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| Last updated on October 10, 2008 |
Parents Helping Parents: Empowering parents to nurture children and prevent child abuse
Description:
PHP pursues its child abuse prevention mission by providing two services: 1) a 24 hour, toll-free helpline called the Parental Stress Line that provides telephone counseling, information and referrals to parents/caregivers; and 2)a network of free, anonymous and confidential parent support groups that are led by trained volunteer facilitators. These two services are intended to be complementary. Parents who call the Parental Stress Line may attend a support group and parents attending a support group may call the Parental Stress Line for additional, 24 hour support.
The Parental Stress Line uses a multi-faceted approach in assisting callers, providing support to draw on callers' inner resources and information and referrals to link callers to community resources. In each call, our volunteer counselors attempt to look at the holistic nature of the caller's concerns, and then tailor the information and support provided to fit the unique needs of the caller's situation. Counselors use a reflective listening model to support the caller's emotional needs and ask open-ended questions to empower the caller to develop their own plan of action. Rather than providing callers with advice, we assist them in thinking through the steps that will help them move toward their identified goal.
PHP provides ongoing help to parents through our network of parent support groups. PHP's parent support groups are designed to achieve three goals: 1) Reducing social isolation by bringing parents together in a well-functioning group; 2) Helping parents become more aware of how their emotions affect their behavior; and 3) Helping parents improve their parenting skills. All of these are achievable by attending a support group that consists of non-judgmental peers who are dedicated to helping one another as well as themselves.
History:
In 1972, Parents' and Children's Services (PCS) began a child abuse prevention program that focused on reaching families most reluctant to seek help. The first initiative PCS undertook was establishing an anonymous parent support group based on the Parents Anonymous model. In 1079, the support groups that PCS established were incorporated as a separate 501(c)3 organization known as Parents Anonymous of Massachusetts. The name was changed to Parents Helping Parents in 1999when PHP joined with 17 other states to establish Circle of Parents, an affiliate of Prevent Child Abuse America. However, our mission has remained unchanged: to empower parents to nurture children and prevent child abuse.
The idea of establishing an emergency telephone counseling service originated in 1973 with a report issued by a committee of experts on child abuse appointed by Gov. Francis W. Sargeant. The committee contended that a 24-hour telephone counseling service could "salvage many families and save children's lives" by reaching parents who avoided traditional social services because of their fear, distrust, or their social and emotional isolation. in 1079, PCS began operating a 24-hour helpline for parents, known as the Parental Stress Line. Over 28 years of its existence, the Stress Line has taken over 200,000 calls.
PHP is unusual in that all services are provided by trained volunteers. While a significant number of volunteers have a background in social work or counseling, this is not a requirement. There are only two qualifications to be a PHP volunteer: that they have an empathetic personality and are able to be non-judgmental regarding how parents relate to their children. PHP's training provides the volunteers with the skills they need to facilitate a support group or to take calls on the Stress Line. These roles offer unusually challenging opportunities to people who want to help others while learning counseling techniques. Thus, the volunteers who get involved in PHP's programs are highly motivated.
Contact people:
Office fax number: (617) 926-5011
Address:
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Location Throughout Massachusetts. Central Office Is Located At 108 Water St. Watertown, MA
Watertown, MA 02472
(See a map) |
Web Site: http://www.parentshelpingparents.org
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