Programs
The Center for Resilient Families aims to advance several evidence-based parenting programs, to improve outcomes for children who have been exposed to traumatic stress.
Adaptive Parenting Tools (ADAPT)
The ADAPT intervention was developed to support parenting and resilience among military families coping with the stress of deployment and reintegration.
ADAPT is a PMTO program for military families and was originally developed for National Guard and Reserve (NG/R) families, as these families face disparities in access to military-sensitive trauma-informed services, and NG/R service members are at higher risk for mental health problems including suicide. ADAPT has been tested in three randomized trials, two of which are complete, with almost 500 families in total. An RCT evaluating a 14-session group-based ADAPT with 336 families showed that the program improved parents’ parenting (observed and reported), children’s emotional and behavioral adjustment (i.e., PTSD, depression, school, peer, and behavior problems) one year later. These improvements were mediated by improved parenting efficacy at post-test. These improvements in parenting efficacy also reduced parents’ own depression, PTSD symptoms and suicidality at 12 months. ADAPT is also available in online (self-directed) and telehealth (facilitator-directed) formats. An RCT of online ADAPT showed it to be effective in improving parents’ efficacy, parenting, and child adjustment.
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Parenting in the Moment
Coming to a new country is challenging enough, but raising children in a new country can add a whole new level of stress. You want the very best for your kids without losing the very best of your culture. We respect that. Parenting in the Moment is a parenting program designed to help make every moment count when it comes to helping your family thrive.
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New Beginnings Program
The New Beginnings Program for Divorcing and Separating Families (NBP) is a 10-session program designed to promote effective parenting following separation or divorce. The program teaches skills that help parents build positive and warm relationships, use open communication with children, employ effective discipline, and keep children out of the middle of conflicts between their parents. The program focuses on effective parenting because research has shown that effective parenting by both mothers and fathers is one of the most powerful resources for helping children adjust positively to parental divorce or separation.
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Resilient Parenting for Bereaved Families (RPBF)
The Resilient Parenting for Bereaved Families Program is designed to promote effective parenting and teach useful coping skills following the death of a parent or caregiver.
The RPBF, designated effective in the Child Trends What Works databank, is designed to promote resilient outcomes of parentally-bereaved youth, with components for caregivers and children (ages 8-16). FPB targets positive parenting practices, caregiver mental health, and youth exposure to negative events. Youth components target relationship quality, positive coping, negative esteem and threat appraisals, adaptive control beliefs, and adaptive emotional expression. The programs consist of 12 two-hour group sessions, with four sessions of conjoint activities for caregivers and youth. The caregiver program includes two 1-hour individual sessions tailored to family needs. RCT data indicate that for families experiencing the violent or sudden death of a parent, the FBP led to improvements in positive parenting, reductions in trauma symptoms in children, and decreased caregiver mental health problems with effects lasting up to 6 years.
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BRIDGES
BRIDGES is a family-focused program for middle school students and their parents. It uses evidence-based strategies to increase school engagement and keep teens on a positive path in life to prevent common teen obstacles. Long-term follow-up shows that BRIDGES increases high school graduation rates and reduces drug and alcohol issues in high school.
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Resources
A guide to forming advisory boards for family-serving organizations
Forming an advisory board can feel like adding yet another box to check in the path to getting something done. But a well-planned advisory board will make your work better, not harder, by providing broader perspective, ensuring you are empowering those you serve, and creating ambassadors for your work.
Family partnership for juvenile-justice professionals
“Family partnership” is an approach to juvenile justice that views families as an untapped resource for understanding and reaching the youth we serve — part of the solution, not the problem. This tool is a brief, practical, and realistic look at the potential benefits of family partnership, and real-world examples of ways that organizations have begun to put these ideas in action.
Getting Help After Trauma: Is My Family Ready?
Families dealing with trauma experiences often benefit from counseling services to help with healing. But with so many things to consider, it can be hard to decide if now is the right time or if it would be better to wait for some time to pass. To address this need, we’ve designed a brief worksheet for families to use. It is based on information shared by families about their own experiences. We hope going through this worksheet will help families make decisions about their readiness to start trauma counseling and feel more prepared when the time comes.
Events
Events will be posted here.
Training Available
The Center for Resilient Families provides tuition-free training in parent-focused evidence-based practices. To inquire about application materials or deadlines, contact the project co-director.
Upcoming trainings:
- 2022: Resilient Parenting for Bereaved Families
- 2022: After Deployment: Adaptive Parenting Tools (ADAPT)