Parent Discussion Group

1. TRANSITIONING FROM
HIGH SCHOOL TO COLLEGE
A Disc u ssion Grou p for Parents of S tu d ents

2. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
T o p r o v i d e a w e l c o m i n g s p a c e f o r
p a r e n t s o f h i g h s c h o o l j u n i o r s a n d
s e n i o r s t o d i s c u s s i s s u e s a n d c o n c e r n s
r e l a t e d t o t h e i r s t u d e n t s ’ e x p e r i e n c e
w i t h t r a n s i t i o n i n g t o c o l l e g e l i f e .
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3. STATEMENT OF
RELEVANCE
M e m b e r s o f t h i s t h e r a p y
g r o u p w i l l e n g a g e i n
d i s c u s s i o n s a b o u t t h e
s h a r e d e x p e r i e n c e s a n d
c h a l l e n g e s t h a t s t u d e n t s
f a c e a s t h e y n a v i g a t e
t h e i r f i r s t y e a r o f
c o l l e g e a n d h o w t o
a p p r o p r i a t e l y p r e p a r e
t h e m f o r s u c c e s s .
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4. DETAILS ABOUT THE GROUP
W h e n , W h e r e , W h a t , H o w L o n g …
- Parent group sessions are provided one to two times per
week (approximately 90 minutes per session) depending
on assessed skill development needs and focus on
directly teaching new skills, creating adaptive
environments that support parenting, modeling desired
skills, mentoring parents, and monitoring acquired skills.
- Each group will consist of 4-12 parents.
- Groups will meet at the Newaygo Arbor Circle site in the
group therapy room.
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5. FACILITATOR ROLE
W h a t d o e s t h e F a c i l i t a t o r d o ?
This plan is facilitated by a Psychotherapist from the Arbor Circle Parent
Education Initiative as part of the West Michigan Psychoeducation
Initiative Project. The facilitator will present each meeting and encourage
group discussion while reinforcing new skills from the lesson.
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6. 6
INTERVENTION MODEL
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• “Problem-solving therapy (PST) is a psychosocial intervention,
generally considered to be under a cognitive-behavioral umbrella”
(Nezu, Nezu, & D’Zurilla, 2013, p. ix). It aims to encourage the client
to cope better with day-to-day problems and traumatic events and
reduce their impact on mental and physical well-being.
• Clinical research, counseling, and health psychology have shown PST
to be highly effective in clients of all ages, ranging from children to
the elderly, across multiple clinical settings, including schizophrenia,
stress, and anxiety disorders (Dobson, 2011).

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Stages Goal(s) Time Technique(s)
Engage • Socializing – Parents connect during the first segment of the meeting.
• Go-around – Parents share their experience as a parent of a high school
student getting ready to transition to college living.
• Establish Rapport with Group Members
• Provide an Overview of Group Goals and Projected Outcome
• Assessment
1st Meeting (90 Mins) • Psychoeducation
• Active Listening
• Rapport Building
Inform • Obstacles to effective problem-solving (discuss the various “roadblocks” for
effective parenting)
• Recognizing Problems (Help Clients recognize issues as they arise and
teach skills for normalizing the experience)
• Seeing Problems as Challenges (Encourage group members to break free of
restricted ways of thinking while learning how to parent more effectively)
• Use and Control Emotions (Help parents to understand the role of emotions
in problem-solving and how to manage disruptive emotions – Use relaxation
exercise/Body Scan)
• Stop and Think (Teach parents how to reduce impulsive parenting and
avoidance tendencies)
2nd Meeting (90 Mins) • Psychoeducation
• Rapport Building
• Motivational Interviewing
• Problem Solving (PST)
Involve • Problem definition and formulation (Encourage parents to understand the
nature of problems and to set realistic goals and objectives)
• Generation of Alternatives (Work with parents to help them recognize and
adopt a wide range of potential solutions to each problem– brainstorming)
• Decision Making (Encourage parents to adopt better decision-making
through an improved understanding of consequences of decisions and the
value and likelihood of different outcomes)
3rd Meeting (90 Mins) • Psychoeducation
• Rapport Building
• Motivational Interviewing
• Problem Solving (PST) :
1. Clarifying the problem by looking at it from multiple perspectives
Apply • Solution Implementation and Verification (Foster each parent’s ability to
carry out a solution plan, monitor its outcome, evaluate its effectiveness, and
use self-reinforcement to increase the chance of success)
• Guided Practice (Encourage parents to apply problem-solving skills across
multiple domains (including parenting) and future stressors)
• Rapid Problem-Solving (Teach parents how to apply problem-solving
questions and guidelines quickly in any given situation)
4th Meeting (90 Mins) • Psychoeducation
• Active Listening
• Rapport Building
• Problem Solving (PST) :
1. Rehearsing a solution in the mind to improve and get more
practice
2. Visualizing a ‘safe place’ for relaxation, slowing down, and
stress management

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PST SKILLS FOR PARENTING
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•Describe the problem you are facing:
•What is the situation, and who is involved?
• Why is it a problem for you?

9. 9
PST SKILLS FOR PARENTING
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What is your goal:
•What would you like to happen?

10. 10
PST SKILLS FOR PARENTING
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What have you tried so far to solve the problem:
•Be specific and describe your thoughts and actions to try
and solve the problem.

11. 11
PST SKILLS FOR PARENTING
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What was the outcome?:
•What happened when you tried to resolve the problem?
•How did you emotionally react?
•How satisfied were you with the outcome?

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SESSION 1 HOMEWORK
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What
Happened?
What were your
thoughts?
What was the
effect?
What physical
sensations did
you experience?
What was your
behavior/reactio
n?
This worksheet will
be assigned as
homework to
capture stressful
events and their
reactions. By
recording feelings,
behaviors, and
thoughts, repeating
patterns can be
recognized. Clients
will use this table
over the course of a
week, capturing
stresses and
responses.

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REFERENCES
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Dobson, K. S. (2011). Handbook of cognitive-behavioral therapies (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.
Dobson, K. S., & Dozois, D. J. A. (2021). Handbook of cognitive-behavioral therapies (4th ed.). Guilford
Press.
Nezu, A. M., & Nezu, C. M. (2009). Problem-solving therapy DVD. Retrieved September 13, 2021, from
https://www.apa.org/pubs/videos/4310852
Nezu, A. M., Nezu, C. M., & D’Zurilla, T. J. (2013). Problem-solving therapy: A treatment manual.
Springer.