Fostering the Adolescent: Trainer's Manual Diana Kraus University of Nebraska at Omaha

University of Nebraska at Omaha DigitalCommons@UNO Publications Archives, 1963-2000 Center for Public Affairs Research 1983 Fostering the Adolescent: Trainer's Manual Diana Kraus University of Nebraska at Omaha Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/cparpubarchives Part of the Demography, Population, and Ecology Commons, and the Public Affairs Commons Recommended Citation Kraus, Diana, "Fostering the Adolescent: Trainer's Manual" (1983). Publications Archives, 1963-2000. 195. https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/cparpubarchives/195 This Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Center for Public Affairs Research at DigitalCommons@UNO. It has been accepted for inclusion in Publications Archives, 1963-2000 by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UNO. For more information, please contact [email protected]. OFF' c._~-:: coPy NoT FoR LoAN FOSTERING THE ADOLESCENT TRAINERS' MANUAL FOSTERING THE ADOLESCENT by Diana Kraus 1983 The University of Nebraska at Omaha and Nebraska Department of Social Services The University of Nebraska-An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Educational Institution Meet Diana Diana Kraus, a native Nebraskan, has recently moved back to Grant, Nebraska from Wyoming. During her 18 years as a· foster parent she and her husband, Lou, had over 165 foster children of all ages in their home. They established and maintained the only home based child care institution in Wyoming. Among other things, Diana helped organize the Wyoming State Foster Parent Association and helped start a parenting program for the Department of Public Assistance and Social Services. Since returning to Nebraska, she has been instrumental in getting a foster parent association started in the Ogallala area. She also worked with the DSS-UNO Foster Parent Training Project in 1982-83 and was asked to develop the 1983 edition of Fostering the Adolescent. She sees the need to prepare case workers as well as foster parents in order to reach the goal of effective foster care. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many people provided input and suggestions that led to the development of this curriculum. The authors cited provided major contributions. Three· curriculum guides were examined and critiqued before the present work was undertaken: Fostering the Teenager (Eastern Michigan University, Donald M. Loppnow, 1978), Fostering the Adolescent (University of Nebraska at Omaha and Nebraska Department of Public Welfare, Carol Ertl, 1980), and Foster Parenting an Adolescent (Child Welfare League of America, Helen Stone, et al., 1977). In addition, we sought input and suggestions from a number of trainers, both in the develop ment of the curriculum and, in some cases, review and critique of the first drafts. We take great risk in attempting to identify them here for fear that we will have overlooked some one. Nevertheless, we wish to acknowledge as many as possible and hope that those who made contributions but may have been overlooked will forgive us. Thanks to: Nancy Bare, Claudia L. Jewett, Karen Singsaas, John Benigas, Frank DeCosta, Marilyn Fox, Betty Rodenbour, Carole Mueting, Debbie Nicholson, Maggie Miranda, Amy Franklin, and Lou Staroski. Bev Piper and Gloria Shattler-Mueller, project monitors from Nebraska Depart ment of Social Services, participated in planning meetings, critiqued manuscripts, and reviewed materials. Carole Davis critiqued and reviewed materials as well as coordinated all administrative and support services. Floyd Waterman worked with the writer and the editor, reviewed materials, and supervised the writing and production. The following people were part of the original training group for this edition: Teresa Hawk, Lou Staroski, Marilyn Schultz, Kaye Long, Darlene Pennington, Nancy Bare, Brenda Coonrod, Judy Riddle, Judi Pedersen, Karen Singsaas, Carole Mueting, Marilyn Fox, Maggie Miranda, Forrest Lein, Marquita Wilcher, Florence Davis, Gloria Shattler-Mueller, Bev Piper, Thomas Plith, Carole Davis, Kathleen Sorensen, Sherry Hall, Shirley Calta, Tim Ryberg, Jean Illsley Clarke, and Floyd Waterman. Thanks to Lou Staroski for section six on human sexuality. Particularly appreciated are the editorial skills of Marian Meier and the excellent composing work of Joyce Carson, both of the Center for Applied Urban Research. Vincent Webb, CAUR director, gave administrative support and encouragement. David Fifer did the illustrations. To each of the above-named persons, I am most appreciative, but one person deserves special recognition and thanks-my husband, Lou Kraus. Without his constant encourage ment, the project could not have been completed in so short a time. He critiqued sessions, made suggestions, and "kept the home fires burning" while I was pounding the typewriter or off in Omaha in meetings. We all build upon the ideas and thoughts of others, and this curriculum is no exception. It was undertaken with the hope that it will help the many foster parents who give of them selves and share their homes and families so that foster teens in Nebraska may learn of another family pattern and progress on the way toward meaningful and purposeful lives. Thanks to each of you for your assistance. Diana Kraus 11 CONTENTS (Trainers) Page Meet Diana ...................................................... Acknowledgements. 