Transcript Love’s Cradle:

Love’s Cradle:
®
Enhancement
The Relationship
Program to Build Strong Families
© IDEALS, 2004. By Bernard Guerney, Jr. and Mary Ortwein. All rights reserved. Material contains information which
resulted from Contract 233-02-0056 between Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. and the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services under which IDEALS was a subcontractor. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the
view or the politics of the Department of Health and Human Services, nor does mention of trade names, commercial
products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
Conceptual Model
Understanding
Problem Solving
Enhanced Relationship
Skillful Expression
Generalization
Our Development Process
• Sought to Understand BSF Couples
• Adapted Relationship Enhancement to meet BSF
Needs
• Integrated Additional Content to Help Couples
Solve Their Practical Problems
• Created a Program that Builds Long Term Bonds
BSF Couples
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Young
Unmarried
African-American, Latino, and Caucasian
Parents
Often with Educational Issues
Sometimes with Counseling Aversions
Often from Families without Positive Marriage
Traditions
• On the Cusp of Generational Poverty
• With More Dreams than Skills
Relationship
• Skills for
Understanding
 Showing Understanding
Skills for Effective
Self-Expression
 Expression Skill
 Discussion
 Coaching Skill
®
Enhancement
• Skills for Effective
Problem Solving
 Problem Solving
 Self-Change
 Helping Others Change
• Skills for
Transitioning to
Everyday Life
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Generalization Skill
Maintenance Skill
Conflict Management
RE’s Endowment
• Over 35 years of history with 27 studies of
effectiveness
• Couple studies
• Education program studies
• Most studies Levels IV & V Hollingshead Index
• Effective, even when there are serious problems
• Love’s Cradle program matches proven research
protocols
Giblin Chart
RE Program Adapted
to Meet Needs of BSF Couples
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Educational methods
Psychological issues
Cultural concerns
Content adaptations
Adaptations to Meet Educational
Needs
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5th grade reading level
Recipe-like directions
Multi-media & multi-modal
Spiral learning process
Easy to read handouts
Increased coaching
Follow-ups with home visitors
Agency immersion approach
Adaptations to Psychological
Issues
• Removal of psychological jargon
• Emotional regulation and conflict
management techniques added from the ER
program
• Training of staff to identify potential
violence, substance abuse, and mental
health issues.
• RE therapy also available
Adaptations to Cultural Concerns
• African-American, Latino, and Caucasian
names and video couples used
• Review by ethnic consultants
• Spanish video and participant handouts
• Ongoing supervision-consulting to help
Leaders use culturally appropriate language
Adaptations to Content
• All basic RE content is retained
• Content relative to the needs of new parents
has been added
• Demonstrations feature 12 common BSF
couple problems. Solutions are modeled.
• Couple dialogues build from additional
curriculum content
• Each session combines RE skills with
additional BSF curriculum to conclude with a
skilled dialogue about a BSF issue
Additional Content
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Affection
Family Dance of Attunement
Adjusting to Parenthood
Emotional Regulation
Trust and Commitment
Looking at Marriage
Complex Family Relationships
Financial Decision-Making
12 Common Problems
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Feeling loved
Being a couple
Adjusting to a baby
Sharing chores
Balancing self &
family interests
• Commitment
• Making financial
choices
• Jealousy
• Trust and
trustworthiness
• Dealing with “ex’s”
• Managing emotions
• Extended families
How Love’s Cradle Builds Bonds
• Centers on RE’s foundational concept of empathy
• Ties couple empathy with McClelland’s and
Shure’s work on parent-infant Dance of
Attunement to create family connections
• Builds on affection research
• Develops the concept of coupleship
• Facilitates creation of BSF couple communities
How Love’s Cradle Nurtures
Marriageability
• Strong focus on problem solving
• Generalization to home in every session
• Couple relationship becomes a greenhouse
for developing interpersonal skills
• Immersion approach enables couples to
build experiences
The Love’s Cradle Curriculum
• Core program 10 two-hour weekly sessions
that focus on communication skills and
concerns of new parents
• 4 follow-up six-hour modules on Trust,
Marriage, Money, and Family Relationships
A Typical Session
1) Group activities about a
content topic
2) RE skills instruction
3) Couple dialogue using RE
skills about an issue related
to the topic of the night
4) Affection building activity
5) Generalization of skills to
everyday life
Parenting Stresses &
Stretches
Expression and Discussion
Skill
Supporting Each Other
Creating a Native American
Expression Stick
Support Each Other at
Home
Spiral Presentation of Concepts
Spiral defined: Concepts are repeated with
increasing complexity, each time building
on the material covered
Dialogues
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Use RE skills
Center on the topic of the night
Include tough issues
Are coached
May be extended to home
Affection Building Activities
• Increase in complexity
• End each session on a positive note
• Facilitate development of couple bonds
Generalization
• Begins with Activities
• Moves to Implementing Agreements
• Helps Couples Apply Skills to Family and
Work Situations
• Helps Couples Integrate Skills into their
Everyday Ordinary Interactions
Materials
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Leader’s Guide
Activity handouts for each session
RE skill handouts
Instructional video
Couple dialogue demonstration videos
Spanish video, handouts
Powerpoint of RE Skills
Additional Learning Aids
Training and Implementation
• Understand needs and particulars of each
program
• Provide training and ongoing supervision
• Work through problems together
• Enable programs to be self-sufficient within
a year
Understanding Each
Local Program
• Awareness of local needs
• Collaborative planning
• Local tailoring
Training and Supervision
• Initial Training
 3 days training for all program staff
• Training includes:
 RE skills
 Session leadership
 Supplemental topics
Ongoing Support
• Group follow-up practice session outlines
• Easy free e-mail and consulting access
• Newsletter and bridge calls to share ideas
among sites
• Train the Trainer process for sustainability
• Video based or on-site consulting available
Love’s Cradle:
• Is founded on an understanding of BSF couples and is
designed to meet specific couple and community needs
• Provides couples with skills to communicate with each
other effectively
• Helps couples face and find their own solutions to
problems of new parenthood, coupleship, emotional
regulation, trust, complex family relationships, and
finances.
• Gradually builds couples affection and couple satisfaction.
• Moves couples toward commitment and to considering
marriage.
4. Questions