Parent and Adolescent Education

Parent and Adolescent Education

·        Aim is to change behaviour.  Changing behaviour requires:

o  Knowledge: necessary but not sufficient

o  Skills: to manage the change

o  Motivation: Involves striving towards a goal, not just „trying‟.  

The goal must be: 

§  Important to the person – „I want this‟. Make it attractive. May need their goals to come before yours. 

§  Achievable – „I can do this‟.  Believe in them

§  Not too unpleasant.  „I don‟t mind doing this‟.  Make it easy

·        Good counselling technique:

o  Open-ended questions: “tell me about….”

o  Active listening: “Hmm, I see…”

o  Reflection: reflect facts and emotions

o  Summarising: “Let me see if I‟ve got this straight….”

o  Don’t ask leading questions: eg “You don‟t do that, do you?”

·        Take a history using open-ended questions, reflecting, summarising:

o  Help parent or adolescent clarify exactly what it is they want to know 

o  Knowledge: what do you understand about…? Where did you find that out? How convinced are you?

o  Attitudes/fears: are you worried about anything in particular?

o   Practices: What have you actually done so far?

o   Barriers: What‟s stopping you from doing this?

·        Then: 

o   Validate/reinforce knowledge they already have: “That‟s terrific – you already understand a lot….”

o   Education to correct incorrect beliefs/address fears

o   Encourage them to find their own solutions: “So, what do you think you could do?”

o   Reinforce safe practices and responses

·        See also Neonatal and Infant Anticipatory Guidance (Parent Education)