Child Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT)
My Story
When Charlie and I founded Adoption Support Alliance and decided that we wanted one of the primary missions of the agency was to provide adoption-competent counseling to families, I decided it was time to go back to school! I had stayed home with my daughters for a few years, doing part-time work but no ongoing clinical counseling. I knew, for my own confidence, a refresh of my counseling skills was an excellent use of my time before my youngest started Kindergarten (which is in a few weeks! EEK!)
I completed classes towards a Certificate in Play Therapy and University of North Carolina at Charlotte. In the Spring of 2016, I took Filial Therapy, a class that examines the model of Child Parent Relationship Therapy. As part of the class, I had the experience of running a group with two adoptive parents, willing to be my guinea pigs as I practiced. Over the course of ten weeks, I was privileged to be a part of their development of parenting skills, to witness the improvement in their relationship with their daughters and to recognize that the kinds of connections we desire to be made between adoptive families was happening as a result of our time together. I loved it and decided that this group was something I wanted implement with Adoption Support Alliance as soon as I was able.
I personally benefited in my own parenting as I taught other parents the model. I spent time with my own children in a more intentional way as a result of being with this group. I was able to take my children’s perspectives more consistently and able to appreciate their individuality in a way that I hadn’t fully done in the past. Because I saw improvements in my own parenting, I became more and more excited about being able to teach these skills to adoptive parents.
That’s the best part of CPRT as far as I am concerned- the model teaches parents to be the therapeutic change for his or her children. It’s not the counselor that impacts children in this model- It’s the relationship with his or her parent. The parental relationship provides the foundation for all future relationships. It makes complete sense that we would want to focus positive changes there. Why not take the direct route to make long-lasting positive change? I look forward to working with another group of parents to make this impact!
The Model*
Do you feel like you have lost control in your relationship with your child?
Do you find yourself yelling at your child more than laughing with your child?
Do you find yourself frustrated saying the same thing again and again without the desired results?
Do you find that you are having trouble connecting with your child or not being as close as you would like?
Research has showed that Child Parent Relationship Therapy can help with this. Studies have shown the model reduces (or eliminates!) problem behaviors. It enhances the child-parent relationship and can positively impact the marital relationship in the home. It develops responsibility and self-control within children. It increases children’s self-esteem and self-confidence. It increases parents’ feelings of warmth for their child.
But, remember, you, as the parent, are putting in the time to get the results. The group will meet weekly for about an hour and a half for ten weeks. In addition, during the last seven weeks of the group, you will be spending 30 minutes of individual time with your child. These 30 minutes will be video-taped, reviewed and discussed in the supportive, encouraging group setting in an effort to really practice and develop your parenting skills.
Adoption Support Alliance will offer a group during the Fall of 2016 for $500 per participant (that’s about $33 per group counseling hour you will receive). Reach out to erin@adoptionsupportalliance.org if you are interested, have questions or want to be a part of the group. The time and place of our meetings will be based on the schedules of those who register!
*This section is based on the UNCC flier regarding CPRT.
