Highlighting the Role of Parent Coaches

USARA was selected to host a workshop for parents and caregivers through the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids and Center for Motivation and Change. The training was provided by Jeff Foot, author of “Beyond Addiction” along with PhD-level clinical staff from the Center for Motivation and Change, a specially trained parent coach ‘mentor,’ and professional staff members from the Partnership. Twenty-one family members were invited to share their time and wisdom with other parents and families as they attended this Peer Support Parent Coach Training held at USARA over the weekend of June 22-24.

Coaches were trained in the Invitation to Change model, which incorporates CRAFT (Community Reinforcement and Family Training), Motivational Interviewing (MI), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). These family members will now become part of a national group of parent coaches (the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids Parent Support Network) who help and support the many parents who feel hopeless, alone, and needlessly ashamed of their child’s substance use.

There are so many emotions a parent or caregiver goes through when their child struggles with substance use, and there is often a lot of unsolicited advice and judgment as well. Because of this, a substance use problem is often a very isolating disease and many parents who have been through it with their own child express that what they would have wanted most at the time was to talk to someone who understood. The purpose of Parent Coaching is to provide parents compassionate support from someone who has been in their shoes!