Local families wishing to improve their home dynamic while also helping keep their children addiction-free have the opportunity to enroll in the next series of the Strengthening Families Program, an 11-week course beginning in early December.

The first half of the fun-filled course entails separate parent, teen and children sessions followed by family practice sessions in the second half, explains Shonna Moss at the museum.  She points out that Strengthening Families skills are targeted at all families, not just special skills for “deficient families.”

It is also a commitment by participating families to remain through the 11-week program.  It’s not a drop-in and drop-out series.  (SFP defines “family” as one or more adults responsible for one or more children.  “Parents” are adults with that responsibility.)

Feedback from earlier courses shows parents saw increased family unity. Increase positive communication and parenting skills, increased family management, better parent/child relationships and decreased family conflict.

SFP uses trained coaches to facilitate, helping teach communicating the good every day and eliminate harsh criticism.  They use communication and fun family meetings for problem-solving and win-win negotiations.  By creating family rules with rewards for good behavior, there are also mild and fair (and also understood) consequences for violations.  Coaches help participants learn to reduce stress and use good anger-management skills.  They show that drugs and alcohol hijack the teen brain.  Listed too are choosing friends and monitoring a child’s activities.

“The Strengthening Families Foundation is committed to helping keep our nation’s youth addiction-free by providing parents with the skills to keep their children from using alcohol and drug,” said Moss.  “Prevention is the key.  Research shows most adult addiction begins in the teenage years.”

The next Winn Strengthening Families series is expected to begin December 9, at First United Methodist Church.  Each session, held Monday nights, lasts from 90 minutes to two hours.  There is still room in this next class for additional families to sign up.

For more information, contact Shanna Moss at 318-628-0169.