Unmasking Sexual Con Games: Leaders Guide

Use with the teen's guide, sold separately

Coercing or conning a teen into sexual activity - it's called emotional grooming and it happens far too often to boys as well as girls. Using tactics like flattery, jealousy, and intimidation, the emotional groomer manipulates his or her target into a sexual relationship that can have devastating physical and emotional consequences for the victim.

Parents, teachers, and adults who work with and care for youth can help adolescents recognize the signs of emotional grooming and learn to protect themselves from being used or abused.

Ten lesson plans give step-by-step instructions to help teens learn how to:

• Recognize emotional grooming and nine distinct emotional grooming tactics such as jealousy, flattery and intimidation.
• Identify distorted thinking and language cons by looking at actual intercepted letters between teens.
• Understand the 12 steps of physical closeness.
• Practice good friendship and dating skills.
• Combat sexual harassment.
• Avoid intimidation and dating violence.

The Leader's Guide also discusses the role of the media, alcohol, and drugs in emotional grooming. Reproducible worksheets are included.

A separate revised Teen's Guide is also available for this curriculum. Its pages include information that will help young people stay safe and recognize when they are being "played."