- Email: [email protected]
service recipient experimental training project
Child Abuse and Neglect, Vol. 3, pp. 235 - 239. Pergamon Press Ltd., 1979. Printed in Great Britain
THE PARENTS
ANONYMOUS
SERVICE PROVIDER/SERVICE
RECIPIENT
EXPERIMENTAL
TRAINING
Margot E. Fritz and Jean M. Baker Parents Anonymous, 2810 Artesia Blvd., Suite F, Redondo Beach, CA Behavior Associates, 330 E. 13th Street, Tucson, Arizona, 85701
BACKGROUND
PROJECT
90278
AND RATIONALE
The National Office of the Parents Anonymous Self-Help for Child Abusing Parents program has received a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (DHEW) for the purpose of conducting an innovative training program. The unique aspect of the Parents Anonymous training approach is that it brings together the service provider, that is, the professional working in the field of child abuse, and the service recipient, the parent with abuse problems. The training approach is based on the concept that knowing through experiencing must precede The approach also assumes that in the field of human services intellectual comprehension. people learn best in interaction and relationship with each other, and that the best learning takes place when the learner is an active participant in the learning process. By utilizing an experiential approach, working in small groups, and focusing on individual experiences, participants are given the opportunity to relate in feeling, as opposed to intellectual, We are supported in these ideas by Dr. Carl Rogers (1) who states in a chapter written terms. by him in the Humanistic Education Sourcebook, "Teaching is, for me, a relatively unimportant We are faced with an entirely new situation in education and vastly overvalued activity. where the goal is the facilitation of change and learning. When I have been able to transform a group - and here I mean all the members of a group, myself included - into a community of learners, then the excitement has been almost beyond belief." How does one go about facilitating learning in the group setting? Certain factors which facilitate learning in the group setting are a sense on the part of each individual that he is valued as a participant in the group; a sense of shared commonality of experience which helps to overcome the barrier of the 'not I'; and adherence to a basic principle for all Parents Anonymous Chapters - something called Lieber's Law: Trust the Group. This principle will be discussed in more detail later in the paper. In order to facilitate group learning it is also necessary to take into account the factors which are inhibiting to change. Among the most important of these are fear, defensiveness and competitiveness, the latter often resulting in aggressive postures. In a deeper psychological sense the fear of difference in another, the perception of the other as 'not me' is an important issue and must be dealt with if good communication is to occur. In the introduction to both the workshop and the lab, I, as the leader, point out that the extent to which I am out of touch with some part of myself is precisely the extent to which I will be unable to respond or relate to that part of another person. To be in touch with my own sexuality, violence, or need for intimacy means that part of me can be responsive to those feeling states in the other. Overcoming the sense of difference is a basic task of the training. In the field of child abuse, more than in most areas of human services, fear is an important factor to be reckoned with. It is a potent force and one which greatly impedes communication and the ability of one human being to help, or to accept help, from another. This fear may arise from the stereotypes we carry around with us of persons in roles, and is based on the mechanism of splitting in which we split off bad, unwanted and feared parts of ourselves and project them onto others. This process may occur for the professional in relation to the The parent with abuse problems may become a projection of the professional's fear of violence. fears of violence within himself and the parent is then perceived as possessing those qualities which the professional cannot countenance within himself. A stereotype is developed 235
M. E. Fritz
236
and J. M. Baker
which serves as a defense and an impediment to the professional's perceiving the parent as in any way like himself. The parent, in other words, becomes for the professional the 'not I.' I have many times had this clearly revealed to me when, in the course of a conversation or an interview, I have revealed that I am a parent with abuse problems and the person to whom I am speaking reacts with shock to discover that this person whom they have identified as being in many ways like themselves turns out to be someone who possesses qualities which they definitely cannot accept in themselves. Some of you may be experiencing that same sense of disbelief and shock at this moment. The splitting process occurs for the child abusing parent as well. In Kleinian terms what happens for so many of them is that they have failed to integrate the good parent with the bad, they are stuck in a developmental phase in which they can only allow themselves to perceive the bad parent. This r-eaction is often most marked toward anyone in the role of an authority figure, as professionals so often are. One of the tasks which the training attempts to accomplish is an opening into this closed perception of the other as the 'not I.' DESCRIPTION
OF THE TRAINING
APPROACH
