New UC Health Southington Program A Major Help For Parents

SOUTHINGTON, CT — Parents in the Southington area now have some options to help their families cope with some of the stresses of life, especially during and after the pandemic.

Last week, UConn Health Southington and the Main Street Community were joined by Southington officials and clinicians to celebrate a new, free parent group pilot program called "The Child and Family Development Program at UConn Health Southington."

It was actually launched last fall, but UConn Health says it is already helping Southington parents cope and to learn parenting skills to assist them and their children experiencing elevated stress levels and mental health needs during COVID-19.

“Parenting got a lot harder with COVID-19 struggles which have taken a mental health toll on both parents and children,” said Dr. David P. FitzGerald, director of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic at UConn Health.

UConn Health Southington is offering Southington parents free group counseling sessions at its facility, which is located at 1115 West St., Southington.

According to UConn Health, the programs are teaching emotionally-intelligent parenting and assisting parents in better understanding social-emotional development of their children.

UConn Health Southington educational resources include a lending library for children, adolescents, and families and online resources.

The new program offers several different parent groups, including those that help parents manage child behavior problems; groups that improve parent-child emotion connections; and support groups for parents of children/teens with neurodevelopmental disorders, especially Autistic Spectrum Disorders.

The free parenting group program also offers free educational resources to help parents cope with behavioral issues during the pandemic’s elevated time of stress, impacting mental health of parents and children alike.

Fitzgerald said there has been a steep rise of depression and anxiety among families and a tripling in parent calls seeking psychiatry appointments for their kids.

This, he said, comes due to increased stress levels from home schooling and quarantine and the aftereffects of that lengthy lifestyle post-Covid.

“Parents in our groups are really feeling better. Parents are learning together and from each other,” said FitzGerald. “They are seeing that they are not alone in their child behavior struggles and that other parents have their same issues.”

The new Child & Family Development Program is made possible with a $150,000 grant from the Bradley H. Barnes and Leila U. Barnes Memorial Trust at the Main Street Community Foundation, according to UConn Health.

“Parents having greater support and educational resources is critical for parents to stay on a productive path,” said FitzGerald, who co-directs the new program with Dr. Carolyn Greene of UConn Health.

For a wrapup of the Jan. 26 event in Southington, visit UConn Today at this link.

For more information on UConn Health Southington, click on this link.