ScreamFree: Classes address methods for parenting teens

By Nathan Pfau, Army Flier Staff WriterApril 9, 2015

ScreamFree: Classes address methods for parenting teens
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FORT RUCKER, Ala. (April 9, 2015) -- Raising children is something many parents will agree is no easy task, and Fort Rucker offers a way to help parents communicate with their children well into their teenage years in a way that builds mutual respect.

The installation has been offering its ScreamFree Parenting classes for some time now, but is now adding the ScreamFree Parenting Your Teenager course April 22 from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Bowden Terrace Community Center to help aid in communicating with children 13 and up, according to Nicqolle Truitt, family advocacy program specialist.

"The purpose of ScreamFree is to help the installation's families communicate with their children in a calm way, so that they can work through the ups and downs of parenting while they gain mutual respect with each other," said the program specialist. "The goal of the program is to train parents to communicate in a way that builds respect while building a deeper relationship while working through the ups and downs of their relationship."

The need for ScreamFree Parenting Your Teenager came to Fort Rucker in conjunction with Child Abuse Prevention Month as a way to make sure teens were being looked after, as well as the younger population, because teens can oftentimes be left out when it comes to child abuse.

"Our mission at FAP is to minimize incidents of domestic abuse and child abuse, and ScreamFree is a proven way to help parents better communicate within their marriages, as well as in their parent-child relationships," said Truitt. "This is the first time we've offered the ScreamFree Parenting Your Teenager workshop here at Fort Rucker, and it's a relatively new to the ScreamFree program, as well. What we're aiming to do is equip parents with the knowledge and skills to effectively prepare their children for transitioning into adulthood, and through that we want there to be a deeper connection between the teenagers and their parents.

"We haven't done anything that is teen related in a while," she said. "We want to reach out to the teens because sometimes they do get left out of a lot of the events that we do, so we really want to make sure that our teens are well equipped (throughout life). We want our teenagers to understand what a healthy relationship is."

The program isn't only designed for parents who are having trouble with their teens, but also for those who wish to better learn how to communicate with their children to build stronger relationships.

"It's designed to be preventative," said Truitt. "It's good for people who want to have kids or for parents who are not having issues with their children, but just want to learn to be a better parent. Healthy relationships are very important and I think that this ScreamFree will allow parents to prepare their teens for adulthood and help them, and those are lessons that they can pass on throughout their lives."

The regular ScreamFree parenting class for parents with children 12 and younger is also being offered April 23 from 10-11:30 a.m. at the school age center. Both classes are limited to 35 participants and people must register by April 17.

There is also a train-the-trainer session for installation professionals who work directly with families: Army Community Service staff; installation chaplains; child, youth and school services staff; and those who work at Lyster Army Health Clinic in behavioral health or social work services, so that they can be equipped to offer help in their areas of service.

The train-the-trainer classes for ScreamFree parenting will be held April 21-22 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the train-the-trainer classes for ScreamFree Parenting Your Teenager course will be April 23.

For more information or to register, call 255-9636.

"This is all in support of Child Abuse Prevention Month, so it all goes back to our mission here at Family Advocacy, which is to decrease occurrences of domestic abuse and child abuse, and prevention is the best way to do that," said Truitt.

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