Growth Group for Single Parents in a community in Ghana

Abstract

The paper describes a counseling and psychoeducational group model designed to assist single parents of a town called Ayeldu in the Central Region of Ghana. The model was specifically designed to assist members to receive social support and, equip them with techniques and coping skills needed to deal with personal and interpersonal needs and conflicts. After screening and interviews, 10 members were selected from a total of 15 potential members to participate in the 12-week group program. At the end of the program, basic demographic information was collected along with pre and post assessment on knowledge of the topic, and finally a brief survey with questions assessing the group experience were conducted.  The results of the pretest, posttest and evaluation survey indicate that members benefited from the program as evidenced by their change of behavior in terms of their life satisfaction.

Keywords: single parents, group, counseling, psychoeducational