“East Group”
This chapter focuses on the group psychoeducation done with the favored parents in families with parent–child contact problems attending Overcoming Barriers programs. A systems-based understanding of parent–child contact problems highlights the importance of intervention with each member of the family. The author describes the personality traits, beliefs, feelings, and attitudes of favored parents as well as challenges that such characteristics pose to clinical intervention. Strategies to promote a shift in favored parents’ beliefs about the health of their children are discussed, including calling attention to cognitive distortions, teaching about concepts such as memory and suggestibility, and building skills for coping with emotional triggers. The role of group process and relationships among group members are discussed as possible mechanisms of change. Case material is used to illustrate key points.