: Frameworks for Support)

"Underneath this SEBH umbrella, there are several important frameworks and approaches that many schools and youth programs use to support children. Today, we're going to focus on three you'll hear frequently: Applied Behavior Analysis, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, and Social and Emotional Learning."

Deep Dive: ABA, PBIS, SEL (10 minutes)

(Display Speaking SEB Slide Deck - Slide 4: What is ABA?)

"First up, ABA, or Applied Behavior Analysis. At its core, ABA is about understanding why a behavior is happening and how it's influenced by the environment around it. It looks at what happens before a behavior – what triggers it – and what happens after a behavior – what consequences follow it. The goal is to use systematic, evidence-based strategies to increase positive behaviors and decrease challenging ones."

"Think of it this way: if a camper frequently throws sand when they're frustrated, an ABA-informed approach might try to identify what usually happens right before they throw sand (the antecedent) and what happens immediately after (the consequence). Then, we might teach them an alternative, more appropriate way to express frustration, and reinforce them for using that new skill."

(Display Speaking SEB Slide Deck - Slide 5: What is PBIS?)

"Next, PBIS, which stands for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports. Where ABA often focuses on individual behavior, PBIS is more about a system-wide approach. It's a framework designed to promote positive behavior for all students across an entire setting, like your camp. The key idea is being proactive: explicitly teaching behavioral expectations, consistently reinforcing positive actions, and providing tiered support for those who need more help."

"A great camp example of PBIS is establishing 3-5 clear, positive camp-wide rules, such as 'Be Respectful,' 'Be Safe,' and 'Be Kind.' Then, staff would explicitly teach what these look like in different areas of camp – what 'Be Respectful' means in the dining hall versus on the ropes course. And importantly, you'd have systems to acknowledge and reward campers who demonstrate these behaviors."

(Display Speaking SEB Slide Deck - Slide 6: What is SEL?)

"Finally, we have SEL, or Social and Emotional Learning. SEL focuses on developing a specific set of skills: managing emotions, achieving personal and collective goals, showing empathy for others, building positive relationships, and making responsible decisions. The core idea here is that these aren't just personality traits; they are learnable skills that benefit kids throughout their lives."

"In a camp setting, SEL is woven into almost everything we do. Think about group activities that promote teamwork, counselors modeling empathy when two campers are having a disagreement, or structured discussions after a challenging game about how to handle winning and losing. It's about helping campers develop the emotional intelligence and social competence to thrive."

(Display Speaking SEB Slide Deck - Slide 7: Connecting the Concepts)

"So, to quickly summarize how these fit together: SEBH is the broad umbrella of social, emotional, and behavioral health aspects. ABA provides principles for understanding and changing individual behaviors. PBIS is a framework for creating positive behavioral systems across an environment, like a whole camp. And SEL focuses on teaching specific skills that help individuals manage their emotions and interact effectively. They often overlap and can be used in combination."

Discussion: Applying the Language (7 minutes)

(Display Speaking SEB Slide Deck - Slide 8: Applying Our Knowledge: Scenario Time!)

"Now, let's put our new language to the test! I'm going to present a couple of camp-relevant scenarios. With your table, I want you to discuss: Which of these concepts – SEBH, ABA, PBIS, SEL – are at play here? How would you use this language to explain what's happening or propose a solution? Try to use the terms confidently in your discussion."

"Let's consider this first scenario from our Speaking SEBH Discussion Activity handout..."

(Present Scenario 1 from the Discussion Activity. Allow 3-4 minutes for group discussion, then bring the whole group back to share. Facilitate a brief discussion.)

"Excellent insights! Let's try one more..."

(Present Scenario 2 from the Discussion Activity. Allow 3-4 minutes for group discussion, then bring the whole group back to share. Facilitate a brief discussion.)

Cool-Down: One Big Takeaway (3 minutes)

(Display Speaking SEB Slide Deck - Slide 9: The Power of Common Language)

"Before we wrap up, let's consolidate our learning. I'm handing out the Speaking SEBH Cool-Down sheet. Please take a moment to write down one key concept or term you learned today, or had reinforced, and how you plan to use it or apply it in your camp this summer."

(Allow 1-2 minutes for writing.)

"Could a few of you share your takeaway?"

(Invite 2-3 participants to share.)

"Thank you! Your willingness to engage with this language is fantastic. Remember, the power of a common language in SEBH is immense. It fosters consistency, brings clarity to complex situations, enhances collaboration among your staff and with families, and ultimately, leads to more effective support for our campers' overall well-being. Let's continue to make our camps places where every camper thrives! Thank you for your time and participation today!"

Speaking SEBH Warm-Up: What's the Word?

Take a few minutes to jot down any terms or acronyms you already know related to Social, Emotional, Behavioral Health (SEBH) support. Then, briefly explain what each term means to you.

Don't worry about being perfectly accurate – this is just to get us thinking!

1. Term/Acronym:
   
   
   
   What it means to me:
   
   
   

2. Term/Acronym:
   
   
   
   What it means to me:
   
   
   

3. Term/Acronym:
   
   
   
   What it means to me:
   
   
   

4. Term/Acronym:
   
   
   
   What it means to me:
   
   
   

Speaking SEBH Discussion Activity: Camp Scenarios

Work with your table to discuss the following camp scenarios. For each scenario, identify which of the concepts we discussed (SEBH, ABA, PBIS, SEL) are most relevant. Explain why you chose those concepts and how using this specific language would help you understand or address the situation.

Scenario 1: The Homesick Camper

During the first few days of camp, a 9-year-old camper named Alex is frequently withdrawn, cries quietly during free time, and struggles to join group activities. When a counselor tries to engage Alex, they often respond with "I just want to go home." Other campers have started to notice and ask, "Why is Alex always so sad?"

Discussion Questions:

• Which SEBH concepts are clearly at play here?
  
  
  
  
  
  
• How might an understanding of SEL help a counselor support Alex?
  
  
  
  
  
  
• If you were designing a camp-wide approach to prevent this, which framework (PBIS) would be most relevant, and what would it look like?
  
  
  
  
  
  
• How would you describe this situation to Alex's parents using appropriate terminology?
  
  
  
  
  
  

Scenario 2: The Messy Cabin

Counselors in Cabin 7 are consistently struggling with campers not cleaning up their belongings, leaving trash on the floor, and not making their beds. Despite repeated verbal reminders, the problem persists. The counselors feel frustrated and spend a lot of time cleaning up themselves, which takes away from other activities.

Discussion Questions:

• From an SEBH perspective, what kind of behavior are we observing here?
  
  
  
  
  
  
• How could principles from ABA be used to analyze and address the cleanliness issue in Cabin 7? Think about antecedents and consequences.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• If you wanted to implement a camp-wide solution for cleanliness across all cabins, which framework (PBIS) would be most appropriate? What specific strategies would you suggest?
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Could SEL play a role in promoting responsibility for a clean cabin, and if so, how?
  
  
  
  
  
  

Speaking SEBH Cool-Down: One Big Takeaway

Take a moment to reflect on our session today. In the space below, write down:

1. One key concept or term you learned or had reinforced.
2. How you plan to use or apply it in your role at camp this summer.

Thank you for your engagement!