Table 2. Specific Content of Parent and Child Sessions for AIM.

Session	Parent Group Content	Child Group Content
1	Introduction to Social Learning Theory Review common symptoms seen with SMD and how they impact function Intro to Social Learning Theory Subgroup discussion of goals Parents develop goals for themselves and the family as a whole Review content of children's groups	Introduction, Symptoms versus Self, Goals Introductions and ice breaker games “Name the Enemy” exercise— to distinguish symptoms from self Identify goals for their personal “fix it list”
2	Strengths, Positive Attending Subgroup discussion of children's individual strengths Positive Attending Worksheet, videos of ineffective attending and praise, role plays and discussion in subgroups	Emotion Recognition, Promoting Positive Behaviors Large group review of physical signs of common emotions and use of “mood thermometer” to rate emotional intensity Children practice emotion naming through a computer program (DANVAS). Video vignettes to practice emotion recognition rating intensity Attending to others: Children practice giving and receiving compliments through Interview Activity
3	Emotion Recognition Instructions to large group about effectiveness of daily report card (and contingent rewards) Using a daily report card for home and school Antecedents and signs of impending anger in your child	Anger 1: What Anger Looks and Feels Like Discussion of physiology of anger Children practice identifying different intensities of anger Physical exertion task to provide practice attending to your body's cues Children identify anger reactions within their own bodies.
4	Getting Calm (Coping Skills/House Rules) Value of problem solving when child is not in an aroused state The value of a coping tool box and how to help your child build theirs Coping Tools for parents and value of attending to your emotions before engaging your child Value of set house rules House Rules Worksheet completed in subgroups	Anger 2: Coping to Get Calm Video Vignette to demonstrate calm vs. aroused states deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and guided imagery exercises combined with mood thermometers to assess changes in mood Children build Coping Tool Kit and fill it as part of homework assignment
5	Responding to Problem Behaviors Review of using coping tools in parents and children Videos, role play, and discussion on planned ignoring in subgroups Large group discussion of Time Out Time Out worksheets and role play Review progress towards goals	Anger 3: How to Stay in Control Coping Tool Kit Show and Tell Large group discussion of the impact of teasing and how to cope with it Teasing exercise where children use coping tools during structured peer teasing exercise and are reinforced for displaying appropriate responses
6	Anger Triggers + Negative Family Cycles Review time out in large group and discuss alternatives to it Large group discussion of identifying and addressing HAB in your child and helping your child to identify perspectives and consequences Identifying and breaking negative family cycles	Perspectives and Consequences Group discussion of role of perspective on behavior and the concept of Hostile Attribution Bias (HAB) HAB video vignettes and where children identify multiple perspectives, responses and consequences of their actions Introduce modified hassle log that includes exercises on perspectives taking and consequence identification
7	Verbal and Nonverbal Communication Videos, role play, worksheet and discussion of effective commands/instructions in subgroups Videos, role play, worksheet and discussion of transitional warnings and when/then statements in subgroups How to provide constructive feedback to your child Expressed emotion and attending to nonverbal cues in yourself and your child	Verbal and Nonverbal Communication Group discussion of good listening skills. Listening skill exercise using cooperative partner task building a Lego® structure Group discussion of communication skills that includes attending to affect and body cues. Counselor lead role play where children identify communication errors and generate more appropriate alternatives and then identify consequences of using learned communication skills
8	Problem Solving Systematic approaches to problem solving within the family using the PASTE system and application to identifiable negative family cycles Videos, role play, worksheet and discussion of effective problem solving in subgroups Problem solving issues outside of the home (school, with peers, etc…) Prioritizing when there are multiple problems	Problem Solving Group discussion of problem solving skills using Stop- Think- Plan- Check model Children practice problem solving through “Building a Robot” exercise where all participants collaboratively devise and carry out a plan to complete a multi-step art task
9	Depression and Self Esteem Review link between SMD and mood disorders Signs and symptoms of Major Depression in youth with SMD Coping tools for depression in parents and children Enhancing self-esteem through friendships and activities	Depression and Self-Esteem Recognizing sadness using DANVAS and mood thermometers Group discussion of how best to use your coping tool kit dealing for sadness that includes role play of effective application of these tools Group discussion of value of talents and friends for preventing depression/negative self-image Paired interview activity to practice how to effectively engage other children and promote friendships
10	Review/Graduation & Awards Ceremony Review of learned skills Exercise matching specific skills with specific problem behaviors Review progress towards goals Review of Community resources Joint graduation ceremony	Putting It All Together/Graduation & Awards Ceremony Children role play scenarios modeled after common stressors at home and school that encourages use of key therapy concepts (affect recognition, use of coping tools to self soothe, developing, implementing and evaluating an action plan and use of effective communication skills) Joint graduation ceremony with personalized awards for all children

Note. Child sessions were modeled after Dr. Mary Fristad's Multifamily Psychoeducation Groups (MFPG) for children with Major Depression or Bipolar Disorder (Fristad et al., 2009), Dr. William Pelham's Summer Treatment Program (Pelham, Greiner, & Gnagy, 1992) and Dr. John Lochman's Coping Power program for youth with recurrent aggression (Lochman, Wells, & Lenhart, 2008). Parent sessions were modeled after MFPG and the COPE program developed by Dr. Charles Cunningham (Cunningham, Bremner, & Secord-Gilbert, 1998).

^*Each week after new content was completed children and parents were assigned homework to practice new skills over the next week. Homework was reviewed during the first 15 minutes of the next session. The last 20 minutes of the child sessions were comprised of a contingent, structured recess where participants were given opportunity to practice new skills in a naturalistic setting and reinforced for applying them.