What is Family Guidance? (And Why it’s Not Parent Training)

How Hopebridge Ensures ABA Therapy is a Partnership Between Families and Clinicians

When caregivers prepare for their child to start applied behavior analysis (ABA therapy), they know changes lie ahead for their family. Still, it may come as a surprise for some when they are informed caregivers must also play a role in therapy through “family guidance” sessions.

Some may wonder, “Are they training me on how to parent?”

You want the best for your child—and so do we! Though some insurance companies and other therapy providers may call it “parent training,” Hopebridge’s family guidance sessions are not aimed at teaching how to parent. Rather, they are intended to build a deeper partnership between families and clinicians that will lead to the best possible outcomes for the children we serve.

What to Expect from Family Guidance

Family guidance is an essential—and required—part of ABA therapy. Typically held weekly or bi-weekly, a primary caregiver will meet with their child’s board certified behavior analyst (BCBA) to take an active role in their child’s therapy.

As a caregiver, family guidance is a collaborative effort that enables you to:

• Work toward mutually agreed upon goals that reflect your family’s priorities and values
• Discuss and practice strategies to achieve those goals
• Receive coaching and feedback as you try new skills
• Learn how to embed these strategies into your home routines
• Address real-life challenges that are making it tough to achieve your goals
• Build confidence using techniques you can apply at home

During Hopebridge family guidance sessions, our clinicians aren’t trying to “train” parents because we understand that you know your child better than anyone else! Instead, these sessions are about meeting you where you are on this journey and then building from there.

The purpose of family guidance is to support your child—and ultimately your entire family—through your daily routines. This coaching extends the work and care we offer during our regular ABA program through collaborative conversations and practical tools you can use at home and in the community.

What Family Guidance Looks Like at Hopebridge

At Hopebridge, guidance sessions are personalized to each family. Here are just a few examples of what it could look like for caregivers:

• Practicing with the BCBA and getting feedback on strategies to increase their child’s communication, which prepares them to do the same at home
• Discussing and practicing how to navigate barriers that are affecting progress for their child following instructions at home
• Laying the steps for routines and easy data collection—such as the use of a visual schedule and check marks to indicate independence—during the first few weeks when a new sibling arrives home

Within these sessions, BCBAs focus on caregiver actions, rather than solely child behavior. For example, coaching you through how to anticipate triggers or respond to a behavior, rather than the child’s behavior itself.

What Caregivers Need to Know About Family Guidance

Family guidance is different for everyone, but there are a few things parents should keep in mind:

• Family guidance attendance is critical to the plan of care.
  Not only is it required by most insurance plans as part of ABA enrollment, but it is also valuable to a child’s progress, especially when it comes to transferring skills outside the center.
• It’s important to stay consistent with family guidance.
  These sessions are an ongoing part of a child’s ABA therapy program—not just a one-time thing. Please ensure you keep a regular schedule for family guidance and talk to your BCBA if you are struggling with attendance. Telehealth sessions are also an option.
• It’s normal to feel unsure, overwhelmed, or even nervous.
  We get it. There is a lot of newness surrounding ABA therapy and it can feel awkward to talk about it, at times. But we promise we are here to work with you and support you, too, in addition to your child. Our goal is to give your child (and you!) more independence and confidence by working together.

Want to know more about family guidance at Hopebridge? Read more about what a first session can look like.

*Informed consent was obtained from the participants in this article. This information should not be captured and reused without express permission from Hopebridge, LLC. Testimonials are solicited as part of an open casting call process for testimonials from former client caregivers. Hopebridge does not permit clinical employees to solicit or use testimonials about therapeutic services received from current clients (Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts 5.07-5.08; BACB, 2020). Hopebridge does not provide any incentives, compensation, or renumeration for testimonials provided by a former client or client caregiver.