Improving outcomes in mental health for children and families: A study of Enhanced Stepping Stones Triple P

Participants first receive Group Stepping Stones Triple P (Level 4) which comprises 5 x 2.5-hour group sessions and 4 weekly individual phone consultations approximately 30 minutes in length. The fourth phone consultation which covers strategies for moving forward, may be delivered as a 6th group session depending on the preference of the families participating. A key feature of Triple P is the ability of flexible mode of delivery with a range of delivery options to suit the preferences and requirements of participants. For example, group sessions may be held weekly at Queensland Children's Hospital or other suitable location, or sessions may be condensed into 2 half-day workshops. Group sessions may also be delivered via a video-conferencing platform such as Zoom or over the telephone. Regardless of mode of delivery, session content and the process for monitoring program fidelity remains the same. Stepping Stones Triple P is designed for parents of children with special needs and guides them in using strategies to promote a positive relationship with their child, encourage desirable behavior, teach new skills and behaviors, and manage challenging and disruptive behavior. Group sessions involve didactic teaching, viewing DVD segments, some role play, and completion of exercises in the provided participant workbook. The phone consultations are designed to help parents put the learned content into practice at home. They involve the facilitator guiding parents to self-assess their homework task completion and set their own goals for the coming week. Participants then receive an additional 3 x 90-minute group sessions, over 3 weeks, which focus on using cognitive behavioural coping skills. These additional sessions are designed to address parental mood disturbance and focus on stress management and cognitive coping skills for managing depression, anxiety, stress and anger. Sessions involve didactic teaching, some role play, and completion of exercises in the provided participant workbook. Flexible mode of delivery is also a key feature and, as above, sessions may be delivered face to face on a weekly basis, grouped into a half-day workshop, or delivered via Zoom. Participants receive 2 information workbooks, "Stepping Stones Triple P Group Workbook" and "Every Parent's Supplementary Workbook. Module 2: Coping Skills", both of which provide content, exercises for completion and homework tasks. The group sessions include viewing segments from the DVD "Stepping Stones Triple P: A survival guide for families with a child who has a disability". Group sessions are conducted by a multi-disciplinary team which may include nurses, psychologists, graduate psychology interns, and senior research technicians who have been trained to criterion. The facilitators will also conduct the home-phone consultations. Participants who miss sessions may receive instructions on workbook exercises to complete, and a follow-up phone call from their facilitator to ensure the session has been sufficiently completed.