Although the support and solidarity that comes from sharing common experiences is
helpful to children, enhancing coping skills is an important, research-based part of the
program for all age groups. Thus, in CODIP’s later skill-acquisition meetings, the group
format offers children opportunities to actively role-play key skills and learn about others’
efforts to solve problems, deal with anger, disengage from loyalty conflicts, and test the
approaches out in the “real world” to effectively manage day-to-day challenges. Thus,
children learn from each other’s successes and setbacks, as the group provides the opportunity
for children who are further along in the process of adjustment to serve as credible role
models for those in the early stages