11 Contents (Participants) . m Poem............................................................ IV Note to Trainers . v Session One ..... Introduction and What is a Foster Teen All About? . T-1 Session Two .... Effective Communication. T-22 Session Three ... Problem Solving and Rules: Limits and Consequences . T-4 7 Session Four .... An Ounce of Prevention . T-61 Session Five ..... School, Home, and Community ....................... T-90 Session Six . Sexuality ......................................... T-120 Session Seven . Self-Esteem . T -14 3 Session Eight .... The Total Teen.. T-159 Session Nine .... Drugs and Alcohol................................... T-174 Session Ten ..... Hey! What About Me?. T-189 Index. T-211 l11 CONTENTS (Participants) Page Meet Diana ...................................................... Acknowledgements ................................................ 11 Poem ...................... ···.·································· IV Session One ..... Introduction and What is a Foster Teen All About? ........ P-1 Session Two . Effective Communication ............................ P-14 Session Three ... Problem Solving and Rules: Limits and Consequences ...... P-26 Session Four .... An Ounce of Prevention ............................. P-35 Session Five ..... School, Home, and Community ....................... P-55 Session Six ..... Sexuality ......................................... P-78 Session Seven . Self-Esteem ....................................... P-93 Session Eight .... The Total Teen .................................... P-103 Session Nine .... Drugs and Alcohol. ................................. P-113 Session Ten ..... Hey! What About Me? ............................... P-116 Index ........................................................... P-134 iii 9 am me a&td you atr.e you. ©uft fteQatiO&tghip ca&t e~ceed aQQ baftftieM whe&t 9 Ca&t see you. heaft you, touch a&td u&taeftgfa&td you ..• a&td C!Jou me. D. Kraus ~ I IV NOTE TO TRAINERS Fostering the Adolescent is designed as a curriculum to meet the needs of foster parents who have (or soon will have) adolescent foster children in their homes. Trainers will get to know the parents in their groups and use some flexibility in meeting the needs of those parents. The commitment made by the Foster Parent Training Project is one of pro viding parents with materials and training that will be helpful to them in fostering their adolescents. The curriculum is designed in ten separate segments, and those segments or sessions may be delivered in any sequence helpful to both the parents and the trainer. Sessions One, Two, and Three should first be presented in that order, and the other sessions may be presented in any order the trainer desires. Some groups may meet for a compressed "week-end" session while others may opt to meet weekly for anywhere from one to ten different meetings. Regardless of the training format utilized, the trainer will need to know the parents and his or her own needs and schedule the sequence accordingly. v 2 -1 ::tl Session One 0c c: (") ::l 0 2 Introduction What is a Foster Teen All About? T-2 Getting Started Greet parttctpants as they arnve and have them sign the attendance sheet. Do introductions. Discuss logistics (refreshments, restrooms, sched ules, course requirements, etc.) Participants will have a working knowledge We are all here today because we are concerned 1 of "normal" adolescent characteristics. with adolescents in foster care. Before we can objectively look at some of the situations specifically dealing with foster teens, we need to have a very sound background of concepts and qualities of adolescents. The following five qualities are unique to adoles cents: 1. Experience of physical sexual maturity 2. Experience of withdrawal of and from adult benevolent protection 3. Consciousness of self in interaction 4. Re-evaluation of values 5. Experimentation. These are listed and explained in your manual on page P-1. Discuss these qualities and talk about the group's reactions to each. We also need to know how adolescents develop. This process is discussed on page P-2. Play the 30 minute audio cassette tape "On Ado lescence" by Claudia Jewett. Note: This tape begins

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