Esther Mertens

| 13 General Introduction to create a safe and trusting environment. It is emphasized that the trainer functions as a role model for the students and should reinforce students’ positive behaviors during the lessons. The manual also describes the intervention lessons elaborately for the R&W trainers. For each lesson, the exercises and games are described and are accompanied with a brief theoretical explanation, specific instructions that can be used during the lesson, and pictures showing examples of the exercises/games. The intervention uniquely combines a physical approach with a more common psychological approach, that is, a psychophysical approach. Through games and exercises students learn how to make (physical) contact with others, and explore, respect, and set own and other’s boundaries. After the physical activities, there is a short moment of reflection to share their thoughts and feelings with each other, and to discuss how these skills can be transferred to their daily lives. During the intervention lessons, communication is based on the symbolic principles of “rock” and “water”, representing opposite ends of a continuum. Rock indicates an uncompromising attitude in which one is able to resist pressure from others. Water indicates a flexible and cooperative attitude in which one is open to opinions, thoughts, and feelings of others. For both attitudes students need to be “grounded” and “centered”. This means that both feet should be on the ground with the weight divided equally over both feet, feet are slightly placed apart, and the knees are slightly bend (i.e., grounded). In addition, breathing is low instead of high in the chest (i.e., centered). The psychophysical approach and the used communication are evident in the exercises. For instance, in the exercise “Chinese boxing” two students stand oppose each other, both grounded and centered, and hold their hands in front of their body with the palms of the hands directed towards the other student (see Figure 2). The goal Figure 1. Rock & Water house. 1