COPECARD® Data Sheet
Product Description: COPECARD™ cards present trauma informed coping skills for managing stress and trauma symptoms before, during and/or after a stress/trauma event
Utility: For skills training (promotion of healthy coping) and/or for crisis intervention. Both applications contribute to prevention of maladaptive coping.
Population: Children and Adults
Cards: 4 x 6 cards, rounded corners, glossy finish, double-sided: bi-lingual
Languages: English, Spanish
Features: Race Neutral / Gender Neutral / Self-Deployable Design / Provider Demand: Low / Provider Training: None / Task Shifting to Non-Specialist: High
Card Sets: COPECARD™ 10: (10) cards with core coping skills (see itemized list on data sheet download) / COPECARD™ 20: (10) cards with core coping skills and (10) additional cards for enhanced training/crisis support (see itemized list on data sheet download)
Additional Supplies: COPECARD™ 10: (1) card requires paper & crayon or pencil / COPECARD™ 20: (3) cards require paper & crayon or pencil
How It Works: Visit How It Works for the science behind the skills and for tips on how to use
Low Resource – 16 of the 20 cards need no supplies – 4 cards need only paper & crayon or pencil. Children in crisis may or may not have access to supplies utilized by medium to high-resource coping, such as reading a book, listening to music, or playing a sport.
Trauma Informed – The coping skills featured on these cards are trauma informed. For example: nature can be a source of comfort or trauma (natural disaster). The sole nature card focuses on stargazing (not cloud watching, which can be associated with storm clouds) for its relative neutrality, broad accessibility and coping efficacy of offering calm and hope. The cards are designed to minimize potential re-traumatization, promote trauma awareness, validate trauma symptoms and facilitate safety, collaboration, engagement and empowerment for the user.
Space Sensitive – Movement is a core coping strategy. In small spaces, movement is restricted. Sit + Move serves both muscle relaxation coping as well as movement. Imagine a child in an emergency department, shelter, or other space limited setting, being required to sit during a trauma event. This card presents ways they can move their muscles to relax while stressed.
Engagement – Connecting with safe, attentive caregivers is essential for developing healthy coping. These cards simultaneously promote independent self-regulation and co-regulation. Liam, age 10, commented on the Body Signs of Stress card: “This is one of my favorite cards because if my body is feeling one of these things, I can go talk with someone about it.”
Primary/Secondary Skills – Look Around: primary skill is grounding with secondary skills of situational awareness and engagement. Draw to Cope: primary skill is drawing/coloring with secondary skills of emotional processing (Draw Your Story), which then promotes engagement.
Affect Regulation – There are direct and indirect routes to affect regulation. I am feeling prompts direct exploration of feelings with carefully chosen language (e.g., hopeful, not happy). Fold a Mini Bag or Cup indirectly offers a sense of control and accomplishment (building something out of paper) amidst the chaos of crisis or trauma, which can help soothe a distressed child.
Bi-Lingual – English / Spanish. If a child only speaks Spanish and the caregiver only speaks English, they can hold one card between them, looking at the side with their language, and work through the skill together.
Catalyst – The cards serve as a catalyst for expanding a user’s coping skills repertoire. The Ask for Help card moves the user beyond the basic “go ask for help” to reinforcing additional components of successful help seeking:
Situational Awareness – knowing when help is needed (look around)
Need and risk assessment (ask questions)
Problem solving (brainstorm)
Communication (call, write, talk, pray)
Collaboration (reach out)
Persistence (never give up)
All content copyright © COPEKIT, LLC. All Rights Reserved.