Introduction
This web quest seeks to investigate the potential unmet need for emotional support groups for single fathers in local communities. The hypothesis driving this investigation is that single fathers require and would benefit from dedicated emotional support groups. The investigation stems from recognizing that single fathers face unique emotional challenges requiring empathy, understanding, and support. Though support groups for single mothers are common, equivalent groups for fathers appear far less prevalent. This possible service gap spurs the research questions: Are the emotional needs of single fathers sufficiently met, and if not, how might communities facilitate appropriate support? The web quest will gather perspectives from single fathers and community service providers to determine the full landscape of resources.
Task
A committee of single fathers, mental health workers, childcare providers and others will locate meeting spaces and lead planning. Funding sources such as local grants, donations and nominal member dues will support costs for supplies, snacks, trained facilitators and counselling referrals (Guo & Peng, 2020). Careful coordination of donated and paid resources can enable quality programming for single fathers at little expense. However, concerted efforts around the organization, commitments and targeted funding development are vital for success.
CAAM LLC
PROJECTED ANNUAL BUDGET 2023/2024
HOUSING AND COUNSELING SERVICES
|
ITEM▼ |
JAN |
FEB |
MAR |
APR |
MAY |
JUN |
JUL |
AUG |
SEP |
OCT |
NOV |
DEC |
|
Office / Rent |
5,000 |
5,000 |
5,000 |
5,000 |
5,000 |
5,000 |
5,000 |
5,000 |
5,000 |
5,000 |
5,000 |
5,000 |
|
Phone |
72.99 |
72.99 |
72.99 |
72.99 |
72.99 |
72.99 |
72.99 |
72.99 |
72.99 |
72.99 |
72.99 |
72.99 |
|
Liability Insurance |
197.00 |
197.00 |
197.00 |
197.00 |
197.00 |
197.00 |
197.00 |
197.00 |
197.00 |
197.00 |
197.00 |
197.00 |
|
Bonding Insurance |
15.75 |
15.75 |
15.75 |
15.75 |
15.75 |
15.75 |
15.75 |
15.75 |
15.75 |
15.75 |
15.75 |
15.75 |
|
Staff Training |
100.00 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
|
Advertising Services |
100.00 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
|
Postage / Office Supplies |
160.00 |
160.00 |
160.00 |
160.00 |
160.00 |
160.00 |
160.00 |
160.00 |
160.00 |
160.00 |
160.00 |
160.00 |
|
Contracted Licensed Mental Health Professional (LMHP) |
1,200.00 |
1,200.00 |
1,200.00 |
1,200.00 |
1,200.00 |
1,200.00 |
1,200.00 |
1,200.00 |
1,200.00 |
1,200.00 |
1,200.00 |
1,200.00 |
|
Contracted Qualified Mental Health Professional (QMHP-A) |
3,200.00 |
3,200.00 |
3,200.00 |
3,200.00 |
3,200.00 |
3,200.00 |
3,200.00 |
3,200.00 |
3,200.00 |
3,200.00 |
3,200.00 |
3,200.00 |
|
TOTAL MONTHLY EXPENSES |
10,445.74 |
10,445.74 |
10,445.74 |
10,445.74 |
10,445.74 |
10,445.74 |
10,445.74 |
10,445.74 |
10,445.74 |
10,445.74 |
10,445.74 |
10,445.74 |
|
90 DAYS REQUIRED EXPENSES |
31,337.22 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL MONTHLY MEDICAID REVENUE |
18,200.00 |
18,200.00 |
18,200.00 |
18,200.00 |
18,200.00 |
18,200.00 |
18,200.00 |
18,200.00 |
18,200.00 |
18200.00 |
18,200.00 |
18200.00 |
|
TOTAL MONTHLY RENTAL REVENUE |
10,000.00 |
10,000.00 |
10,000.00 |
10,000.00 |
10,000.00 |
10,000.00 |
10,000.00 |
10,000.00 |
10,000.00 |
10,000.00 |
10,000.00 |
10,000.00 |
|
TOTAL NET MONTHLY REVENUE |
17.754.72 |
17.754.72 |
17.754.72 |
17.754.72 |
17.754.72 |
17.754.72 |
17.754.72 |
17.754.72 |
17.754.72 |
17.754.72 |
17.754.72 |
17.754.72 |
THIS INITIAL BUDGET IS BASED ON A PROVISION OF SUPPORTS FOR (5) INDIVIDUALS AND A STAFF TO INDIVIDUAL RATIO OF 1:1
|
|
Process
A polished proposal lays the requisite groundwork for providing targeted emotional support groups serving single fathers. Following established nonprofit formats, key components will articulate organizational aims to bolster single fathers' well-being and reduce isolation (Sagar-Ouriaghli et al., 2019). Community leader testimonials, data on service gaps affecting single dads, and research connecting support group participation to decreased parental anxiety or depression can evidence the concept's merit. Operational specifics will additionally cover participant recruitment platforms, ideal group size and frequency, venue requirements, and facilitator credentials and responsibilities. Finally, budgetary components outline expenses from printed curricula, video materials, counsellor wages, and facilitate rental fees.
Group Therapy Model: Skill Building
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For the community that C.A.A.M Support LLC serves, counseling group therapy is the preferred group style. By utilizing group therapy, residents will develop and practice life skills that will benefit them on a personal and professional level. The group therapy model allows the group freedom to interact and share perspectives which will provide alternative insight to their problems while practicing social skills, effective communication, and active-listening. Each weekly group session will be 90 minutes long and will focus on a specific life skill that would benefit this population. Topics are as follows: Goal Attainment, Communication, Self-Care, and Thoughts and Behaviors.
