Parents play a significant role in their adolescent’s life – they act as guides, directing their children while offering love and feelings of security.  The family framework should ideally provide for a teen’s physical, educational, emotional and social needs.  When a family is “at-risk,” the situation is different; the family unit is unsettled and sometimes focused on economic survival, unable to truly recognize and cope with the needs of the family members, including those of their children.

Sderot’s Teen and Parent Center provides community support for families who are struggling with their teenagers.  The Center is run by a professional staff including a coordinator and two family therapists who closely assist 30 families.  Most of the families and youths participating in the Center’s programs have been defined as families at risk and youth at risk by the Social Services, which refers families for treatment.

The Center’s therapeutic process is based on “family intervention” and works on improving communications and creating dialog between family members. The teen and his or her parents are treated together, in the belief that creating a dialog is a critical stage of development necessary to get the teen back on track.  Some of the families must also focus on learning parenting skills.

Sderot’s Teen and Parent Center is located in the Tachlit Meir Center, and acts as a complimentary service to the care the teen is receiving at Tachlit.  The Teen and Parent Center staff also instructs professionals who work with youths and youth at risk in Sderot, for example the employees of the local Municipality’s department of Social Services, staff from the high school and various youth organizations.

The Teen and Parent Center is a joint project of the Gvanim Association and Amutat Noar (The Youth Association).

Gvanim thanks its program partners:  Amutat Noar; the Municipality of Sderot, department of education and social welfare; Ashalim.