Introduction
We know how wondrous parenting can be. We also know, though, that along with all the joys parenting brings come many challenges. There is no one-style-fits-all approach to these challenges, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the thousands of parenting books published each year, not to mention the advice of relatives, friends, and even strangers.
Our parenting team is on it! We’ve got you covered; from the newest, research-based methods to incorporating the tried-and-true, our Parenting Division is here to help you navigate the sometimes tricky waters of bearing the title of Mom or Dad. Sometimes we’ll be using a traditional road map, and other times charting our own individualized course. We are always looking for the best ways to celebrate strengths, understand challenges, and provide ongoing guidance to support parents.
Sasco River Center’s staff work collaboratively to provide communities with parenting skills classes and parent support groups. Our team has the expert resources to offer customized support to families who desire individualized sessions, parent support groups, in-home support, as well as comprehensive navigation of the school process (PPT, IEP, IEE, OT, Speech and Language, and Behavior-related services).
Parenting services providers include: Clinical Psychologists, Psychotherapists; Play Therapists; PCIT (Parent-Child Interaction Therapy)-trained clinicians;; Marriage and Family Therapists; Psychiatrists; Board Certified Behavior Analysts; Speech and Language Pathologists; Sensory-based Occupational Therapists; Nutritionists; Feeding and Toileting Clinicians; Listening Specialists; Trauma-Informed Clinicians; and even a “Child Whisperer” Parent and Family Coach!
COVID Parenting Survival Guide
Parent Coaching
Sasco River Center provides coaching and support to parents either in the office or at home. Convenient hours are available to accommodate working parents’ hours, including evenings and weekends. One of our intake coordinators will connect you with an appropriate clinician for an introductory session in the office. After that session, your coach or therapist will develop an individualized plan that will work best for your family depending on urgency and the severity of your parenting needs.
Attachment-Focused Parenting
Sasco River Center offers consultation and therapy in relationship centered approaches including; Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy. (DDP) an attachment-focused therapy developed by Dr. Daniel Hughes, Whole Brain Child approaches from Dr. Daniel Siegel, Heather Forbes “connections before corrections” methodology as well as many others.
Parent-Child Interaction Therapy
Parent-child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)is a behavioral training program for parents of 2- to 7-year-old children with oppositional and disruptive behaviors. Through live coaching at the office using a two way mirror and ear piece, therapists coach parents by observing them from behind the mirror in specific play therapy and discipline skills.
PCIT teaches parents the skills to:
- strengthen positive parent-child feelings and interactions
- improve child cooperation and behavior
- decrease parenting stress
Marriage & Family Therapy
Our Marriage and Family therapists are trained in psychotherapy in the context of the family system. This form of psychotherapy addresses the behavior of each family member and the impact each family member has on the whole system.
Parent Management Training
Parent Management Training (PMT) is a treatment strategy that teaches parents how to employ positive reinforcement methods to improve and replace particularly challenging behaviors such as aggression and non-compliance. PMT puts a primary focus on positive attention and consistent rule setting. Parents are taught how to handle an extinction burst, where behavior typically gets worse before it gets better.
Parenting Lecture Series
Sasco River Center offers a free lecture once a month from September to May. A wide variety of topics are covered including anxiety, parenting, ADHD, Brain-based therapies, and electronics management. In addition, Sasco’s team of experts is available to present to your community, school team, PT,A or workplace on a wide variety of subjects.
Parenting Support Groups
Parents can enroll in a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly support group. Groups run as Fall, Winter and Spring sessions. Whether you are looking for a topic-driven series or a free-form support group, Sasco River Center is available to meet your needs.
Behavior Management
Behavior Management
Our Board Certified Behavior Analysts and Behavior therapists work with families and their children in their homes, at their schools, and in other environments to break down causation for challenging behavior and the disruptive relationships that follow. Interventions include positive plans to support children, their parents, and their teachers in a caring, nonjudgmental environment.
School Behavior Consultations
Our team of experts are available for school observation and consultation to provide insightful, best-practice, and creative modification and intervention plans to teachers, staff, and students. From the basics to especially complex problems that haven’t responded well to traditional intervention, plans include whole classroom management as well as individualized support. Our specialists are also available to help parents navigate the PPT (Planning and Placement Team) and IEP (Individualized Education Program) process.
“It Takes Two to Talk” Program for Parents of Children with Language Delays
The “It Takes Two to Talk” Hanen Program is designed specifically for parents of young children (birth to 5 years of age) who have been identified as having a language delay. In a small, personalized group setting, parents learn practical strategies to help their children learn language naturally throughout their day together.The It Takes Two to Talk Program teaches you, step-by- step, how to become your child’s most important language teacher. The program shows you how to:
- Recognize your child’s stage and style of communication
- Identify what motivates your child to interact with you to get conversations started
- Adapt everyday routines to help your child take turns and keep interactions going
- Follow your child’s lead to build his/her confidence and encourage communication
- Add language to interactions with your child to develop receptive and expressive language
- Adjust the way you play and read books with your child to help him learn language
Program Components
- 6-8 training sessions for parents in small, personalized groups
- A Hanen Certified speech-language pathologist leading the program
- A pre-program consultation for you and your child with the speech-language pathologist
- Three individual visits for you and your child with the speech-language pathologist in which you are videotaped while practicing strategies to help your child achieve specific communication goals. You and the speech-language pathologist then watch the videotaped interaction to “see” what’s helping your child and what you can modify to help even more.
Parent Hotline Subscription
Sometimes parents just need someone to talk to to trouble-shoot a particularly challenging situation. Sasco River Center offers a hotline subscription where you can connect with one of our parent experts. There are subscriptions for parents of kids with ADHD, Anxiety, Autism, Sensory-related and other special needs, as well as general questions. One time, flat fee calls are also available.