Since I felt that it was important that both parents and professionals be able to make their initial contact with one another other freed from role identification, I use first names only on name tags -for all participants, thus assuring them anonymity as well as freedom from their usual roles. This generates some anxiety, but it also puts people vividly in touch with their need for identifying labels. The first exercise acts as a social leveler because no one is sure how to do it 'right'. It is very simple. Participants are asked to form a circle and move around the circle greeting each other non-verbally, they may touch, but are asked not to speak. Everyone experiences some anxiety doing this exercise and, because speech cannot be used participants are more aware of what they are experiencing at a feeling level. The exercise acts as a social leveler because all the usual verbal means we use to present ourselves as acceptable, O.K. people are eliminated. Participants experience the feeling of being very vulnerable, and fears of rejection come to the fore. When the exercise has ended, the participants form groups, determined on a random basis by numbering off, and discuss the exercise. In the discussion that ensues, people begin the process of identifying with one another,the stereotypes begin to crumble and the group usually starts to feel a sense of shared commonali :Y of experience. The next exercises are designed to further facilitate cohesiveness in the group as well as provide learning opportunities. A simple sentence such as, "When I was 16 I..." elicits much painful material for most participants, but it can also result in insights, as long repressed feelings are brought to consciousness. Professionals often get in touch with the ways in which they may have experienced abuse as children, and parents are faced with the recognition that they are not alone in having been abused as children. Parents also have an opportunity to experience professionals as people who can feel anger, hurt, bitterness, envy, insecurity and this can be a real eye-opener for parents who have never had a personal As parents reveal their histories, professionals are relationship with a professional. afforded a first-hand opportunity to learn about the historical and present day factors which Someone whom the group has contribute to abuse problem. Almost always there are surprises. identified as a parent turns out to be a professional, and the reverse occurs as well. This, more than anything tends to destroy the stereotypes. By the end of the morning session it no longer matters very much to most participants who are the parents and who the professionals. They have connected with each other along dimensions of identification and commonality of shared experience, the person has become paramount in importance and the role has receded. Each participant feels important to the group and this lessens competetiveness. A climate of safety has usually developed which make it possible for group members to take risks. When this climate develops it serves to build trust in the group and lessens the need for defensiveness. Followingthelunch break I give a lecture which focuses on the morning's exercises. I ask for audience responses to the non-verbal mill, and, using the words which clearly denote an uncomfortable feeling state, I point out that if you magnified those feelings by a power of 10 you will have some idea of how parents feel walking through the door of their first P.A. chapter meeting. Because participants still have the feeling memory with them, my words have I continue the lecture by discussing the variables which are facilitamuch greater impact. tive to developing group cohesiveness as opposed to those which are not. I end the lecture
Parental
Self-Help
Training
237
with Lieber's Law. This simple concept is a key factor in the success and growth of P.A. It is "Trust the Group". Leonard Lieber, who founded P.A., has used that as a Chapters. guiding principle, both for individual chapters and for the organization as a whole. It permits a maximum degree of autonomy to the chapters and places the power and responsibility for the chapter with the parents. For people who have felt powerless and helpless most of their lives this sense of chapter as 'theirs' is a key factor in their growth. During the afternoon session participants are asked to state the specific needs, personal or professional, which brought them to the workshop. Very often parents will say that they wanted to come because they felt that since it was something P.A. was offering it would be a good experience for them no matter what went on. Professionals often have questions about P.A. -- how it functions or what it achieves for those who experience it. Usually I am able to take a back seat in these sessions. If there is a good representation of chapter people their dialogue with each other will give professionals much information about how chapters function, what kinds of problems they encounter, the differences between chapters, and, most importantly, what parents get from the chapter experience. Hearing this last from parents themselves carries far more weight than if I were to enumerate the benefits. For parents the gain from the afternoon session may often be the feeling that they have been able to give professionals something for a change, instead of vice versa. Professionals will often get into discussions with each other about the problems they encounter within their agencies and this helps both to clarify the professional's role and to give parents more realistic expectations about what professionals can do for them. For me a workshop or lab has been successful if participants take away with them some "knowing" upon which they can build intellectually as well as some recognition of the fact that we are all rather more alike in our humanness than not. EVALUATION
OF THE PROGRAM
An outside evaluation firm, Behavior Associates of Tucson, Arizona, was asked to assess the effectiveness of this training program and to measure participant satisfaction with the training. Questionnaires designed by the evaluators were administered on a pre, post, and follow-up (3 to 4 months) basis to all of the training program participants. Preliminary results are as follows; Changes
in Opinions
About Child Abuse
In general,the training appears to result in a greater willingness to work with child abusing persons, increased feelings of competence and comfortableness in working with such persons and more positive feelings toward persons with child abuse problems. The individual questions relative to these areas and the results for those trainees participanting in the three day training program are presented in the following graphs:
"How comfortable do you feel about working with persons with chiZd abuse problems?" Percentages of Respondents Answering "Very Comfortable"
238
M. C. Fritz and J. M. Baker
-._... to work with persom
with
child abuse
probZems?”
