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PARENTING SKILLS WORKSHOP SERIES A Manual for Parent Educators John Bailey Susan Perkins Sandra Wilkins in consultation with Jennifer Birckmayer Evaluation material provided by June Mead A Cornell Cooperative Extension Publication About the Authors John Bailey is coordinator of the Ithaca Youth Bureau’s One-to-One Program, which matches needy children with adult volunteers in open-ended friendships. He holds a bachelor of arts degree from Wesleyan Univer- sity. Susan Perkins is a family life specialist with Tompkins Seneca Tioga Board of Cooperative Educational Ser- vices’ Adult Continuing Education. She continues to support parents learning to strengthen their skills. She has bachelor of science and master’s degrees from the Pennsylvania State University. Sandra Wilkins is extension educator at Cornell Coop- erative Extension of Tompkins County. She coordi- nates parenting education programs, including the Parenting Skills Workshop Series. She holds a bachelor of science degree in nursing from Montana State University and a master’s of professional studies in adult education from Cornell University. Acknowledgments This project would never have come to fruition without the support, guidance, and assistance of many people. We would like to thank Karen Carr and Sam Cohen for their work in initiating the project. Nancy Zahler of the Tompkins County Youth Bureau helped obtain ongoing funding when we were mere fledglings. Marcia Markwardt, Nancy Potter, Janeth Thurling, and Judith Winckler of Cornell Cooperative Extension helped expand the project and contributed to the development of the manual. Jennifer Birckmayer contributed Chap- ter 5 and provided numerous helpful comments on the manuscript. June Mead helped us evaluate the program and provided the chapter and supplementary materials on evaluation. Stephen Goggin and Dalva Hedlund of Cornell University assisted in obtaining a grant for the project and Professor Hedlund commented on the manuscript. Trudie Calvert and Linda Haylor Mikula of Cornell University Media Services provided fine edito- rial and design work. We would like to thank the many facilitators who have brought this program to the public and made many contributions to its development. Special thanks go to our families and to the parents and children who have inspired this work. To order copies of this manual contact your local Cornell Cooperative Extension office or The Resource Center Cornell University P.O. Box 3884 Ithaca, N.Y. 14852-3884 Phone: 607-255-2080 Fax: 607-255-9946 E-mail:[email protected] Web: www.cce.cornell.edu/store Produced by Media Services, Cornell University © 1995 Cornell University Cornell Cooperative Extension provides equal program and employment opportunities. Printed on recycled paper. 321PSW 10/95 3M CR MS40688 CONTENTS V FOREWORD VII INTRODUCTION Chapter 1 1 FIVE BASIC PARENTING SKILLS Chapter 2 15 STRUCTURED LEARNING Chapter 3 17 EMPOWERMENT Chapter 4 19 A GUIDE TO FACILITATING WORKSHOPS Chapter 5 27 WHEN IS HELP NEEDED? Chapter 6 29 THE WORKSHOPS Chapter 7 49 THE ROLE OF THE PROGRAM COORDINATOR Chapter 8 53 TRAINING FACILITATORS Chapter 9 59 EVALUATION 61 BIBLIOGRAPHY Appendix 63 RESULTS OF A TELEPHONE SURVEY 71 EVALUATION FORMS iii FOREWORD he Parenting Skills Workshop Series oped and implemented a facilitator training project began in Ithaca, New York, in program and PSWS began to grow. Interest arose T 1986 in response to a request by family in other New York counties, and facilitator train- court judge Betty Friedlander for training in ing programs were offered in response. Sandra parenting skills for adults appearing before her in Wilkins became program coordinator in 1990, and cases of child abuse or neglect. Two professional by 1994 two other Cooperative Extension Associa- youth workers, Karen Carr and John Bailey, saw in tions in New York had contracts to teach the this request an opportunity to provide a program program and others were preparing proposals. for the parents of the youth with whom they The Tompkins County Parenting Skills Workshop worked, but a review of available parent education Series continues to grow and expand in response programs showed that all required moderate to to increased funding and continued need. In high levels of literacy and used study and discus- addition to workshops for parents, Tompkins sion rather than hands-on practice as the primary County now offers a follow-up support group and teaching methods. John and Karen had recently home visitation by facilitators trained in PSWS. attended a workshop presented by Arnold This manual is designed to provide parent educa- Goldstein of Syracuse University on using a tors with a complete guide to the skills, teaching teaching format called structured learning to work techniques, and empowerment philosophy used in with adolescents. They decided to try to teach the Parenting Skills Workshop Series. Chapters 1 basic parenting skills using this format, which is through 3 describe the content, format, and based around role plays by facilitators and partici- philosophical framework for