Male caregivers play a critical role in children's emotional development, yet they are often underrepresented in parenting interventions and may experience unique barriers to emotional engagement and support. This study will evaluate whether a 12-session parenting group therapy program is feasible, acceptable, and appropriate for male-identifying caregivers of children and adolescents receiving mental health services. The intervention being studied is the Connecting and Reflecting Experience (CARE) parenting program, a mentalizing-focused group therapy designed to strengthen caregivers' ability to reflect on their own and their child's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. CARE has demonstrated promise in improving parental reflective functioning, reducing parenting stress, and enhancing parent-child relationships in prior studies, but has not yet been evaluated in a group composed exclusively of male-identifying caregivers. Participants will take part in a 12-session weekly CARE group delivered via telehealth, with each session lasting one hour. Participants will also be asked to complete brief self-report surveys before, during, and after participation in the group. The purpose of the study is to inform future intervention development and determine whether CARE is a useful intervention for groups of male caregivers.
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Change from Baseline to Post-Treatment in Parenting Stress
Timeframe: The PSI-SF will be administered at baseline (approximately 0-2 weeks pre-treatment) and at post-treatment (after completion of Session 12, approximately 15 weeks after baseline measurement).
Change from Baseline to Post-Treatment in Parental Reflective Functioning
Timeframe: The PRFQ will be administered at baseline (approximately 0-2 weeks pre-intervention) and at post-intervention (after completion of Session 12, approximately 15 weeks after baseline measurement).
Change from Baseline to Post-Treatment in Restrictive Emotionality
Timeframe: The Restrictive Emotionality Subscale of the MRNI-R will be administered at baseline (approximately 0-2 weeks pre-treatment) and at post-treatment (after completion of Session 12, approximately 15 weeks after baseline measurement)
Change from First Session to Post-Treatment in Therapeutic Group Processes
Timeframe: The TFI-19 will be administered after participants attend their first group session (approximately 0-2 weeks after baseline measurement) and again at post-treatment (after completion of Session 12, approximately 15 weeks after baseline measurement).
Post-Treatment Ratings of Feasibility
Timeframe: This survey will be administered at post-treatment (i.e., after completion of Session 12, approximately 15 weeks after baseline measurement).
Post-Treatment Ratings of Acceptability
Timeframe: This survey will be administered at post-treatment (i.e., after completion of Session 12, approximately 15 weeks after baseline measurement).
Post-Treatment Ratings of Appropriateness
Timeframe: This survey will be administered at post-treatment (i.e., after completion of Session 12, approximately 15 weeks after baseline measurement).
Post-Treatment Ratings of Outcomes and Feedback
Timeframe: This survey will be administered at post-treatment (i.e., after completion of Session 12, approximately 15 weeks after baseline measurement).
Post-Treatment Participant Group Attendance
Timeframe: Time Frame: This survey will be administered at post-treatment (i.e., after completion of Session 12, approximately 15 weeks after baseline measurement).