1) Category:
Specific program
3) Objectives:
Strengthen parenting skills by, among other things, enhancing parents ability to negotiate with their teenager. Improve teenagers social skills. Promote a collaborative relationship between the school and the family. Be aware of and tap into family strengths.
4) Environment:
Secondary schools Families
5) Target Group:
Students from 12 to 14 years old who have behavioral problems. The program can also be customized for students age 15 to 18. Their parents
6) Key Words:
Pratiquons ensemble nos comptences, PEC, curaction, school-family-community partnership, specific program, social skills, behavioral problems, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), interpersonal relations, parenting styles, family atmosphere, communication, negotiation
Page 1 of 5
7) Description:
Pratiquons ensemble nos comptences (PEC) is a program for the acquisition of social skills by adolescents with behavioral problems. A joint effort by the school and health services, the program consists of multi-faceted intervention at school as well as in the family. The Guide dintroduction must be read for an understanding of the programs structure and of implementation problems that may arise. The guide describes the program (the two components and the video) and its intervention tools, and provides an overview of the literature and research findings on dealing with behavioral problems at the secondary level, on intervention with the parents, and on improving parenting skills and teenagers social skills. PEC has two components: o School component
Carried out at the school level, this part is a social skills training program for students from regular or special classes. First, evaluation of what the teenager needs to develop must occur. This requires measuring tools such as the Social Skills Rating System (Gresham & Elliot, 1990) and the Goldstein & McGinnis evaluation grid (2000). The student, parents and teacher must agree on the skills needing improvement. Over a 10-week period, the students schedule includes twenty 75-minute workshops for acquiring skills in following instructions, avoiding problems and showing self-control. Various strategies, covered in two phases, are used to teach these skills, namely, 1) upgrading of skills. Strategy used: teaching and discussion; and 2) practicing these skills. Strategy used: role-play and cooperative games. When the workshops are over, mastery of these skills is once again evaluated. The second component is carried out by the CSSS working in tandem with the school in three phases: 1) family intervention, 2) intervention at the level of parenting skills; and, if needed or already in operation, 3) follow-up by Youth Services. The family component has several themes that vary with the phases. So, for the first phase, family intervention, there are four meetings (teens and parents) that cover several themes (communication, values, beliefs about education, etc.) and that enable the participants to acknowledge the situation (difficulties) and to discuss the strategies for change. Where families have grave difficulties, two sessions on the same theme can be added. The second phase, intervention at the level of parenting skills, consists of six meetings. Exclusively for the parents, the meetings deal with conflict resolution and empower parents to acquire skills for setting limits, reinforcing appropriate behavior in their teen, and developing more efficient management and conflict negotiation skills (democratic discipline). Once the six meetings have ended, there are extra meetings so that the parents continue to use the acquired skills. The third phase of the family component, follow up by Youth Services, makes it possible for parents to, in some situations, call on a resource person from Youth Services. This process is conducted according to an agreement established by the CSSS only if the teen and his/her family are clients of both institutions.
Family component
Page 2 of 5
8) Steps:
The DVD given to the program workers presents the main strategies and means for implementing the program. The workers are also provided with training, documentation and advisory and support services. The DVD details the steps for carrying out the program.
9) Activities/Actions:
PEC is powered by a combination of activities for moderating the workshops. The activities run the gamut from family sculpture, therapeutic metaphor, double bind, and reframing, to family homework, role-play, situational modelling, or use of video clips from childrens shows such as Ramdam and Macaroni tout garni. PEC, a program for teenagers and their parents, focuses more on the inherent strengths of the family members than on their problems. Family strengths are seen as the driving force in behavioral change.
Financial resources:
Page 3 of 5
PEC was reviewed through a scientific process that involved a pre-test and two posttests with a control group and predominantly random selection of subjects. The study was conducted in three secondary schools in the Qubec region with Cycle One students with behavioral problems. A number of interesting outcomes were observed that varied according to the participants. Here is an overview: o The teachers felt that the teenagers who had participated in the program had better cooperation and self-affirming skills (maintained over time) and better selfcontrol. There was a noted decline in the number of internalized and externalized behavioral problems, an increase in the use of conflict resolution skills, and a decrease in discipline-related events. Parents said that their teen had improved his/her ability to cooperate and to exercise self-control. The teens themselves noticed an improvement in their self-control. The control group did not show any improvement in this regard. According to CSSS workers, parents reported a certain number of improvements in how the family operates. The parents feel that their parenting, conflict-resolution and communication skills are better. The CSS workers say that PEC would likely be able to prop up other protection measures and, possibly, prevent placement in some cases.
o o o
o o
Page 4 of 5
15) Contacts:
For a copy of the program, contact: Corporation cole et comportement 219, boul. Charest Est, bureau 309 Qubec (Qubec) G1K 3G8 Tel.: (418) 529-6038 Email: ecolecom@total.net Website: http://www.ecolecomportement.com/ To see the program, contact: Centre de documentation, Dpartement de psychoducation, UQTR Pavillon Michel-Sarrazin, 2079 Tel.: (819) 376-5011, ext. 4073 Email: cdoc.psychoed@uqtr.ca Reference code: PR-R891pe OPPQ
Page 5 of 5