Parenting & Family Life
 At certain times, children, parents and family members need additional support and information to tackle life's challenges and transitions. Families First equips parents and children with the skills they need to function and cope at their optimal level, as well as to build and maintain stronger and healthier relationships. Families First supports children, youth and adults to advocate on their own behalf, serve as resources for our work, and become success leaders for their families and communities. Counseling & Support
Family Life and Parenting Education
Healthy Babies and Moms
School Success
Counseling & Support
Individual, Family, Marriage and Group Counseling (English and/or Spanish)
Families First's counseling services assist children, parents, and
families to express, understand and cope with the situations and events
that cause them distress and challenge their ability to be healthy and
well. The goal is to create or restore child and family functioning to
their fullest potential and provide hope for a brighter future.
Families First provides solution-focused counseling and therapy
throughout Metro Atlanta in office settings, as well as at
community-based sites in partnership with schools, community-based
organizations, housing service agencies, and health centers.
Psycho-educational Groups
Groups address the shared experiences, concerns and needs that cause
distress, isolation and depression among children, parents and
families. Groups create networks of support, identify coping strategies
and build skills to adjust to life's changes, challenges, and traumas
including death, suicide, childhood sexual abuse, family violence,
abandonment, divorce, substance use and income loss.
Family Violence Intervention Program (FVIP)
FVIP helps participants acknowledge the impact of their violence on
their families, accept responsibility for their violent behavior, and
change violent behavior. FVIP is State-Certified and emphasizes victim
safety and perpetrator accountability. Participation may be voluntary
or court-ordered.
Anger Management
Anger Management classes assists participants in identifying
personal triggers that lead to inappropriate social behavior, and
practice ways of controlling their emotions before violence, or the
threat of violence, begins.
Project Turning Point
Project Turning Point encourages individuals to develop strategies
for recognizing and controlling negative impulses that result in
unhealthy and harmful behavior. Through peer group discussion,
beginning shoplifters work to identify and address the
thought-processes that led to their behavior, and recognize the legal
and social risks and consequences of their actions.
Substance Abuse Groups
These three-session groups enhance adults' awareness about their
substance use and abuse issues including the impact of use on their
children and families. Participants are given tools and resources to
reduce and eliminate use, mend and repair relationships, and make
positive changes in their lives.
Veteran Support
Our counselors assist veterans, families and communities to better
cope with the stressors of military life during all phases of
deployment and re-integration, as well as anxiety and grief caused by
war-related disability, torture and loss of life. Families First is a
member of the Veteran's Initiative Committee of Georgia, a
collaborative of helping professionals who meet monthly to address and
find solutions for the unique issues/needs of this population.
Family Life & Parenting Education
Parenting Time (English & Spanish)
Parenting Time facilitates communication and planning among
custodial and non-custodial parents so that children have safe and
consistent access to, and visitation with, both biological parents and
family members. Parenting Time works to improve parents' understanding
and support of their child's biological, psychological, emotional and
social needs, and decrease the negative influences on the child related
to parental separation and unresolved issues.
National TransParenting
TransParenting® was developed by Families First in response to
requests from family courts to help divorcing parents recognize and
minimize the stress of divorce on the entire family. The curriculum,
workbooks, training, and certification are sold to agencies throughout
the United States. For more information, visit the TransParenting web site.
Seminars for Separating & Divorcing Parents
Seminars educate parents on the emotional reactions of children to
separation and divorce and provide guidance for communications with
children about divorce and helping them to cope with their emotions.
Participants also receive tips for co-parenting and resources for
additional information and support.
Children of Separating & Divorcing Parents
Through group discussion, structured exercises and therapeutic
games, children experiencing parental separation or divorce are taught
and encouraged to verbalize their feelings and learn new coping skills.
RollerCoasters® is an eight-week curriculum for children ages 5 to 8
and children ages 9 to 12 (visit: http://www.transparenting.com).
Families First also offers What About Me (WAM), a one-time group
session that introduces the child to other children experiencing
similar situations with the goal of reducing their sense of shame and
isolation.
Parenting Classes
These classes will educate parents on the developmental stages of
childhood, and the effect of biological and environmental factors on
their child's development. Classes also examine parenting styles and
practices. Parents receive concrete strategies for establishing
appropriate and realistic expectations; responding to and managing
their child's needs and behaviors; and developing norms for healthy
family communication and teamwork.
Healthy Babies and Moms
Doula
Doulas provide emotional and physical support to pregnant young mothers residing in Fulton and DeKalb Counties before, during and after the birth of her baby. Our bi-lingual Doulas educate young mothers on prenatal and infant care, breast-feeding and mother-baby bonding. The goal of the Doula program is to ensure mothers continue their education during and after pregnancy, and make informed choices about labor, delivery, nutrition, and parenting. For more information on Doulas visit: www.gcapp.org and www.healthconnectone.org
TeenAge Pregnancy and Parenting (TAPP)
TAPP offers comprehensive case management and counseling services to pregnant teens through home and school visitation, service coordination, and parenting education until the first year of the babies' birth. Through TAPP, pregnant and parenting teens remain and progress in school, and learn essential parenting skills in order to become successful parents and adults.
School Success
Families First In Schools (FFIS)
FFIS improves parent-child-school communication through a series of structured activities that encourage fun and supportive family interaction, parent networking and community-building, and relationships with school staff. The program is designed to increase academic performance, improve student behavior, and increase parental involvement in the school. FFIS is based on Families And Schools Together (FAST), an internationally-replicated, model program and curriculum for parents and family members serving birth through adolescence and high school.
Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids (SPARK)
SPARK is designed to prepare children for success in school and increase parent involvement and leadership. The program assures school readiness and achievement among pre-school age children by engaging parents in home visitation, parent leadership, and pre-K and school transition planning. Families First's SPARK program also serves as a Learning Laboratory for communities that are planning or beginning to implement the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta's Early Learning Community-Based Partnerships (ELCBP) and the Smart Start School Readiness Initiative for Children.
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