The ten family relations and parenting skills interventions delivered primarily in individualized sessions with child and parent(s) together showed greater improvements in children’s self-regulation than those using group formats.

When possible, incorporate opportunities for one-on-one contacts with children, parents, or the family unit. The most successful family relations and parenting interventions in our evidence base involved the child and parent(s) together with a provider. Often, these individual family-focused interventions were delivered in outpatient settings and included family counseling focused on both parenting skills and family communication. Individualized programs for families have the flexibility to allow providers to tailor the intervention to each family’s needs and make individualized therapeutic plans that target the issues (for both parent and child) that will help the child build self-regulation skills. For example, a family therapist can identify areas of change for both parent and child, help set treatment goals, and then facilitate the learning and use of specific skills such as prioritizing and managing time and troubleshooting problems at home.

Group formats involving multiple families, parents, or children are often necessary for a variety of practical reasons and can be effective. They may be a valuable way to build social support through shared experience, reduce isolation, and provide opportunities for parents and children to learn skills from their peers. Group formats might also be required by funders or certain curricula, can help programs reach larger numbers of participants, and are less costly than individualized interventions. On the other hand, groups may not allow enough time for participants to receive tailored content, practice new skills, get specific feedback from the provider, and learn how to transfer the skill to specific family situations. Thus, you will need to decide if group formats in your family relations and parenting skills intervention(s) are required and cannot be changed. In that case, consider if there are opportunities to integrate some aspects of an individualized format into a group structure.

Assess Feasibility

Program objectives.
Revisit what your program is trying to achieve and the role of any existing group services in meeting those objectives. Think about all of the outcomes you are trying to achieve and prioritize them. Is a group format a key strategy for improving self-regulation or is the group format largely intended to address other important outcomes besides self-regulation? Answering this question will help you understand whether group formats are essential or if the format could potentially be modified.
Funding requirements.
Do funders require a group-based format, or is there flexibility? Are there ways to meet expectations for numbers served while incorporating an individualized format?
Program structure.
Can your program’s infrastructure and staffing accommodate an individualized format? What would need to change about how your program operates?
Program resources.
What resources would need to be added or shifted to accommodate format changes? Would you need additional staff to continue serving the same number of families? Would you need additional space to provide more individualized services?
Organizational and staff readiness.
Engage your team for input and support. What information, professional development, or resources would they need to implement changes to format?

Take Action

Consider any of the following depending on the results of your feasibility assessment:

Re-imagine group formats. It may be necessary to use a group format for a variety of reasons. If using group sessions, discuss with your team how to structure them to create opportunities for individual attention and feedback. Adjustments might include integrating case management tools, needs assessments, or individual treatment or service plans.
For group sessions with children, use delivery personnel with strong clinical and behavior management skills to maintain structure and minimize distractions. For group sessions with parents, try building in time for one-on-one consultations throughout the length of the program.
Identify additional funding that might be needed to cover the costs of individualized services.
Increase the number of providers as necessary. Connect with pro-bono counseling programs or graduate schools in social work or psychology in your community to add capacity. Be sure you have the ability to supervise students appropriately.
Increase the amount of time spent in individualized services relative to group services or replace current group formats with individualized formats to the extent feasible.

Breadcrumb

Deliver one-on-one

Outcome

Self-Regulation

Intervention Family

Family Relations and Parenting Skills Interventions