Clinical and Educational Interventions with Fathers

Call on men's hidden strengths to help them become responsible fathers in even the most challenging circumstances!Clinical and Educational Interventions with Fathers gives you fresh approaches for effective interventions with fathers. Whether by calling on their faith to help them deal with the complexities of fatherhood or offering high-tech interventions on the Internet, these techniques help men find their strengths, maintain their masculinity, and learn to guide, nurture, and discipline with love and responsibility. Instead of thinking of fathers as deficient, the book emphasizes finding fathers'strengths and potentials for growth. It also respects the diversity of parenting styles among fathers from various ethnic, racial, and class backgrounds.No man wants to be a bad father. Nevertheless, many men in our culture do not know how to care for the children they beget. Trapped by stereotypes of masculine behavior and deprived of positive role models, they find themselves trying to do the challenging work of fatherhood without the necessary resources, information, or support.Clinical and Educational Interventions with Fathers offers positive approaches to helping men become responsible fathers, including: - designing special techniques and programs to help fathers in prison and other challenging circumstances - helping fathers manage anger - developing therapeutic support groups for African-American men - offering Web-based support for fathers - training staff to recognize and respond to fathers'unique needs - finding legal tools to support fathers'rights Reaching fathers has become an ever more urgent priority for practitioners as family structure and family life change. Traditional social-service programs for mothers tend not to work well with men's very different needs and attitudes. Yet very little has been published on successful interventions with fathers. Clinical and Educational Interventions with Fathers fills that gap and suggests promising new directions for further research in this field. By offering positive, tested ways to help men become responsible fathers, this volume will help you improve their lives and the lives of their sons and daughters.

Jay Fagan, Alan Hawkins

Contents
* About the Editors * Contributors * Foreword * Introduction * Organization of the Book * Objectives of the Book * The Need for Fathering Interventions * What Practitioners Need to Know to Work with Fathers * Conclusion * Section I: Clinical Interventions * Chapter 1. Tools for the Trade: Clinical Interventions with Fathers in Family Therapy * Fathers in Family Therapy: Psychological and Social Issues * Assumptions and Values * "Tools" of Best Practice with Fathers * Increasing Father Involvement in Therapy * Outcome and Evaluation * Conclusion * Chapter 2. Therapeutic Support Groups As a Primary Intervention for Issues of Fatherhood with African-American Men * Some Underlying Psychological Factors * Therapeutic Support Groups for African-American Fathers * Major Themes to Promote in Therapy * "Best Practices" for Implementing Support Groups * Evaluation * Conclusion * Chapter 3. When a Divorced Father Does Not Visit * Psychological, Social, and Economic Issues Faced by Divorced Fathers * Divorced Fathers and Contact * Clinical Issues in Reconnecting Divorced Fathers to Their Children * Conclusion * Chapter 4. Anger Management for Fathers * The Psychological and Social Foundations of Anger Management * Theoretical Assumptions of Constructive Engagement * Constructive Engagement (STRACK): A New Approach * Expected Outcomes of STRACK * Evaluation * Barriers * Conclusion * Section II: Educational Interventions * Chapter 5. Parent Education for Incarcerated Fathers * Review of Research * Designing a Program for Incarcerated Fathers * Core Learnings: Lessons from the Field * Conclusion * Chapter 6. Web-Based Education and Support for Fathers: Remote But Promising * Web-Based Education and Fathers * Overview of Fathering Education Sites: What Is Out There? * Evaluating Outcomes: A Case Study * Conclusion * Appendix A * Appendix B * Appendix C * Chapter 7. Father/Male Involvement in Early Childhood Programs: Training Staff to Work with Men * Social and Economic Issues Faced by Fathers * Intervening to Encourage Father Involvement in Early Childhood Programs * Basic Assumptions and Values: Father Involvement in Early Childhood Programs * Evaluation of the Intervention Program * Outcomes of the Evaluation * Implications and Lessons Learned for "Best Practices" * Conclusion * Chapter 8. Turning the Hearts of Fathers: Faith-Based Approaches to Promoting Responsible Fatherhood * Basic Assumptions * Evangelical Protestant Approaches to Fatherhood Interventions * The Catholic Church and Fatherhood Interventions * Mainline Protestant Denominations and Fatherhood Interventions * Smaller Faith-Based Fatherhood Interventions * Barriers and Challenges Ahead * The Promise of Faith-Based Approaches * Appendix * Chapter 9. Legal Support for the Father-Child Relationship in Disunited Families * Introduction * Know the Rules * Legal Tools to Use in Custody and Time-share Issues * Plan a Course of Action and Do Not Lose Sight of the Ultimate Goal * Special Legal Issues Faced by Single Fathers * Evaluation of Fathers Advocacy * Conclusion * Chapter 10. English-Speaking Caribbean Immigrant Fathers: The Task of Unpacking the Cultural Pathways to Intervention * Caribbean Migration * Psychological, Social, and Economic Issues Faced by Caribbean Immigrant Fathers * Practice Strategies for Working with Caribbean Immigrant Fathers * An Approach to Working with Fathers * Conclusion * Chapter 11. Research and Practice on Fathers in High-Risk Families: Exploring the Need and Potential Areas for Collaboration * Historical Overview of Policy and Research * The Argument for Practice-Derived Research * Focus Group Participants and Procedures * Learning from