© Child Trends 2003
Support, Empowerment, and Education (SEE)
OVERVIEW
Support, Empowerment, and Education (SEE), a modified version of Multiple Family Group Psychoeducation, (MFGP)is a community-based group program for primary caregivers of children with severe emotional disturbances. MFGP promotes parental social support, parental sense of empowerment, parental knowledge of child mental illness, and parental advocacy skills with the eventual goal of improving children’s emotional and behavioral problems. In an evaluation of the intervention, parents of children with severe emotional disturbances were randomly assigned to either receive the typical intensive case management (ICM) treatment or to receive SEE. Results indicated that children in the ICM and ICM plus SEE did not differ significantly in the amount of change in behavioral problems between entrance into the study and 18 months after initial assessments. However, parents in the ICM plus SEE group did report an increased use of social networks for support.
DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM
Target population: Children and adolescents diagnosed with severe emotional disturbances.
Using a family psychoeducational model, SEE is a group intervention for primary caregivers of children with severe emotional disturbances. The program promotes parental social support, sense of empowerment, knowledge of child mental illness, and advocacy skills with the eventual goal of improving their children’s emotional and behavioral problems.
Similar to MFGP uses a highly structured problem solving approach to meeting the program’s goals. Parents meet in group sessions, and each session has a group leader. SEE uses an additional approach which group leaders encourage parents to ask questions, request clarification, and seek additional information if necessary. Groups meet twice a month for two-hour sessions, and parents participate in group sessions for a minimum of six months. Parents meet separately from children, and childcare is provided on site. Group leaders are trained in an all day session.
EVALUATION(S) OF PROGRAM
Ruffolo, M. C., Kuhn, M. T., & Evans, M. E. (2005). Support, empowerment, and education: A study of multiple family group education. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 13, 200-212.
Evaluated population: 94 primary caregivers of children with severe emotional disturbances and who were enrolled in intensive case management programs in both urban and rural areas served as the sample for this evaluation. Children enrolled in the intensive case management (ICM) programs have histories of multiple out-of-home placements or inpatient hospitalizations. Symptoms displayed by children in the sample included suicidal ideation, depression, anxiety, acting dangerously towards others, verbal and physical aggression, and temper outbursts.
Seventy-nine percent of the primary caregivers were white, and 15% were black. Ninety-five percent of the primary caregivers were female, 70% were single. Roughly half of the caregivers reported substance abuse problems in the family, 40% had previously received treatment for mental illness, and 45% were living in impoverished conditions.
Approach: Caregivers and children were randomly assigned to receive either typical ICM care or to the Support, Empowerment, and Education (SEE) plus typical ICM care group.
Parents completed structured assessment interviews at baseline and at 9 and 18 months after entrance into the study. Assessments included measures of parent social support network use, parent problem solving and coping skills, and child behavioral symptoms.
Results: Results indicated few differences between the ICM-only and the ICM plus SEE intervention groups. There were no significant differences between groups on the measures of parental problem solving and coping skills. Furthermore, there were no differences across groups on changes in child behavioral symptoms; this indicates that the SEE intervention did not provide any added benefits for the children. In regards to indicators of parental social support network use, parents in the ICM-only intervention were significantly more likely to report an increase in needing people to help them do things over the course of the study than parents in the ICM plus SEE group. Additionally, parents in the ICM plus SEE group were significantly more likely over time to ask others for advice.
Ruffolo, M. C., Kuhn, M. T., & Evans, M. E. (2005). Support, empowerment, and education: A study of multiple family group education. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 13, 200-212.
Program categorized in this guide according to the following:
Evaluated participant ages: Not reported
Evaluated participant grades: Not reported
Program age ranges in the guide: N/A
Program components: Mentoring/Tutoring, Clinic/Provider-Based, Parent or Family Component
Measured outcomes: Social and Emotional, Behavioral Problems
KEYWORDS: Mental Health; Parent Training; Aggression/Violence/Bullying; Urban; Rural and/or Frontier; Co-ed.
Program information last updated on 10/5/10.
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© Child Trends 2003 |