The seven family relations and parenting skills interventions delivered primarily in individualized sessions with children, parents, or parents and children together showed greater improvements in social competence than those using group formats.

When possible, incorporate opportunities for one-on-one contacts with children, parents, or the family. Although group formats are often necessary for a variety of practical reasons and can be effective, family and parenting skills interventions that use individualized services may be more effective at improving social competence in youth. Often, these individualized interventions are clinical in nature, providing therapy to children and their parents in community-based settings. Individualized programs for families 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 are contributing to family problems or problems with peers. For example, a therapist can identify specific maladaptive family interactions and teach family members how to modify them and reinforce more positive behaviors. Parents can then apply these specific parenting and communication skills to a broader set of areas of their child’s life.

Group formats for families, parents, or children may be a valuable way to build social support and reduce isolation, and can provide opportunities for children to practice skills. Group formats might also be required by funders or certain curricula, can mean that programs reach larger numbers of participants, and are less costly. 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, or if there are opportunities to integrate some aspects of one-on-one formats into a group structure.

Assess Feasibility

Program objectives.
Revisit what your program is trying to achieve and the role of group services in meeting those objectives. Is keeping a group format a key step toward achieving other outcomes besides youth social competence?
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 numbers 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, development, or resources do they need to implement changes to format?
Context.
Assess where you might implement one-on-one services. Can you identify additional space that allows for privacy?

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 service plans. For group sessions with children, use delivery personnel with strong clinical and behavior management skills to maintain structure and minimize distractions.
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.
If feasible, integrate the intervention into existing school-year long activities or curricula.
Increase the amount of time spent in individualized services relative to group services, or replace current group formats with individualized formats if feasible.

Breadcrumb

Incorporate Opportunities for Individualized Formats

Outcome

Social Competence

Intervention Family

Family Relations and Parenting Skills Interventions