Background
Groups are a perfect choice for people who have personal and interpersonal issues that should be solved. People involved in their activity acquire the chance to get the information needed to succeed and improve functioning in one of the problematic areas. For this reason, it is recommended for individuals with different challenging issues and an inability to cooperate with each other.
Parents with teens often face multiple issues in communicating with them, educating, and providing the required care. In the majority of cases, such conflicts emerge because of the information deficit and the lack of experience that is needed to consider all unique peculiarities of teens and work them effectively. For this reason, group work can be a perfect choice to share knowledge, get new skills, and fill in the gaps related to living and looking for children in the period of change in their behavioral patterns.
Type of the group
The formed grouped can be described as a psychoeducational one. It means that all its members are well-functioning individuals who might experience a deficit in knowledge in a certain area (Corey et al., 2018). Concerning the case, a group for parents who have difficulties communicating with their teenage children will be formed. By assisting parents in generating new knowledge, we expect to contribute to the overall improvement of the climate in their families and achieve success in eliminating the deficit in the information they have at the moment. The given type of a group seems the most suitable one as it presupposes sharing data, skills, and experiences with parents and providing support in cases when they have no vision of how to act or behave to align successful cooperation with their children (Jacobs et al., 2015).
Objectives
The major goal of the proposed group is to foster the cooperation between parents who are in similar situations and educate them enough to be able to face all challenges that emerge when living with a teenage child with different behavioral problems. The group is created to establish a comfortable, safe, and secure environment that will help parents to relax, avoid unnecessary tension and be ready to engage in activities needed for them to succeed (Corey et al., 2018). The group is also organized to guarantee the most effective provision of data to parents regarding the unique aspects of the teen psyche, their socialization patterns, need for independence, and peculiarities of anatomical evolution that should be taken into account to ensure their appropriate development. By the end of the group, all parents are expected to eliminate gaps in knowledge related to parenting and improve their relations with their children.
Rationale
Statistics show that problems in adolescence and the lack of understanding with parents are the major reasons for the development of undesired behavioral patterns in children, the appearance of violent behaviors (Shulman, 2015). Moreover, problematic teenagers have a high risk of becoming addicted to various substances or engaging in crime (Shulman, 2015). For this reason, the parents’ major responsibility is the establishment of a successful collaboration between a family and a child to discuss the most problematic aspects and prepare him/her for the future life. Unfortunately, a significant number of parents experience problems in this field as they lack information and experience. For this reason, the rationale of this group comes from the necessity to provide adults with knowledge and understanding of how to cooperate with their teenage children and protect them from harmful external influences.
Screening, Selecting, and Orienting Members
Screening is vital for the successful group’s functioning and cooperation between its members. For this reason, adults who have problems with teenage children and lack experience in the given field should be selected for participation. Additionally, another vital condition is their willingness to cooperate and share their problems, experiences, and knowledge (Corey et al., 2018). The climate within the group depends on the readiness to participate learn, for this reason, screening activities play a vital role in its functioning. The number of members can range from 10 to 15 people to attain positive outcomes and the most effective information sharing and learning. The group can gather in a middle room in the local school or another place spacious enough for the given number of people. There is no need for additional equipment, which simplifies the choice of the area.
The orientation of all group members should be performed in the first sessions. All participants should be explained the purpose and structure of the group, the major rules that should be followed, and how the process is organized. Additionally, people should be provided with the guarantees of the confidentiality and anonymity of information they share with each other, which is vital for their readiness to cooperate and participate (Shulman, 2015). It is also necessary to explain that everyone in the group is united because of similar problems and the need to find successful resolutions.
Practical considerations
The frequency of meetings and their duration should be discussed with all members. It is recommended to meet at least once per week to guarantee that information discussed due to the group activities will be processed and accumulated. However, if all members agree, the frequency can be increased, and 2-3 meetings per week can be accepted. The membership should be approved by the organizer responsible for the functioning of the group to ensure that an adult meets all requirements and can contribute to the successful functioning of the group. Everyone can also leave the group if he/she needs it.
Procedures
Considering the main purpose of the group, several procedures can be offered to meet the stated objectives. First of all, it is vital to introduce sharing activities to guarantee that all parents understand the nature of problems they face and see that they are not alone in their inability to manage teenage children and resolve conflicts that emerge. The second procedure is learning, as the prior goal of the group is to eliminate the deficit in knowledge related to cooperating with their children. That is why it is vital to provide participants with the skills and experiences they will need homes (Kottler & Englar-Carson, 2019). The third procedure presupposes the application of acquired skills and knowledge to real-life examples of some parents to demonstrate how conflict situations can be resolved and strategies that will be helpful in different cases. Finally, evaluation procedures should be introduced to monitor the progress in the group.
The following topics can be suggested for the discussion in the group:
The psyche of teenagers and its changes
For parents, it is vital to know about the unique aspects of teenage children’s psyche to communicate them successfully.
Conflict resolution practices
The application of these strategies might help adults to avoid conflicts and align cooperation with teems.
Communication skills
Communication is a major tool that can be used by individuals to discuss their problems, and adults should master it.
Basic psychological literacy
Parents should be ready to discuss problems with their children and offer solutions that might satisfy all parties
The given list of topics meets the objectives of the group and can help parents.
Evaluation
Evaluation of results can be performed in the middle and final stages of the group’s functioning. It can be conducted by communicating with parents and asking them about the peculiarities of teenagers and how they can be taken into account. Moreover, the current state of relations with children and the ability to resolve conflicts can also be viewed as an effective evaluation practice as it will demonstrate the effectiveness of the group (Kottler & Englar-Carson, 2019). In such a way, members should provide reports about the situation in their families and the ability to communicate with their children. It will help to evaluate their achievements and outline the aspects that should be improved.
Conclusion
The offered psychoeducational group is designed with the primary goal to help parents with the deficit in knowledge related to cooperating with their teenage children. For this reason, only adults with similar problems should be included. The activities presuppose sharing experiences, knowledge, and information to enhance the situation and better conflict resolution in families. The major goal of the given group is to help parents to succeed and avoid the emergence of undesired patterns in children that can be triggered by problems in families. The success of the group can be measured by the monitoring of the situation in problematic families.
References
Corey, M., Corey, G., & Corey, C. (2018). Groups. Process and practice. Cengage Learning.
Jacobs, E., Schimmel, C., Masson, R., & Harvill, R. (2015). Group counseling: Strategies and skills (8th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Kottler, J., & Englar-Carson, M. (2019). Learning group leadership: An experiential approach (4th ed.). Cognella Academic Publishing.
Shulman, L. (2015). Empowerment series: The skills of helping individuals, families, groups, and communities (8th ed.). Cengage Learning.