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Christians As Family Advocates – CAFA Parenting Program - Promising Futures
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Christians As Family Advocates – CAFA Parenting Program

Overview

Delivery Approach:
  • Group
  • Dyadic
Delivery Format:
  • In-Person
Provider Requirements:
  • No Provider Requirements
Type of Experience Addressed:
  • Child Abuse
  • Community Violence
  • Domestic Violence
  • Homicide/Familicide
  • Neglect
  • Sexual Abuse
  • Substance Abusing Caregiver
  • Other Types of Experiences Addressed
Engagement Methods:
  • Somatic
  • Talk-based
  • Experiential
  • Play-based
  • Other Engagement Methods (see Program Details)
Level of Intervention:
  • Intervention
Length:
  • Greater than 12 weeks
Setting:
  • Domestic Violence Shelter
Program Details:
Type of services:

Parenting classes for parents who have committed domestic violence and parents who have been victims of domestic violence; separate group classes are provided to offending and nonoffending parents.

Program setting:

Domestic violence program/shelter

Length of program/number of sessions:

15 sessions

Type(s) of trauma:

Domestic violence and other trauma

Additional Information:

Parents learn skills to help them be healing agents in their children’s lives. Parents practice empathy skills with their children that can also help them empathize with others including their spouse/partner.

Most clients are mandated to participate and often they are not able to have contact with their child or can only have contact during supervised visitation.

Unique/Innovative Characteristics

This experiential program teaches parents through role play, demonstrations and practice to play, communicate, empathize and be a healing agent for their children. When parents do not have contact with their children, this process helps to prepare them to parent positively if they have future contact with their children.

CAFA parenting skills have been integrated into a batterers’ intervention program.

Date Added/Updated:

6/15/2017

Population Served

Age:
  • 18-25 (Young Adult)
  • 25 and up (Adult)
Population Language:
  • English
Ethnic Racial Group:
  • Indigenous People – American Indian/Native American, Alaskan Native
  • Black or African American
  • Hispanic or Latino
  • Unspecified Ethnic Racial Group
  • White
Client/Audience:
  • Survivor Parent
  • Parent who uses Violence
  • Foster/Adoptive Parents
Population Adaptations:
Age range of children:

Parenting skills are adapted to the age of the child(ren).

Parent/adult caregiver included in intervention:

Yes, this is a parenting program.

Ethnic/racial and other groups served:

The program serves an ethnically diverse population which is 5% Native American, 5% African American, 10% Hispanic 75% Caucasian, and 5% other.

Specific cultural adaptations:

Many of the clients served are illiterate. CAFA focuses on experiential learning to accommodate parents who cannot read or write.

Languages available:

English

Evaluation

Foundation:
Theoretical basis:

CAFA combines ideas and has adapted material from Filial Play Therapy for clients experiencing/perpetrating domestic violence. Other interventions and theories that are integrated into this program include collaborative problem solving, cognitive behavioral therapy, and attachment-based theory.

Outcome indicators:
  • Qualitative client reports on increased sense of parenting competency
  • Parents’ increased enjoyment with their children
  • Decrease in children’s symptoms
Evaluation Studies:
Evaluation studies:

None to date

Filial play therapy, a core component of this program has been researched with many different populations.

Rated/Reviewed by Evidence Based Registries:

This intervention was not rated by the registries/databases we reviewed.

Training & Resources

Training Languages:
  • English
Training Available:
  • Yes
Training Details:
Training manual:

No

Availability of training:

Yes, available to provide training on filial play.

Training Contact:

Carolyn Rexius
mrexius@comcast.net

Program Contact

Carolyn Rexius LCSW
Christians as Family Advocates
921 Country Club Road Suite 222
Eugene, OR 97401
541-349-7550
mrexius@comcast.net