Permissive Parenting Is Topic of Wilderness Therapy

Last month, two adolescent specialists from SUWS of the Carolinas wilderness therapy program made a presentation on the rise of permissive parenting to members of the Independent Educational Consultants Association in Cincinnati.

In an effort to educate the group of consultants, Brooke Judkins, PhD, LPC, and Jesse Quam, LCSW, shared their expertise and recommendations in a small-group format. Twice the expected number of attendees was present for this hot-topic discussion, and attendees walked away with new tools for their practice, including a parenting style questionnaire.

Titled "Help, My Child's Entitled! Working with Permissive Parents in the Post-Boomer Family," the presentation included a sociological look at some of the parenting trends over the past 30 years. For example, post-Boomer parents tend to:

Work outside the home

Have teens who turn more frequently to their friends for advice and support than their parents

Strive to give their kids everything the parents didn't have as kids

Approach their teens with warmth rather than firmness

Want to be their child's friend

According to Quam, the presentation was particularly timely. At the parenting workshops conducted by the therapists at SUWS of the Carolinas, an estimated 80 to 90 percent of parents are considered post-Boomers (people who have parented after World War II). And many have adopted a permissive parenting style, possibly because their parents used an authoritarian style and they chose to go to the other extreme in an effort to raise their children differently than they were raised.

"We've found that parents are hungry for this information," said Quam. "Few men and women receive training to be effective parents, but everyone wants to find the balance between warmth and firmness."

At SUWS of the Carolinas, parents receive training in the Love and Logic� approach, which is founded on the belief that parents should be loving and empathetic while letting teens experience the natural consequences of their choices. Judkins, who is a certified Love and Logic� facilitator, works with parents of troubled teens at two-day parent workshops to strike the balance between support and accountability.

"Sometimes the simplest things are the hardest to do," said Judkins. "No parent will get it right 100% of the time, but subtle changes and a willingness to try something different can translate into a happier family life."

SUWS of the Carolinas is a therapeutic wilderness program for adolescents ages 10-17 with a focus on clinical intervention and assessment. The program uses the outdoors as an alternative to conventional treatment environments, while engaging students using traditional therapeutic methods.

SUWS of the Carolinas is a program of Aspen Education Group, the nation's leading provider of therapeutic education programs for struggling or underachieving young people. Aspen's services range from short-term intervention programs to residential treatment, and include a variety of therapeutic settings such as boarding schools, outdoor behavioral health programs and special needs summer camps, allowing professionals and families the opportunity to choose the best setting to meet a student's unique academic and emotional needs.

Aspen Education Group is a member of CRC Health Group, the most comprehensive network of specialized behavioral care services in the nation. For over two decades, CRC Health has been achieving successful outcomes for individuals and families.

For more information, please call 866-515-5202 or visit www.suwscarolinas.com.