Betsy Alexander, left, director of state and federal programs for Mansfield City Schools, and Debbie Greves of Family Life Counseling discuss Greves’ role as director of The Parent Project.
Mansfield City Schools parents who are experiencing extremely difficult relationships with their children ages 12 to 18 have free professional help available. It starts with a phone call.
Debbie Greves, director of The Parent Project at Family Life Counseling of Mansfield, said the goal of the program is to find solutions for serious problems and avoid involvement by the police or children services.
“We want to empower parents to feel better about themselves and improve their relationships with their children. We want to reduce the ‘acting out’ that they see in their children at home,” said Greves, an RN and independent licensed therapist.
On its web site, Family Life Counseling says The Parent Project “was created specifically for parents with difficult or out-of-control adolescents. Parents learn and practice specific prevention and intervention strategies for destructive behaviors, such as truancy, alcohol and other drug use, gangs and other criminal behavior, running away, violence and suicide.”
Some referrals to the program are made by Richland County Juvenile Court but anyone may participate without a referral.
“The Parent Project might be suggested to parents by a principal, a pastor or someone else who comes into contact with children,” Greves said. “Maybe a child isn’t in trouble yet. We want to help prevent that.
“This is not about assigning blame or criticizing. We’re not going to tell anyone that they are not a good parent or not doing their job. Let’s just add some tools to help improve relationships.”
Juvenile court pays program costs for referrals it makes. Costs for parents of Mansfield City Schools students are paid by the district’s Title I Family Involvement Funds.
Superintendent Brian Garverick has received letters from previous program participants who expressed their thanks for the district’s support.
“Little did I know how much I would get out of this class,” one mother wrote. It has been a wonderful experience. I’m sure this class will be as beneficial to others as it has been to me,
A woman who is raising her grandchildren wrote, “I would just like to thank you for finding the funds. This class has helped me in so many ways.”
Greves emphasized the effectiveness of The Parent Project by citing four participant families who had a combined 87 police calls to their homes during a specific period. After a few months in the program, there were only four police calls.
“If we get 10 or 15 telephone calls from parents we will set up a class and get started. This works,” she said.
Greves can be reached at 419-774-9969, extension 2111.