The CLFC program developer, Ted N. Strader, adapted the original CLFC curriculum to specifically serve fathers who may be in recovery for substance abuse, incarcerated or reentering the community after a period of incarceration, military service, or any other form of physical or emotional separation. These adaptations have already demonstrated powerful empirical results in quasi-experimental design studies with comparison groups.
The Creating Lasting Family Connections® Fatherhood Program is a personal and family strengthening experience that addresses the following multiple challenging and interconnected issues: personal history of substance abuse (and recovery support); personal safety and violence prevention; sexual health including HIV and other STD prevention; and prison recidivism. The program employs a multi-faceted, strengths-based approach. The program also includes strategies to assist a parent in gaining deep insight in providing effective prevention practices for their children. This program is specifically designed to cultivate an atmosphere of inclusion, respect and cultural sensitivity for adult, at-risk, male audiences traditionally considered to be somewhat resistant and difficult to recruit and retain in a program of significant scope and duration.
The Creating Lasting Family Connections® Fatherhood Program includes the original three (multi-session) adult facilitator-led, group-learning Creating Lasting Family Connections® modules, “Developing Positive Parental Influences”, “Raising Resilient Youth”, “Getting Real”, and a brief new optional module on HIV and other sexually transmitted disease prevention and sexual health which includes voluntary and confidential HIV testing.
Implementing the Creating Lasting Family Connections® Fatherhood Program with Fathers in Recovery
The Creating Lasting Family Connections® Fatherhood Program teaches the following effective skills for fathers recovering from substance abuse:
Parents and other caring adults who are able to resist negative influences, communicate effectively, manage personal and family conflict, process and respectfully express their emotions to others, and reach out for help with hope and trust are in a great position to maintain long-term successful recovery. These adults can, and often report that they do, teach these same powerful life skills to their children and other youth in their lives. In this way, these recovery skills can be passed from one generation to another, and operate simultaneously as substance abuse recovery support for recovering adults and substance abuse prevention for youth.
Implementing the Creating Lasting Family Connections® Fatherhood Program with Fathers Reentering the Community from Incarceration
The Creating Lasting Family Connections® Fatherhood Program openly embraces and gently addresses many of the most critical concerns and challenges faced by the reentry population, including reconnecting with family and children, responding effectively to a variety of pressures from work, family, friends and others, and managing the deep gulf of painful emotions like guilt, shame, fear and powerlessness that often comes with making a “whole-life” shift from prison to the community.
Implementing the Creating Lasting Family Connections® Fatherhood Program with Fathers Reentering the Community after Military Service or Any Other Form of Physical or Emotional Separation
The Creating Lasting Family Connections® Fatherhood Program is designed to assist fathers in gently, lovingly and respectfully reintegrating into their family systems after periods of military leave or any other form of physical or emotional separation. Anytime a parent reenters the home after a temporary or prolonged absence (i.e., military service, illness, education, job assignment, sabbatical, etc) there may be challenges with communication, bonding, establishing or reestablishing healthy relationships, negotiating expectations and consequences, expressing and processing emotions, and more. The Creating Lasting Family Connections® Fatherhood Program includes modules that can help fathers learn the skills of creating and sustaining loving, respectful and long-term healthy relationships with every member of the family.
Advanced Options for Implementing the Creating Lasting Family Connections® Fatherhood Program: Family Reintegration.
Fathers who complete the Creating Lasting Family Connections® Fatherhood Program can supplement their learning by participating in the CLFC Marriage Enhancement Program with their significant other for an even deeper investment in their own successful reintegration, recovery and health. Their children could also participate in the CLFC youth modules.
After completing the entire Fatherhood Program some individuals engage in the following options:
If you are interested in implementing the Creating Lasting Family Connections® Fatherhood Program: Family Reintegration, call or email COPES at (502) 583-6820 or tstrader@sprynet.com.
