Parental Guidance Groups: an experience report

Abstract

The family is one of the biggest influences on the child development process, so that studies focused on parenting practices have scientific, academic and social generation. Thus, the article aims to report the experience of conducting Parental Guidance Groups over a three-year period in a city on Santa Catarina state, Brazil. This is a Descriptive and Cross-sectional study of the Experience Report type. 49 parents participated, who were divided into six groups during the three years of application, with weekly meetings. Therefore, when superimposing Group Practices with Parent Orientation, it became evident that the benefits of group care are diverse, considering that this format favors opportunities for learning, greater support among members, reducing stigma and increasing autofocus. However, the challenges for therapists are many and the development of certain characteristics is necessary to achieve the expected results. This assertion notably characterizes the importance of Mandatory Internships, and can be an important opportunity for the acquisition of these competences, in the same measure that makes it possible to take an important step in the process: applying the theory in practice.