Percentages of Respondents "Very Willing"
-
Answering
'%r,wcompetent cl0you fee2 you are in vorki?zgwith persons with child abuse prabZ.ems?l~ ~ .-. _----
I
I
I
Percentages of Respondents "Very Competent"
eseribe
~_... /
your
I
feeZings
toward persons
with
child
Answering
abuse problems. .____L.
I
_
Percentages of Respondents "Ver Positive"
I
J.t can be noted that for each of the items there was a consistent to post measures and only a slight drop from post to follow-up.
Answering
positive
change
from pre
An increase in awareness of the seriousness of the effects of child abuse on the children For example: involved, was another apparent effect of the training. on the pre*..48% of the participants rated physical abuse as an"Extremeiy Serious"probLem test, while 53% on the post test and 61% on the follow-up rated it as an "Extremely Serious" problem. . ..Theresultswere similar for the various forms of abuse (verbal, emotional, sexual) and for That is there was an increasing awareness of the seriousness neglect (physical, emotional). of the problems from pre training to post training to follow-up. Changes
in Knowledge
of and Attitudes
Toward
the Parents
Anonymous
Program
Pre and most measures demonstrated that the attitudes of the non-P.A. affiliated trainees The toward the Parents Anonymous program became much more positive after the training. findings of the pre, post and follow-up questionnaires demonstrated that: . ..Opinions of thenon-P.A. professional toward the Parents Anonymous program became significantly more positive from the pre to post measure and from the pre to follow-up measure.
Parental
Self-Help
239
Training
. . . The number of referrals which these professionals made to Parents Anonymous from an average of 1.9 per two month period to 2.8 per two month period.
increased
. ..The professionals (non P.A. persons) became more emphathic with the feelings of child persons as evidenced by their answers to questions which asked them to judge how They answered these questions they felt child abusers would feel toward their children. at the follow-up almost identically to the way the child abusing people answered them (Average score for 4 questions was 11.03 for the professionals and 11.33 for the P.A. people, whereas the scores at pre-test were 10.00 for professionals and 1.2.8 for P.A. people).
abusing
Changes in Feelings of Parents and Community Services
Anonymous
Members,
Chairpersons
and Sponsors
Toward Professionals
_.
Pre, post and follow-up measures demonstrated that Parents ~onymous people became more positive The results showed that: about professionals and community resources after their training.
. . . P.A. people made almost twice as many referrals to mental community services three to four months after their training training. Impact df the Training
on Agencies
health services and other than they did prior to their
and Communities
Three to four months after training the participants who were professionals in the child abuse field were asked about ways in which they may have influenced their agencies or communities as a result of their training. The results indicated that: ...58% of the three day training program participants had helped their agencies volved in inter-agency collaboration for child abuse treatment or prevention. . ..42% had conducted during the training.
staff training
...39% had been instrumental
programs
in developing
to disseminate
information
new child abuse programs
become
or skills
in-
learned
in their agencies.
. . . 39% had developed new programs for community education o? child abuse issues. . ..31% had been instrumental in establishing Anonymous Chapters in their communities. Participants' The results
Evaluation
closer liaison between
their agency
and Parents
of the Training
of the participant
evaluation
.70% of the three day training and 30% rated it as "Good".
program
of the training participants
were very positive.
rated the training
as "Outstanding"
. ..At a three to four month follow-up these participants rated the effectiveness of the training in a number of areas. Eighty-four percent rated it as "Very Effective" in increasing their understanding of persons with child abuse problems; 71% rated it as "Extremely Effective" in increasing their understanding of Parents Anonymous; 69% rated it as "Extremely Effective“ in increasing their understanding of professionals working in the field of child abuse; and 63% rated it as "Extremely Effective" in increasing their skills in working with persons who have child abuse problems. Summary
of Evaluation
These preliminary evaluation results suggest that the training approach is positively perceived by participants and that it has positive effects in changing their attitudes behavior.
