Parents of Preadolescents’ Experiences of Child–Parent Relationship Therapy

Abstract

ABSTRACT Preadolescence is a time of emotional, physical, social, and relational changes, which can lead to mental health concerns. Parents of preadolescents also experience changes within their roles as parents, and both parents and preadolescents experienced a wide range of changes and challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. This phenomenological study explored the experiences of parents of preadolescents after participating in a virtual Child-Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT) intervention. Participants were seven parents ages 35 to 56 years-old with preadolescent children between the ages of 9 to 12 years-old. Semi-structured interviews were conducted following the CPRT intervention and analyzed using an adaptation of classic data analysis. Six themes were found, including impact of group on learning, child’s engagement with parent, child qualities, parent’s understanding of self, importance of parent-child relationship, and integration of CPRT skills. The emerging themes indicated that the seven participants experienced changes in themselves, in their child, and in their parent-child relationships. Participants discussed their experiences with the virtual format and their integration of CPRT skills. The participants also reported feeling closeness and support from other group members, even with the virtual format. Findings from this study highlight several clinical implications for working with parents of preadolescents virtually using CPRT.