Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: A Solution-Focused Brief Therapy Approach in School Settings

ABSTRACT Over the last decade, grandparents have increasingly taken on the role of primary caregiver for their grandchildren. In fact, research of school principals in some urban communities report that 30% to 70% of their students live with grandparents or other relatives at some point in their lives. As a resource to many grandparents, social work practitioners in schools are in a unique position to assist this vulnerable, but valuable population. With such considerations, this article has three purposes. The first purpose seeks to sensitize social workers to some of the adversities and prospects faced by grandparents raising grandchildren. The second purpose seeks to provide an overview of current solution focused brief therapy (SFBT) group work in facilitating and using the model with at-risk populations. The third and final purpose seeks to advance the work done by SFBT researchers and practitioners on using the model with primary caregivers. We then describe and recommend an eight-week SFBT group wi...