Parent Support Groups

Odyssey House’s free Community Programs provide treatment, counselling, education, and aftercare support to those who have been affected by alcohol and other drugs.

Our Community Programs team offers Bringing Up Great Kids support groups. These groups are designed to assist parents recovering from alcohol and/or drug issues by providing positive parenting education. Participants will increase skills to become more reflective in their parenting approach, as the group supports caring and nurturing relationships between parents and children.

Bringing Up Great Kids

A stable, safe family life, caring, nurturing, respectful relationships and effective communication between parents and their children are the foundations for raising happy, well-behaved, resilient kids with positive self-esteem.

In homes where one or both parents have alcohol and other drug issues, there is often also a high level of disruption, psychological or emotional neglect, violence and other intrusive and inappropriate behaviours that may adversely impact children’s normal development. This puts them at higher risk for behavioural, emotional, physical and mental health problems, as well as possible drug use themselves later on.

Most parents recovering from a dependence on alcohol or other drug want to do the best for their children, but may not have the self-awareness, skills, knowledge, support confidence or role models to do so.

Odyssey House Community Programs provides a free targeted intervention program for parents, carers, grandparents and other family members called Bringing Up Great Kids. Run over five or six, weekly 2-hour group sessions as part of our Community Programs, the course/support group provides practical, positive parenting education in a safe and supportive peer group environment. It helps parents understand and become confident in building and maintaining healthy, respectful relationships with their children.

Facilitators assist parents to be reflective, mindful, positive and loving in their parenting approach. Group participants learn skills and receive support with:

• Their parenting styles and techniques, where/how they originated, how in/effective they are and how to improve on them
• Understanding the impact alcohol/drug use and parental neglect has on children and other family members
• Understanding how children’s brains develop
• Understanding their children’s behaviours, what is age-appropriate and how to address various behaviours
• Recognising strengths in their children and nurturing their self-esteem and identity
• Developing mindfulness
• Managing their own feelings and responses to their children
• Listening to their children, understanding the messages they are communicating, and responding to their needs
• Self-care and how to find support when they need it
• Strategies to manage their parenting approach despite pressures on their time and role

After the Bringing Up Great Kids course, parents may continue to take part in Odyssey House Community Programs for support and counselling on their ongoing recovery (and parenting) journey. Staff also connect clients with local health and welfare agencies and other community services, with the long-term aim of keeping families together in safe, loving, stable homes and minimising the number of children in out-of-home care.

Odyssey House’s Bringing Up Great Kids course is funded by the Primary Health Network through the Australian Government and the Club Grants program.

Contact our Assessment Team on 1800 397 739 or email referral@odysseyhouse.com.au to secure your position in this free program.