and
(1975) The interpersonal relationship in the facilitation of learning. In Rogers, Carl R. PrenticeDonald C. Read and Sidney B. Simon (Eds.) The Humanistic Education Sourcebook. Hall, Inglewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
THE PARENTS
ANONYMOUS
SERVICE PROVIDER/SERVICE
RECIPIENT
EXPERIMENTAL
TRAINING
Margot E. Fritz and Jean M. Baker Parents Anonymous, 2810 Artesia Blvd., Suite F, Redondo Beach, CA Behavior Associates, 330 E. 13th Street, Tucson, Arizona, 85701
BACKGROUND
PROJECT
90278
AND RATIONALE
The National Office of the Parents Anonymous Self-Help for Child Abusing Parents program has received a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (DHEW) for the purpose of conducting an innovative training program. The unique aspect of the Parents Anonymous training approach is that it brings together the service provider, that is, the professional working in the field of child abuse, and the service recipient, the parent with abuse problems. The training approach is based on the concept that knowing through experiencing must precede The approach also assumes that in the field of human services intellectual comprehension. people learn best in interaction and relationship with each other, and that the best learning takes place when the learner is an active participant in the learning process. By utilizing an experiential approach, working in small groups, and focusing on individual experiences, participants are given the opportunity to relate in feeling, as opposed to intellectual, We are supported in these ideas by Dr. Carl Rogers (1) who states in a chapter written terms. by him in the Humanistic Education Sourcebook, "Teaching is, for me, a relatively unimportant We are faced with an entirely new situation in education and vastly overvalued activity. where the goal is the facilitation of change and learning. When I have been able to transform a group - and here I mean all the members of a group, myself included - into a community of learners, then the excitement has been almost beyond belief." How does one go about facilitating learning in the group setting? Certain factors which facilitate learning in the group setting are a sense on the part of each individual that he is valued as a participant in the group; a sense of shared commonality of experience which helps to overcome the barrier of the 'not I'; and adherence to a basic principle for all Parents Anonymous Chapters - something called Lieber's Law: Trust the Group. This principle will be discussed in more detail later in the paper. In order to facilitate group learning it is also necessary to take into account the factors which are inhibiting to change. Among the most important of these are fear, defensiveness and competitiveness, the latter often resulting in aggressive postures. In a deeper psychological sense the fear of difference in another, the perception of the other as 'not me' is an important issue and must be dealt with if good communication is to occur. In the introduction to both the workshop and the lab, I, as the leader, point out that the extent to which I am out of touch with some part of myself is precisely the extent to which I will be unable to respond or relate to that part of another person. To be in touch with my own sexuality, violence, or need for intimacy means that part of me can be responsive to those feeling states in the other. Overcoming the sense of difference is a basic task of the training. In the field of child abuse, more than in most areas of human services, fear is an important factor to be reckoned with. It is a potent force and one which greatly impedes communication and the ability of one human being to help, or to accept help, from another. This fear may arise from the stereotypes we carry around with us of persons in roles, and is based on the mechanism of splitting in which we split off bad, unwanted and feared parts of ourselves and project them onto others. This process may occur for the professional in relation to the The parent with abuse problems may become a projection of the professional's fear of violence. fears of violence within himself and the parent is then perceived as possessing those qualities which the professional cannot countenance within himself. A stereotype is developed 235
M. E. Fritz
236
and J. M. Baker
which serves as a defense and an impediment to the professional's perceiving the parent as in any way like himself. The parent, in other words, becomes for the professional the 'not I.' I have many times had this clearly revealed to me when, in the course of a conversation or an interview, I have revealed that I am a parent with abuse problems and the person to whom I am speaking reacts with shock to discover that this person whom they have identified as being in many ways like themselves turns out to be someone who possesses qualities which they definitely cannot accept in themselves. Some of you may be experiencing that same sense of disbelief and shock at this moment. The splitting process occurs for the child abusing parent as well. In Kleinian terms what happens for so many of them is that they have failed to integrate the good parent with the bad, they are stuck in a developmental phase in which they can only allow themselves to perceive the bad parent. This r-eaction is often most marked toward anyone in the role of an authority figure, as professionals so often are. One of the tasks which the training attempts to accomplish is an opening into this closed perception of the other as the 'not I.' DESCRIPTION
OF THE TRAINING
APPROACH
