Helping Families Build and Restore Respectful Relationships
Special programs and services for Sylvania area parents and youth
Brought to you by the Sophia Center, in partnership with Sylvania Area Family Services and grant funded by Catholic Health Initiatives.
Preventing youth conflict at home
Our multi-tiered system of supports is designed to reduce youth abuse or violence in the home. This prevention program includes positive parenting workshops, trauma-informed multi-family groups and incentives to help families develop strategies for building and restoring respectful relationships. Individualized clinical services are also available.
Our program features Step-Up, a research-based curriculum, and Positive Solutions for Families (PSF), a research-supported parenting series. Parent Cafes are a place where parents can gather with other parents and build family protective factors. We also offer basic and intensive trauma-informed parenting education using curriculum from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network.
Protecting Youth and Families
Recent data provided by Lucas County, Ohio, Juvenile Court suggests that the top two reasons for misdemeanor arrests of youth are domestic violence or unruly behavior in the home. Over a five-year period, fifteen percent of juvenile arrests occurred when the youth was under 13 years old at the time of the incident. In 2020 at least half of all charges against juveniles were against youth 15 years or younger.
The role of early intervention and prevention cannot be overstated. Adolescent violence and abuse toward parents and other family members pose a considerable threat to the stability of families, the overall development of teens, and is a strain on the juvenile justice system.
When parents rely on police or courts for behavior in the home it is likely a source of trauma for the family. The step-up team can help you assess the situation and offer a variety of services or programs that can help.
Do any of these sound familiar?
- Parents report walking on eggshells to keep the peace
- Use of abusive or threatening language by youth toward parents
- Youth refuses to follow rules and resorts to abuse to get their way
- Pushing, hitting, kicking of family members by teen
- Throwing objects, damaging property to control parents
- Parents are fearful of teen
- Running away
Three-tier Approach
Each situation is different. We provide many ways for families to access support or learn new strategies. Program opportunities range from education and awareness to wrap around individualized support.
Tier 1 Opportunities for parents:
+Positive Solutions for Families Workshop Series
Positive Solutions for Families (PSF) is a seven-session, evidence-based, parenting series for families (and providers working with families) to help promote their children’s social and emotional skills. It will help parents of young children understand problem behaviors and learn positive approaches to help build relationships and teach and support appropriate behavior. PSF groups are provided several times a year in partnership with Sylvania Area Family Services and are available to other community groups as requested. Check here for the next available PSF series or email helpingfamilies@sophia.center
+Parent Café Series
Parents enjoy great roundtable conversations with other parents and caretakers facing similar parenting challenges and joys related to raising children. Cafes provide opportunities for parents and caregivers to build the protective factors known to Strengthen Families. A meal and simultaneous enrichment activities for youth are provided while parents enjoy the Parent Café. Check here for the next available Parent Café or email helpingfamilies@sophia.center
Tier 2 Step-Up Family Interventions
+Step-Up Model Curriculum
Sophia’s Step-Up team will work with your family to determine how we can best help you.
The Step-Up curriculum is facilitated in a series of multi-family groups or with individual families. Skills building and learning address responding to abuse and promoting safety, restoring respectful relationships in the family, setting boundaries, and regaining parental leadership. Teens learn to be accountable for their behavior, understand warning signs, how to self-calm, make amends and communicate respectfully. Problem-solving to reduce family conflict can be achieved!
Family safety is the top priority of the intervention with development of a safety plan and weekly check-ins to set goals and monitor the youth’s progress.
To learn more about Step-Up, click here.
+Trauma Informed Parenting
Sometimes parents need opportunities to learn about how trauma may be affecting the family. We also offer:
Individualized short-term Trauma Informed Parenting (TIP). The Step-Up team may recommend TIP for parents impacted by trauma to prepare for Step-Up groups
*This education is delivered in compact lessons that will provide parents with an overview of trauma-informed care and provide tools on how to better respond to a child’s needs who has experienced trauma.
Multi-family groups for in-depth trauma-informed parenting education using curriculum from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) are offered periodically. Check here for the next available TIP series or email helpingfamilies@sophia.center
Tier 3 Counseling for families
+Individualized Services
Families experiencing these issues also may need:
- Individual or family therapy for youth, parent, or both.
- Art Therapy
- Case management as needed
- Stabilization of crisis
Grant funding may be available to offset insurance-related barriers.
For more information: helpingfamilies@sophia.center
