Children's Services

Family Services

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Youth Services

Parenting Education and Support (PESP)

Parenting Education and Support (PESP) is a family friendly therapeutic service for families with children ages 2 to 17. Families can receive up to 3 months of free confidential therapy and support services in the home or office. PESP develops a partnership with parents to assist them to improve communication, parenting skills and child behavior. The program is voluntary and recommended for anyone concerned about improving family functioning, togetherness and increasing healthy child development.

WHO:
• St. Louis City residents.
• The parent agrees to participate in the project along with their children.
• The parent understands that participation is voluntary.
• The parent agrees to meet weekly with their therapist who will teach and coach them in parenting techniques.
• The child resides in the parent's home or there is a case manager committed to bringing the children to the home for sessions.

WHEN:
• The Therapist and Family Support Worker arrange convenient times to meet with the family once each week to work toward achieving specific therapeutic goals.
• It takes approximately three months to successfully complete PESP.

WHERE:
• PESP offers convenient home based or office based services to meet the needs of families.
• PESP services also extend to assistance on the neighborhood, school and community levels.

HOW:
Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)
• Can be used with children ages 2-12 who are demonstrating disruptive behavior problems such as being over-active, having lots of tantrums, being aggressive or mean, not following directions, etc.
• Parents are taught special skills that therapists use with children who have behavior problems using play, practice, coaching, and role-playing.
Over time, the behavior problems decrease while the parenting skills improve.

Multisystemic Therapy (MST)
• Can be used with youth ages 12-17 that are at significant risk due to problems at home, at school or in the community.
• Designed to help empower parents with skills and resources needed to address the difficulties in raising teenagers, while also empowering teens to cope with family, peers, school, and neighborhood pressures.
• Therapy encourages developmentally appropriate expectations for the teen and family with regard to responsible behavior and healthy self-esteem.

Referrals to PESP can come directly from parents or through an organization that works with the family. Pleas email us or call 314.534.9350 today to enroll in this beneficial program.