Since I felt that it was important that both parents and professionals be able to make their initial contact with one another other freed from role identification, I use first names only on name tags -for all participants, thus assuring them anonymity as well as freedom from their usual roles. This generates some anxiety, but it also puts people vividly in touch with their need for identifying labels. The first exercise acts as a social leveler because no one is sure how to do it 'right'. It is very simple. Participants are asked to form a circle and move around the circle greeting each other non-verbally, they may touch, but are asked not to speak. Everyone experiences some anxiety doing this exercise and, because speech cannot be used participants are more aware of what they are experiencing at a feeling level. The exercise acts as a social leveler because all the usual verbal means we use to present ourselves as acceptable, O.K. people are eliminated. Participants experience the feeling of being very vulnerable, and fears of rejection come to the fore. When the exercise has ended, the participants form groups, determined on a random basis by numbering off, and discuss the exercise. In the discussion that ensues, people begin the process of identifying with one another,the stereotypes begin to crumble and the group usually starts to feel a sense of shared commonali :Y of experience. The next exercises are designed to further facilitate cohesiveness in the group as well as provide learning opportunities. A simple sentence such as, "When I was 16 I..." elicits much painful material for most participants, but it can also result in insights, as long repressed feelings are brought to consciousness. Professionals often get in touch with the ways in which they may have experienced abuse as children, and parents are faced with the recognition that they are not alone in having been abused as children. Parents also have an opportunity to experience professionals as people who can feel anger, hurt, bitterness, envy, insecurity and this can be a real eye-opener for parents who have never had a personal As parents reveal their histories, professionals are relationship with a professional. afforded a first-hand opportunity to learn about the historical and present day factors which Someone whom the group has contribute to abuse problem. Almost always there are surprises. identified as a parent turns out to be a professional, and the reverse occurs as well. This, more than anything tends to destroy the stereotypes. By the end of the morning session it no longer matters very much to most participants who are the parents and who the professionals. They have connected with each other along dimensions of identification and commonality of shared experience, the person has become paramount in importance and the role has receded. Each participant feels important to the group and this lessens competetiveness. A climate of safety has usually developed which make it possible for group members to take risks. When this climate develops it serves to build trust in the group and lessens the need for defensiveness. Followingthelunch break I give a lecture which focuses on the morning's exercises. I ask for audience responses to the non-verbal mill, and, using the words which clearly denote an uncomfortable feeling state, I point out that if you magnified those feelings by a power of 10 you will have some idea of how parents feel walking through the door of their first P.A. chapter meeting. Because participants still have the feeling memory with them, my words have I continue the lecture by discussing the variables which are facilitamuch greater impact. tive to developing group cohesiveness as opposed to those which are not. I end the lecture
Parental
Self-Help
Training
237
with Lieber's Law. This simple concept is a key factor in the success and growth of P.A. It is "Trust the Group". Leonard Lieber, who founded P.A., has used that as a Chapters. guiding principle, both for individual chapters and for the organization as a whole. It permits a maximum degree of autonomy to the chapters and places the power and responsibility for the chapter with the parents. For people who have felt powerless and helpless most of their lives this sense of chapter as 'theirs' is a key factor in their growth. During the afternoon session participants are asked to state the specific needs, personal or professional, which brought them to the workshop. Very often parents will say that they wanted to come because they felt that since it was something P.A. was offering it would be a good experience for them no matter what went on. Professionals often have questions about P.A. -- how it functions or what it achieves for those who experience it. Usually I am able to take a back seat in these sessions. If there is a good representation of chapter people their dialogue with each other will give professionals much information about how chapters function, what kinds of problems they encounter, the differences between chapters, and, most importantly, what parents get from the chapter experience. Hearing this last from parents themselves carries far more weight than if I were to enumerate the benefits. For parents the gain from the afternoon session may often be the feeling that they have been able to give professionals something for a change, instead of vice versa. Professionals will often get into discussions with each other about the problems they encounter within their agencies and this helps both to clarify the professional's role and to give parents more realistic expectations about what professionals can do for them. For me a workshop or lab has been successful if participants take away with them some "knowing" upon which they can build intellectually as well as some recognition of the fact that we are all rather more alike in our humanness than not. EVALUATION
OF THE PROGRAM
An outside evaluation firm, Behavior Associates of Tucson, Arizona, was asked to assess the effectiveness of this training program and to measure participant satisfaction with the training. Questionnaires designed by the evaluators were administered on a pre, post, and follow-up (3 to 4 months) basis to all of the training program participants. Preliminary results are as follows; Changes
in Opinions
About Child Abuse
In general,the training appears to result in a greater willingness to work with child abusing persons, increased feelings of competence and comfortableness in working with such persons and more positive feelings toward persons with child abuse problems. The individual questions relative to these areas and the results for those trainees participanting in the three day training program are presented in the following graphs:
"How comfortable do you feel about working with persons with chiZd abuse problems?" Percentages of Respondents Answering "Very Comfortable"
238
M. C. Fritz and J. M. Baker
-._... to work with persom
with
child abuse
probZems?”
