Parents go to school - Montego Bay centre teaches family skills
published:
Monday | July 7, 2008
Sheena Gayle, Freelance Writer
Parents listen keenly as Carol Bell of the Family and Parenting Centre in Montego Bay gives advice during a session last Friday. - Photo by Sheena Gayle
WESTERN BUREAU:
MORE THAN 1,200 Jamaicans have been moulded into effective parents with the help of the Family and Parenting Centre in Montego Bay, a pioneer in providing intervention through the family structure.
The organisation is the brainchild of Dr Beverley Scott, a professional child and family therapist who is the executive director. The non-governmental organisation operates primarily through fund-raising ventures, donations and grants.
One parent, Errol Vassel, who has benefited from a positive parenting workshop at the centre, expressed gratitude for the information he received.
"I have learnt so many things about how to be a better parent that I never knew before. I thought that reprimanding my children for everything was the best way; but now I know that's not the best way to do it," Vassel told The Gleaner.
He is not the only parent voicing support for the intervention provided by the centre.
Lloyd Brown, a father to two, thanked Scott for her advice.
Change
"How I deal with my kids now has changed, because we learnt how to listen and talk to our children and that I now practise. Even my kids have noticed the change," Brown explained.
Scott recalled: "I would write a variety of articles about the family and provide advice on proper parenting until some of my colleagues encouraged me to set up a centre to deal with these types of issues. Thus, the centre was established eight years ago."
She revealed that in keeping with the centre's motto of 'Restoring the Family', some of the services offered there include trauma management, grief counselling, crisis management, conflict resolution, stress management, positive parenting, anger manage-ment and self-esteem workshops.
Scott said the centre provides a holistic approach to solving child-rearing problems, involving the family, school and community.
The Family and Parenting Centre collaborates with the Ministry of Education, the St James Parent Support Advisory Team, the Ministry of National Security, the Family Court, the Child Development Agency, the Women's Centre of Jamaica Foundation, schools, communities and other international agencies.
The centre will this year stage its third summer camp for troubled children, Scott said. The camp, she added, will see 60 children with symptoms of trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder, uncontrollable behaviour and anger problems, from 12 schools in Montego Bay.
