The anchoring function: parental authority and the parent-child bond.

Descriptions of parental authority and of the formation of a secure parent-child bond have remained unconnected in conceptualizations about parenting and child development. The parental anchoring function is here presented as an integrative metaphor for the two fields. Parents who fulfill an anchoring function offer a secure relational frame for the child, while also manifesting a stabilizing and legitimate kind of authority. The anchoring function enriches the two fields by: (1) adding a dimension of authority to the acknowledged functions of the safe haven and the secure base that are seen as core to a secure parent-child bond, and (2) adding considerations about the parent-child bond to Baumrind's classical description of authoritative parenting.

[Parent satisfaction with a child and family-centered treatment program for primary headache in childhood and adolescence]. / Zufriedenheit der Eltern mit einem psychosozialen Behandlungsprogramm für primäre Kopfschmerzen im Kindes- und Jugendalter.

Patient satisfaction represents a significant outcome criterion in the context of systemic psychotherapeutic therapy research. This study investigated parent satisfaction with a psychosocial treatment program (comprising three components: child group therapy, parents' evenings, systemic family sessions) for pediatric primary headache (diagnosed according to IHS criteria). 10 weeks after the end of the treatment program, the parents were sent a questionnaire containing open questions and ten-point numerical rating scales. The sample comprised n=48 families. The return rate was 89%. The qualitative content analysis showed a hierarchical category system consisting of 3 major categories, 7 main groups and 69 sub-categories. The parents stated that they were satisfied with (1.) the effects of the treatment program, (2.) the specific treatment techniques and the medical and psychosocial headache-related information provided, and (3.) the therapeutic relationship. The mean satisfaction for all three therapy components on the ten-point numerical rating scale was 8.1 with a standard deviation of 2.0 (child headache group: 8.5; parents' evenings: 8.2; family sessions: 7.5). The results are discussed with reference to methodological aspects: avoidance of ceiling effects and social desirability in measuring customer satisfaction, order effects of items, weighting of the significance of satisfaction levels as an outcome criterion.

[Parental presence and parental coaching in non-violent resistance]. / Elterliche Präsenz und das Elterncoaching im gewaltlosen Widerstand.

Parental Presence (PP) and Non-violent Resistance (NVR) are the core concepts to describe an approach in counselling helpless parents of children with behavioral disorders. Basically PP means the presence of the parents in the life of their child. It can get lost when escalating conflicts so much become part of the everyday life of the family that these processes can't be handled constructively any more. The escalation then follows either a pattern of complementarity--the readiness of the parents to easily give in, or a symmetric pattern of increasing mutual hostility. Parents then often withdraw and thus parental helplessness and loss of PP come along with each other. The program of systemic parental coaching in NVR has been developed by Haim Omer in Tel Aviv, Israel, and attracted increasing attention among experts in Germany in the last years. It provides an opportunity for the parents to find a "third way" between the two escalating patterns and regain their presence. The approach is described, and the interventions are explained.