Explanation of the Caring Families program

The Caring Families program is a 16 week group treatment program for mothers, fathers and their children. The goal of this program is to prevent escalating domestic conflict by building respectful, empathetic parent communication and to support appropriate child focused parenting practices. The program is both psycho-educational and psychotherapeutic in nature.

Mothers’ groups and fathers’ groups run separately and concurrently using the same content. The children’s groups run during the last 8 weeks of the 16 week program. The Caring Families program is free of charge.

Program Goals

  • To improve parental communication at an earlier point in high conflict families.
  • To encourage parents to respect their child’s need to love both parents
  • To support parents to move away from the conflict and toward nurturing their children
  • To support parents building an empathic, child-focused relationship with their children
  • To reduce a child’s exposure to parental hostility and its impact on children
  • To teach children the importance of respect in family relationships
  • To help children identify, label and express their feelings in a healthy, productive manner
  • To help children identify supports and/or resources within their family and community

Topics Include

  • Exploring how we learned to be a parent
  • Parenting roles
  • Child-focused parenting
  • Empathy
  • Developmental stages
  • Parental conflict
  • Supportive and respectful co-parenting relationships
  • Positive parenting practices

 Eligibility

  • Parents can be together, separated or divorced
  • Blended families
  • If the parents are separated or divorced and share the custody of the child, appropriate consents must be obtained
  • No current outstanding domestic violence charges
  • Both parents must attend the program for children to attend
  • Each client must complete an intake assessment to determine eligibility

 

Referrals to program

If you like to participate in this program please email contact@caringfamilies.ca or call 519-752-1005 Ext 239 or Ext 259