Facilitating Parent Groups

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Facilitating Parent Groups

• Karen Dickrell, Outagamie County
• Chris Kniep, Winnebago County
• UW-Extension

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Your interest in being here...

W I I F M
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Stand up if your group is...

• Voluntary - mandatory
• Moms/dads/pairs/mixed
• Culturally specific audience
• Number of group sessions
• Support/general information
• Age of child
• Specific focus

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1. Know your audience
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Characteristics of parenting groups

• Step 1 Small group - generate a list of
  characteristics of the group you work work with.
  Youll have 5 minutes to discuss
• Step 2 Large group - identify your group and
  share 1-2 qualities of your group

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Characteristics of adult learners

• The adult learner is primarily independent/self
  directed in what he/she learns.
• The adult learner has considerable experience to
  draw upon

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Characteristics of adult learners

• The adult learner is most apt to be interested
  in topics that relate to the developmental stage
  of his/her life.
• The adult learner is most interested in
  information and ideas that solve problems that
  they are presently faced with.

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Characteristics of adult learners

• The adult learner is most interested in
  information that can be immediately applied
• The adult learner is motivated within him/herself

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Principles for teaching adults

• 1. Tell the adults what youre about to tell them
• 2. Organize your material for presentation in a
  logical order
• 3. Dont feel that you have to tell them
  everything

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Principles for teaching adults

• 4. Understand what you want the adults to do with
  the information you are presenting
• 5. Know when to teach and when to learn
• 6. Help the adults transfer the concepts to their
  own situations

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• probably the single most important concern for
  the teacher of adults is a thorough understanding
  of the learner
• S. Joseph Levine

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2. Role of Group Facilitator
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Types of facilitators

• Engaging Facilitation Skills
• Informing Facilitation Skills
• Involving Facilitation Skills
• Planning Facilitation Skills

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Role of facilitator

• A helper rather than an expert
• An encourager rather than a leader
• A sharer of mutual concerns rather than a problem
  solver

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Facilitator fulfills this role by

• Being a good listener
• Encouraging an atmosphere of acceptance and
  respect for group participants
• Providing information
• Sharing personal feelings, reactions and
  experiences when appropriate and if needed

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Characteristics of Effective Group Facilitators

• Modeling
• Presence
• Sense of humor
• Belief in the group process

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Desired Characteristics of Group Facilitators

• Emotionally present
• Able to listen
• Able to communicate and facilitate
• Genuine
• Non-judgmental
• Sense of humor

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Desired characteristics of group facilitators
continued

• Caring and compassionate
• Able to give encouragement
• Open to feedback
• Able to facilitate instead of teach
• Support group experience

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Additional Desired Characteristics of a Group
Facilitators

• Knowledgeable
• Informs
• Flexible
• Speaks loudly and clearly
• Speaks language of participants

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Additional Desired Characteristics of a Group
Facilitators continued

• Understands cultural values and beliefs of
  participants
• Open minded
• Aware of community resources
• Creates safe, confidential atmosphere

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3. Making things work at parent groups
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Purpose of a support group

• Creates a safe, supportive environment
• Educates and informs
• Develop methods and skills to solve problems
• Encourages participants to maintain personal,
  physical emotional health
• Allows for personal growth and development

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Benefits of the support group for participants

• A chance to be part of a supportive environment
• an opportunity to talk/share with others
• a chance to learn about a topic
• an opportunity to learn from others in a similar
  situation

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Benefits of the support group for participants
continued

• An opportunity for personal growth and
  development
• a place to meet new people
• a chance to develop informal supports and social
  relationships
• a break from caregiving responsibilities

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Group Ground Rules

• Established by the group
• Identify group practices
• Establishes safety within group
• Develop and periodically revisit
• Post at each session
• Review as needed

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Sample Ground Rules

• Everyone has a chance to talk
• One person talks at a time
• No one has to talk
• Everyone has to listen
• Its OK to say what you feel
• Emotions are OK
• No one puts anyone else down
• Everything in the group is confidential

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Tips to Effective Questions

• Plan key questions
• Phrase the questions clearly and specifically
• Adapt questions to the level of the participants
  abilities

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Tips to Effective Questionscontinued

• ask questions logically and sequentially
• ask questions at various levels
• follow-up on the question (hippos)

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Three most productive types of questions

• Playground questions
• Brainstorm questions
• Focal questions

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Favorite question starters

• Who? What? When? Where? How?
• Describe
• Retell
• How isan example of?
• How isrelated to?
• Why is significant to?

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Favorite question starterscontinued...

• What are the part or features of...
• Outline the steps youd take
• How does this compare to?
• What would you predict would happen?
• What ideas can you add to ?
• What solutions would you suggest?

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Encouraging involvement

• Ask individuals to share their experiences
• Develop ground rules
• Have discussion topics
• Use small groups that report back to the large
  group
• Use case studies, ask what youd do
• Question box

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Tips for facilitating a support group

• Follow support group format
• Begin discussion by picking up on information
  from introductions
• Elicit responses from participants
• Listen
• Keep group on track

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Tips for facilitating a support group

• Do not make a diagnosis
• Do not give legal advice
• Show concern and respect
• Assist people with feelings
• Summarize at end of meeting

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Technology and Materials

• Keep it simple
• Keep in mind your goals and objectives
• Consider your audiencecomfort zone

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Technology and Materials

• How much time do you have?
• How much time do you have to invest in prep?
• Using older videos
• Be flexible, have a back up plan...

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4. Keys for group facilitators
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3 Keys to Facilitating Parenting Groups

• Key 1 - Know your audience
• Key 2 - Be prepared
• - subject matter and clientele
• Key 3 - Involve vs. preach