PSWS. Chapters 4 pants. The purpose of the program would be to through 6 guide facilitators in implementing the replace impulsive behavior with rational behavior program. Chapters 7 through 9 provide informa- and ineffective or hurtful parenting styles with tion on how to coordinate an ongoing county or effective, child-friendly skills. regional program. The Appendix gives results from an evaluation of a Parenting Skills Workshop Cornell Cooperative Extension Series offered in Broome County in 1994. This Involvement manual is offered in conjunction with a facilitator Susan Perkins, then an educator with Cornell training program. Contact your county Coopera- Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County, tive Extension Association for more information. began working with John in 1987 when Karen returned to her primary work with adolescents. In 1988 Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County was awarded funding through the Tompkins County Department of Social Services and the Tompkins County Youth Bureau to coordinate and expand the Parenting Skills Workshop Series (PSWS). John and Susan devel- v INTRODUCTION ver the past two decades a number of Tompkins County, New York, Parenting Skills excellent parent education programs Workshops are seen as one component of an Ohave found currency among literate educational plan for parents that may include adults who are motivated to improve their rela- other parenting education, support groups, a tionships with their children. Although these home visitor, a GED class, family counseling, programs have had important benefits for thou- substance abuse counseling, and job training. sands of parents, they are not accessible to the There are three elements to the PSWS method. significant portion of the American public with The first consists of the content of the program— limited skill or interest in reading. This portion five basic parenting skills. Each skill highlights a includes not only those who do not know how to key issue in parenting. ENCOURAGEMENT helps read but also those who do not learn well from parent and child focus on the child’s positive text-based teaching strategies. It is of vital impor- qualities. CAN DO gives parents a constructive tance to reach parents in this group because it behavior management skill. CHOICES teaches contains a subset of parents who neglect or abuse, parents how to share problem solving and deci- or are at risk of neglecting or abusing, their sion making with their children. SELF-CONTROL children. The Parenting Skills Workshop Series guides parents in developing techniques for (PSWS) is designed to fill this educational gap by managing their own anger. RESPECTING FEEL- presenting basic skills in a hands-on learning INGS teaches parents how to hear, respect, and format suitable for any level of literacy. respond to their children’s feelings. The eight-week curriculum is based on themes The second element of PSWS is the structured consistent with familiar parent education pro- learning format, which is adapted from the work grams such as Systematic Training for Effective of Arnold Goldstein et al. This format is the key to Parenting (STEP), Active Parenting Today, and reaching the target audience because it entails a Parent Effectiveness Training (PET). These hands-on teaching strategy. themes are presented in a format that enables parents to practice five parenting skills in a The third element is the empowerment approach supportive group environment. Each two-hour as developed by the Family Matters Project of workshop becomes a setting for participants to Cornell University. The goal of this approach is to learn new skills in a format that emphasizes action build the strength and confidence of program in “real” situations. Teaching strategies include participants so they become empowered to introduction and discussion of a skill, modeling practice and use the skills they learn. the use of the skill, parents helping each other Content, format, and philosophical framework, practice the skill, and encouraging use of the skill taken together, enable parent educators to reach at home. an audience that is often cautious, skeptical, or Skill building, like other behavioral interventions, even hostile to institutionally sponsored ideas needs to be part of a comprehensive service about parenting. program that meets the needs of each family. In vii Chapter 1 FIVE BASIC PARENTING SKILLS he Parenting Skills Workshop Series is ENCOURAGEMENT designed to teach five basic parenting 1. Notice something you like. T skills that are useful from the time chil- 2. Notice how you feel. dren begin to talk through the teenage years. 3. Say it! (“I feel . that you. .”) The first skill, ENCOURAGEMENT, fosters self- 4. Notice how your child responds. esteem in children and builds trust between parent and child. ENCOURAGEMENT emphasizes the CAN DO importance of telling the child when the parent 1. Notice what you don’t want your child to do. sees him or her doing something the parent likes. 2. Think of something your child can do The second two skills, CAN DO and CHOICES, are instead.