Family Skills Training

This intervention program, the final component in SFP, brings parents and children together. It incorporates the curriculum described in Helping the Noncompliant Child (Forehand and McMahon, 1981). The Family Skills Program follows the parents' and children's groups. These sessions are designed to help parents empathize with and enjoy their children. The nonpunitive environment helps children and parents express their feelings and thoughts with the support of program facilitators. The goal of the family session is to increase the cooperation of all family members.

During the second phase of these sessions, elements of the Family Relationship Enhancement Program (Guerney, 1997) are introduced. The parents practice appropriate behavior modeled by the facilitator. Two facilitators introduce a problem and model appropriate problem solving and communication skills. The families then role-play problem situations using the communications skills they have learned and observed. The therapist provides immediate reinforcement by praising appropriate actions. In the third phase of sessions, parents learn to control their children's play. The parents practice setting appropriate limits and rewarding good behavior.

The Family Skills Training program, each session of which lasts 1 hour, includes both parents' and children's groups. The format includes both didactic and experiential activities. At least two trainers per group are needed to assist with the children's and parents' games and to provide individual support. The didactic activities include brief lectures on behavior change, rewards, giving directions, and commands. The experiential activities include families participating in the children's game, parents' game, and role-plays on communication and problem solving.

Outline of Family Skills Training Sessions

• Introduction and group building: This session presents the rationale, format, and mechanics of the family component and begins the children's game.
  
  
• Children's game: This session helps parents conceptualize problems in the context of the parent-child interaction and begins training for the children's game.
  
  
• Children's game/Rewards: Parents and children practice the children's game while trainers review attending skills (describing good behavior the parent sees and emphasizing good
  behavior the parent wants).
  
  
• Goals and objectives: Parents and children continue to practice the children's game.
  
  
• Differential attention/Charts and spinners: Families make charts and spinners and continue the children's game.
  
  
• Communication I: Families practice level 1 communication skills (i.e., addressing nonthreatening issues that have nothing to do with the families).
  
  
• Communication skills II: Families practice communication skills at levels 2, 3, and 4. In level 2, the topic of conversation is again restricted to areas that do not involve the families to concentrate on using their skills. In level 3, the families begin discussing a topic of interpersonal relevance. In level 4, families begin discussing actual problems or issues in their families.
  
  
• Learning from parents: Families continue to practice communication skills, this time discussing drug and alcohol issues.
  
  
• Parents' game/Problem solving, giving directions: This session introduces giving effective commands and requests and using timeouts.
  
  
• Parents' game/Giving commands: Families continue the parents' game and practice giving clear and specific commands.
  
  
• Parents' game/Consequences for compliance and noncompliance: Families continue to practice the parents' game and introduce consequences for not following directions.
  
  
• Parents' game/Family talks: This session introduces families to family meetings with a sample agenda.
  
  
• Development/Implementation of behavior programs: Trainers encourage parents to apply the skills they have learned to any problem situations and to continue practicing the children's game.
  
  
• Termination and graduation: This last family session is a graduation party for all participants. Families receive certificates of completion and play games.

Family Skills Training for Parents and Children	Juvenile Justice Bulletin • April 2000