Program Details

What is the Parent Empowerment Program?

The Parent Empowerment Program (PEP) is a series of three modules containing twelve lesson plans, each about two hours in length.  Each lesson builds on the prior one.  For this reason, the sequential structure of The Parent Empowerment Program is important.  Parents are informed of the sequential order of lessons prior to the beginning of the program and are encouraged to attend all classes.  Emphasis of the Parent Empowerment Program is placed on empowering parents to reclaim and retain their power as authority figures in their homes.  Parents, as opposed to social service agencies, are identified as the agents of change in dysfunctional family systems. 

Why is the Parent Empowerment Program Important?

The Parent Empowerment Program is important for a number of reasons.

1. It recognizes that parents are the first line of defense and possibly the most underutilized resource for addressing child behavior problems.  This perspective supports the Family Support Initiative which is a movement that emphasizes parental involvement in treatment planning and decision making with regards to families involved in community social services.  It is an initiative that expounds on the belief that parents know what is best for their families and that parents need to lead the effort to bring stability to their families.  A common phrase used by parent supporters of the Family Support Initiative is “Nothing About Us, Without Us.”  This mantra reflects most parent desires to be part of the solution to their own struggles.  The Parent Empowerment Program recognizes this desire and regards parents as the most integral part of the change process.
2. Most family chaos is not unique.  Dysfunctional family dynamics are many times shared by other parents in The Parent Empowerment Program.  Because there are so many similarities in family dynamics, general information can be provided in a group format to help parents better understand dysfunctional patterns of behavior, possible solutions, and prevention strategies to avoid future dysfunctional patterns.  The Parent Empowerment Program focuses on understanding and changing dysfunctional family patterns as opposed to understanding specific childhood diagnoses.  Therefore, all parents regardless of their child’s diagnosis or difficulties can benefit from the Parent Empowerment Program provided they are motivated to change their dysfunctional family system.  Serving a broad spectrum of parents avoids the necessity of parents having to wait for “specific” parent education classes on Attention Deficit Disorder, Depression or Oppositional Defiant Disorder to become available.  Parents could be provided support and educational serves as soon as enough parents were registered to begin another Parent Empowerment class.  Because the Parent Empowerment Program incorporates a broad spectrum of parents, referrals for The Parent Empowerment Program can come from the Mental Health Department, the Juvenile Department, The Department of Human Services, Justice Department, School Counselors and self referrals.   Any parent wanting the support, information and training to improve their family functioning is considered a good referral.
3. A format like The Parent Empowerment Program can be efficient and cost effective.  Since patterns of family dysfunction are not unique, it is more cost effective to provide fifteen parents 2 hours of support information and skills training in a group format than provide those same fifteen parents individual sessions totaling thirty hours.  The numbers are staggering when considering that one Parent Empowerment Program facilitator can serve fifteen parents in a twelve week two hour class totaling 24 hours, while it would take 360 hours to serve each of those same thirty parents individually.  Providing case management with a group of parents is also more efficient then providing individual case management for thirty individuals saving more time and resources.
4. The Parent Empowerment Program not only serves to educate, but to support parents as well.  In class, parents are encouraged to share experiences, resources, stories and information with each other.  Parents realize, through shared experience, they are not alone in their frustrations.  The atmosphere created by the Parent Empowerment Program is a much richer learning environment then parents would get with individual treatment.
5. The Parent Empowerment Program was not designed as a “stand alone” program.  It was designed to be used in conjunction with support services throughout the community including the Mental Health Department, the Juvenile Department, the Department of Human Services, schools and faith based organizations.  The Parent Empowerment Program emphasizes the importance of effective discipline, good home structure and building positive relationships between parents and children.  These are all common objectives of the various community organizations.  Community mental health therapists, Juvenile Counselors, DHS workers, teachers and faith based leaders  can compliment the Parent Empowerment Program by assisting parents on a more personal level to help parents meet those objectives.  For these reasons, professionals from the different organizations are encouraged to participate in The Parent Empowerment Program.  Parents and professionals working together towards common goals helps build cooperation and gives both a common language and experience from which to build upon. 
6. The Parent Empowerment Program provides parents insight into dysfunctional parenting cycles and provides skills to change these cycles.  Without insight into dysfunctional parenting cycles, parents are likely to return to them regardless of what parenting strategies and skills they are taught.  After parents become aware of their dysfunctional cycles, they are provided enhancements to their current parenting skills and asked to practice these skills on a daily basis.  Providing parents the skills to shape child behaviors on a daily basis, will help change child behavior more rapidly.  Additionally, empowering parents with effective intervention tools creates less dependence on therapists, promotes self sufficiency and places resolution of family issues with parents where it belongs.  If enough parents are supported and trained through The Parent Empowerment Program, there is likelihood that communities will experience less pressure on overwhelmed agencies such as Mental Health, The Juvenile Department and the Department of Human Services.  Less stress on community agencies translates into better overall services for the community.