What Is PLL?
Parenting with Love and Limits® (PLL) is the first evidence-based program of its kind to combine a 6-week parent education and group therapy program with 4 or more individual "coaching" (family therapy) sessions for adolescents and their parents. PLL is designed for youth between 10 and 18 with extreme emotional or behavioral problems (running away, extreme disrespect, chronic truancy, depression, drug or alcohol abuse, etc.).
Parenting with Love and Limits® (PLL) is recognized as an evidence-based model by these research organizations:
- NREPP: SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices
- OJJDP Model Programs Guide - Exemplary Rating
- Promising Practices Network on Children, Families and Communities
- Find Youth Info.gov
CENTRAL PROBLEMS
Traditional treatment models do a poor job of engaging difficult parents/caregivers of out-of-control teenagers because they don't address this problem:
"Juveniles will return to future delinquent acts if their parents remain unchanged in the areas of consistent limit setting, rebuilding emotional attachments, and improved communication"
(Williams and Chang, 2000, p. 159)
Parent involvement and engagement is the key to permanent changes in the adolescent, yet most traditional treatment is focused primarily on the individual youth.
Parenting groups are essential to fill in these deficits, but most are designed for normal acting out kids. They often fall short with youth with extreme emotional or behavioral problems.
Therapists or service providers are typically not adequately trained to effectively engage and treat resistant parents or caregivers.
PLL'S UNIQUE PACKAGING ACHIEVES HIGH PARENT INVOLVEMENT
Typically, parenting groups are based on one treatment approach, but then during aftercare, individual family therapy is based on something completely different. This creates confusion in the family and inhibits positive change. PLL consistently employs one highly effective, research-based treatment model throughout both parent group and family therapy, with each session building on prior sessions.
Parents/caregivers and adolescents attend group together to receive a new skill once each week, and that same week they receive individual family therapy "coaching" to practice this new skill.