Percentages of Respondents "Very Willing"
-
Answering
'%r,wcompetent cl0you fee2 you are in vorki?zgwith persons with child abuse prabZ.ems?l~ ~ .-. _----
I
I
I
Percentages of Respondents "Very Competent"
eseribe
~_... /
your
I
feeZings
toward persons
with
child
Answering
abuse problems. .____L.
I
_
Percentages of Respondents "Ver Positive"
I
J.t can be noted that for each of the items there was a consistent to post measures and only a slight drop from post to follow-up.
Answering
positive
change
from pre
An increase in awareness of the seriousness of the effects of child abuse on the children For example: involved, was another apparent effect of the training. on the pre*..48% of the participants rated physical abuse as an"Extremeiy Serious"probLem test, while 53% on the post test and 61% on the follow-up rated it as an "Extremely Serious" problem. . ..Theresultswere similar for the various forms of abuse (verbal, emotional, sexual) and for That is there was an increasing awareness of the seriousness neglect (physical, emotional). of the problems from pre training to post training to follow-up. Changes
in Knowledge
of and Attitudes
Toward
the Parents
Anonymous
Program
Pre and most measures demonstrated that the attitudes of the non-P.A. affiliated trainees The toward the Parents Anonymous program became much more positive after the training. findings of the pre, post and follow-up questionnaires demonstrated that: . ..Opinions of thenon-P.A. professional toward the Parents Anonymous program became significantly more positive from the pre to post measure and from the pre to follow-up measure.
Parental
Self-Help
239
Training
. . . The number of referrals which these professionals made to Parents Anonymous from an average of 1.9 per two month period to 2.8 per two month period.
increased
. ..The professionals (non P.A. persons) became more emphathic with the feelings of child persons as evidenced by their answers to questions which asked them to judge how They answered these questions they felt child abusers would feel toward their children. at the follow-up almost identically to the way the child abusing people answered them (Average score for 4 questions was 11.03 for the professionals and 11.33 for the P.A. people, whereas the scores at pre-test were 10.00 for professionals and 1.2.8 for P.A. people).
abusing
Changes in Feelings of Parents and Community Services
Anonymous
Members,
Chairpersons
and Sponsors
Toward Professionals
_.
Pre, post and follow-up measures demonstrated that Parents ~onymous people became more positive The results showed that: about professionals and community resources after their training.
. . . P.A. people made almost twice as many referrals to mental community services three to four months after their training training. Impact df the Training
on Agencies
health services and other than they did prior to their
and Communities
Three to four months after training the participants who were professionals in the child abuse field were asked about ways in which they may have influenced their agencies or communities as a result of their training. The results indicated that: ...58% of the three day training program participants had helped their agencies volved in inter-agency collaboration for child abuse treatment or prevention. . ..42% had conducted during the training.
staff training
...39% had been instrumental
programs
in developing
to disseminate
information
new child abuse programs
become
or skills
in-
learned
in their agencies.
. . . 39% had developed new programs for community education o? child abuse issues. . ..31% had been instrumental in establishing Anonymous Chapters in their communities. Participants' The results
Evaluation
closer liaison between
their agency
and Parents
of the Training
of the participant
evaluation
.70% of the three day training and 30% rated it as "Good".
program
of the training participants
were very positive.
rated the training
as "Outstanding"
. ..At a three to four month follow-up these participants rated the effectiveness of the training in a number of areas. Eighty-four percent rated it as "Very Effective" in increasing their understanding of persons with child abuse problems; 71% rated it as "Extremely Effective" in increasing their understanding of Parents Anonymous; 69% rated it as "Extremely Effective“ in increasing their understanding of professionals working in the field of child abuse; and 63% rated it as "Extremely Effective" in increasing their skills in working with persons who have child abuse problems. Summary
of Evaluation
These preliminary evaluation results suggest that the training approach is positively perceived by participants and that it has positive effects in changing their attitudes behavior.
and
(1975) The interpersonal relationship in the facilitation of learning. In Rogers, Carl R. PrenticeDonald C. Read and Sidney B. Simon (Eds.) The Humanistic Education Sourcebook. Hall, Inglewood Cliffs, New Jersey.