Why Parent Groups for Social Skills Training?

Parents play a very active role in our Stepping Stones (social skills) group therapy program. We commend our parents for their commitment to their children. In their involved roles here at In Step, parents work hard in their weekly coaching groups as they share issues and concerns with other parents, follow through on practice exercises and activities at home, and relay information and assignments to teachers; all in the name of encouraging social skills training and development in their children.

Our parent groups are vital in helping children acquire the social skills they need to make and keep friends. Stepping Stones parents know that their efforts to model appropriate social behavior and offer feedback about desirable social skills and behavior have not been successful up until their arrival at In Step. The children who attend Stepping Stones social skills training have complex social issues. Many of their kids struggle with basic interpersonal skills, such as achieving self-awareness. It is difficult for some of our group members to manage emotions effectively, empathize with the thoughts and feelings of others, and go with the flow in social situations. While we have always known that weekly group therapy for children is insufficient, it is an important first step. Even without concurrent parent groups, there are realistic benefits to group therapy with children:

1. Group members gain a feeling of acceptance that may not be present in other social settings;

2. They develop feelings of connectedness with other children; a sense they are not alone with their troubles;

3. Their self-esteem and sense of mastery improves;

4. Group members feel more hopeful about their social skills potential;

5. They become more self-aware and develop an ability to see the world through others’ eyes.

Group therapy, particularly short-term group therapy, is just not enough. The literature continues to stress the need for a multidimensional approach to social skills training in order to fully address the issue of generalization. Social skills must be practiced between sessions; if possible, in the natural environment in which the social difficulties occur. The metaphor that we use with our Stepping Stones kids is that social skills are like taking piano lessons – if you don’t practice between lessons, you’ll be no further ahead by the next lesson. But, how many children practice a difficult skill without a parent urging them on in the background?

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