Making Use of Parental Support Groups

Hope, renewed strength, and the reassurance that you are not alone are major advantages of participating in parental support groups. These may be informal networks of friends, or they may be more formal groups, such as “Toughlove” or “Mothers Without Custody”. These are not therapy groups, but groups run by the participants who tend to share some kind of unifying problem or concern. How can you make best use of such a group?

1. Remember that the first meeting is the hardest. You
may feel uneasy. The hardest part of getting involved
may be simply walking in that door.

2. Share only what you feel comfortable sharing. Maybe
you prefer to listen, especially at first. Not everyone
is equally open or outgoing. And you can learn a lot and
feel very reassured simply by listening.

3. Don’t wait for a crisis to get involved in a support
group. You can learn a lot about crisis prevention from
a support group, from the experiences of the real
parenting experts — parents who are raising, or who
have raised teenagers.

An expert in the field of adolescent behavior, Ms. McCoy has authored eleven books on the subject including the best selling “The Teenage Body Book”. Additionally she has written hundreds of articles for major national magazines. Coordinator of the Clinical Ph.D. Program at California School of Professional Psychology and Staff Counselor at the Center for Individual and Family Counseling in North Hollywood, California.