Techniques and Tools for Greater Family Engagement
Overview
When working with systems-involved (e.g., foster, juvenile justice, welfare) youth and adolescents, facilitators and clinicians can experience distinct challenges while engaging the youth’s family. Access specific strategies to engage youth, regardless of being systems-involved, and their families without judgment and with flexibility and empathy. Explore these techniques and tools to diversify family discussions, support emotion regulation, and build a positive family climate.
Courses
Enhancing Family Engagement Through Adaptive Practices
This course is designed to support facilitators and clinicians who work with adolescents and youth involved in various systems (e.g., child welfare, juvenile justice, residential treatment, foster care, and more). When working with youth and adolescents in these settings, facilitators experience distinct challenges when engaging with the youth’s family. In this course, facilitators will enhance family engagement and appreciation while building a more positive family climate for the youth and their families. Facilitators will learn specific strategies such as tokens of appreciation to share with ...
Printable Tools
Family Statements
The Family Statements handout helps families to communicate with one another about the values and strengths of their family. Print this handout to guide families through the activity to help them identify what makes their family unique.
Feel-Think-Do Grid
The Feel-Think-Do Grid helps adolescents and their families identify and connect their feelings, thoughts, and behaviors to their experiences to improve emotion regulation and increase family cohesion. This handout can be used with individuals, groups, or families. This printable tool also includes detailed instructions. For more information on this technique, watch the course, Enhancing Family Engagement Through Adaptive Practices.
Feeling Thermometer With Instructions
We all have moments when we cannot find the words to describe how we feel. So, why not use a color or a number? The Feeling Thermometer uses colors and numbers on a scale that ranges across comfortable feelings to uncomfortable feelings. When working with family members, use the Feeling Thermometer to check in on everyone's feelings. This handout can be used with individuals, groups, or families. This printable tool also includes detailed instructions. For more information on this technique, watch the course, Enhancing Family ...
Feeling Words and Feeling Thermometer
Feelings and emotions can be challenging to discuss with youth and their family members. Sometimes a little support is needed to find the right feeling word. With the Feeling Words and Feeling Thermometer handout, facilitators and clinicians can offer strategies for youth and families to increase emotion regulation and awareness. This handout can be used with individuals, groups, or families. For more information on this technique, watch the course, Enhancing Family Engagement Through Adaptive Practices.
Videos
Advice for Foster Parents
This video highlights former foster youth, Annika and Maria, who share their advice for resource parents. Created to inspire and support resource parents, they talk about the important of being patient and keeping an open mind with foster youth. Share this video with resource parents to help them understand the experiences of foster youth.
Advice From a Foster Youth Who Has Had Difficult Experiences
This video features Edwardo, a First Star UCLA Bruin Academy Student and former foster youth, as he talks about building a support system. He explores why his support system was a crucial part of building resilience in the challenging environment of the child welfare system. This video is useful for work with foster youth and their resource families to support and inspire them.
Demonstration: Holding a Family Meeting
Family meetings provide opportunities to foster communication and problem solve challenges. Watch this video with families to see a demonstration of a structured family meeting in order to guide the family to conduct their own meeting.
Video Series
Ask the Expert: Engaging With Youth
This series of short videos covers various aspects of engaging with adolescents, emphasizing the importance of understanding their experiences and developmental stages. Strategies include building connections through validation and quality time, tailoring discussions to children's ages and language abilities, and incorporating tools like the Feeling Words list and the Feeling Thermometer into everyday life. Furthermore, the videos highlight the significance of cultural considerations in discussing emotions with adolescents and children, urging providers to embrace diversity and self-reflect on their cultural biases for a more inclusive ...