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Group Therapy Topic: Goal Attainment
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Purpose: This group therapy session will focus in on setting short and long term goals. We will discuss how to take small steps towards attaining personal and professional goals to ensure success. This group is designed for anyone who struggles with setting goals, finding motivation to follow through with goal attainment, and anyone who feels they struggle to succeed in achieving their goals. Lean on the support of like-minded group members seeking to enrich their lives by achieving their goals.
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Homework: Prior to attending this group therapy session, please obtain and fill out a copy of the goal exploration worksheet. This tool will assist the client and therapist in brainstorming a curated plan towards achieving goals.
Group Session Layout for Counselor:
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Discuss major goals within the group setting. Therapist will draw comparisons to ensure the group understands that they are more similar than different to build group unity.
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Focus on barriers to goal attainment and overcoming them.
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From a strengths-based perspective, the therapist will encourage all group members that they are already making leaps and bounds towards their goals as evidenced by their attending and participating within this group session.
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Therapist will utilize cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) modality to reframe thinking in a positive light to motivate clients to stick with working towards their goals.
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Group Therapy Topic: Communication
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Purpose: This group therapy session focuses on the various communication styles to discuss and assess their effectiveness. Clients will practice passive, assertive, and aggressive communication techniques by utilizing a worksheet which will be handed out prior to the session.
Group Session Layout for Counselor:
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Open the group by asking what the group understands about the various communication styles.
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Discuss how the different communication styles could be appropriate in different settings.
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Ask the group to share a statement in each of the communication styles.
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Direct the group to consider what their primary communication style has been in the past and how they may want to change it if applicable.
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Utilize a strengths-based perspective to encourage group members in their ability to effectively communicate.
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Group Therapy Topic: Self-Care
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Purpose: Self-Care is an essential factor in human health. During this group counseling session, clients will complete a self-care assessment to establish their current baseline as it pertains to their self-care routines and to highlight areas of improvement.
Group Session Layout for Counselor:
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Ask the group why they think self-care is important.
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Discuss the various ways in which group members practice self-care in their everyday lives.
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Develop a comprehensive list of ideas for improving self-care.
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Focus on empowering clients to improve their health and wellbeing by practicing self-care.
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Utilize the CBT modality if necessary to reframe thoughts about self-worth to ensure clients understand that they deserve to be cared for. This starts with the client’s ability to practice self-care.
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Group Therapy Topic: Thoughts and Behaviors
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Purpose: This group counseling session is designed to get clients to think about thoughts and behaviors that they wish to change. A cost/benefit analysis worksheet will be provided prior to the session to allow clients to consider how their thoughts or behaviors impact their lives positively and negatively.
Group Session Layout for Counselor:
-
Ask the group if they are willing to share their thought or behavior that they wish to change. If not, provide a generic example such as “I am unworthy” to discuss how this thought would impact a person.
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Discuss the importance of how thoughts shape behavior.
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Empower clients by utilizing CBT modality to change thoughts to improve behaviors.
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https://youtu.be/gyyPZCmBziw?si=0LbTfZKNSb14slGz https://youtu.be/992Eb2hbuQE?si=0jiY5kswZThFbzvc
Evaluation
Situating supportive resources for single fathers requires both policy and cultural shifts. Given research on the magnified strain on single dads, public funding streams for family assistance programming should allot proportional funds toward father-focused interventions (Sagar-Ouriaghli et al., 2019). Service eligibility criteria can explicitly include single fathers within target recipient groups. Advocacy efforts play key roles, from challenging assumptions that mothers are inherently superior caregivers to reinforcing single fathers' equal rights to mental health support, which ultimately advantages entire households. Outdated statutes delegitimizing male parents as nurturers or decision-makers must evolve to catch up with changing gender norms and parenthood constructs. With adjustments to laws and licensing around community facility usage, liability coverage and charitable activity prerequisites, the path clears for an above-board establishment of much-needed single-father support collectives.
Conclusion
This investigative web quest has thoroughly examined the hypothesis on meeting single fathers' needs for dedicated emotional support systems. The project compiled holistic data on this men's health service gap by surveying communities, gathering input directly from single-dad households, and reviewing the availability of tailored assistance groups. Evident barriers exist around securing organizational backing, minimally burdensome access for already taxed fathers, and supporting group facilitators attuned to dads' unique needs. At the same time, promising pathways emerged via multi-stakeholder collaboration, democratized funding pursuits, and capitalizing on existing communal assets, with a further commitment to elevating single fathers' voices in policy conversations and community programming decisions, their well-being - inextricable from family stability that appears as an achievable priority. Let this be one productive step toward reconciling sociocultural expectations, government approaches, and on-the-ground tools to nurture involved, thriving single dads capable of modelling resilience for future generations.
https://www.cwla.org/responsible-fatherhood/
Credits
References
References
Guo, B., & Peng, S. (2020). Do nonprofit and for-profit social enterprises differ in financing? VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 31, 521-532. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-020-00218-5.
Sagar-Ouriaghli, I., Godfrey, E., Bridge, L., Meade, L., & Brown, J. S. (2019). Improving mental health service utilization among men: a systematic review and synthesis of behavior change techniques within interventions targeting help-seeking. American Journal of Men's Health, 13(3), 1557988319857009. https://doi.org/10.1177/1557988319857009
Aragao, C. (2023, March 1). The gender pay gap in the U.S. hasn't changed much in two decades. Pew Research. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/03/01/gender-pay-gap-facts/