Solution-Focused Brief Therapy
Solution Focused Brief Therapy, Implementation of a Session to Deal with the Opioid Crisis Using Curriculum and Group Process.
Week 5: The Doing Something Different Day: Using SFBT Interventions in Daily Life with Your Grandchild
SFBT Assignment Sample
Submitted by: Sarah Yanosy
Session 1: Introduction and Orientation to the group
Members: grandparents only for this session parents of all grandchildren are/were abusing opioids.
Emma and Bob white, ages 65 and 67, grandson Joshua 14, mother deceased, father incarcerated
Mike and Eileen Latinx, both aged 72, granddaughter Victoria 12, mother in treatment
Ethel white, age 69, grandson Edward 12, mother incarcerated, father deceased
Georgette Black, age 64, granddaughter Leticia 13, mother actively using, living in the home
Cheryl Latina, age 62, grandson Matthew 13, mothers whereabouts unknown, father in treatment
Goals/Learning Objectives:
Participants will be able to articulate the reasons for their participation in the group
Participants will contribute to constructing group rules or norms
Participants will be able to name one way that our solution focused group is different from
traditional family therapy.
Group Session 1 Agenda
1. 15 min each member introduces themselves by sharing their name, the name of their
grandchild, and the positive adjective that describes their family.
Group leaders will provide name tags where grandparents will write their own names and the
names and the name of their grandchild in parenthesis.
Group leaders will use a flip chart to record the adjectives the members share and ask
exploring questions or reframing information if group members struggle to use positive
terms.
2. 15 min creating group rules
Each grandparent will identify a house rule they grew up with in their homes when they were
children that they think was important and shaped how they learned. Members will then
decide if it is a rule that should be adopted or adapted in some way for the GRG group.
Group leaders will get the group started by sharing rules they grew up with like: What
happened in the family stays in family. What that meant in our family, was that we didnt
share family business outside of home. Discuss how this was sometimes protective and
sometimes fostered secrets that were unhealthy. Suggest that what it might mean for our
group is that we maintain confidentiality when someone shares something about their lived
experience.
Group leaders will record group rules, ask for agreement and encourage participation from
each member to add or refine the rules.
3. 15 min Group leaders will provide psychoeducation about the opioid crisis, addiction and stats
about GRG rates to normalize member experiences. Statistics and information using the
following points from the following websites:
https://www.moveforwardpt.com/Resources/Detail/7-staggering-statistics-about-america-s-opioid-epi
In 2016, health care providers across the US wrote more than 214 million prescriptions for
opioid pain medicationa rate of 66.5 prescriptions per 100 people.
As many as 1 in 5 people receive prescription opioids long-term for noncancer pain in
primary care settings.
More than 11 million people abused prescription opioids in 2016.
Every day, more than 1,000 people are treated in emergency departments for misusing
prescription opioids.
More than 40% of all US opioid overdose deaths in 2016 involved a prescription opioid.
Drug overdoses claimed the lives of nearly 64,000 Americans in 2016. Nearly two-thirds of
these deaths (66%) involved a prescription or illicit opioid.
CDC estimates the total economic burden of prescription opioid misuse in the US is $78.5
billion a year, including the costs of health care, lost productivity, addiction treatment, and
criminal justice involvement.
https://brandongaille.com/21-statistics-on-grandparents-raising-grandchildren/
Children who have a caring adult within the family can help to reduce the risks of suffering
from future bouts of depression and anxiety.
Over 40% of children being cared for by a grandparent are there because of at least one
parents substance abuse.
28% of the kids who are being raised by their grandparents were victims of abuse,
abandonment, or neglect from their parents.
Grandparents often have to handle the false promises that parents make to their children as
they attempt to stay within the childs life, leading to future behavioral difficulties.
For every child that is in the foster system right now, there are about 25 kids being raised by
their grandparents and/or an extended family support system.
4. 30 min each family shares their story using the 4 questions. While each family has been
referred to the group because they are caring for a grandchild who came into their care after a
parent was deemed unable to for reasons related to opioid, each family will have a specific issue
to address and goals and tasks related to improving the identified issue. (Group leaders will use
flip charts to record common themes or identify shared emotions).
What is the most important part of the problem that brought you here?
What part of the problem would you want to work on first?
What is/are your thoughts about the problem you are having with your grandchild?
What is the one thing you would like to learn as it relates to this problem from this group?
5. 15 min overview of SFBT, description of next sessions and Q&A
Group leaders will highlight four ways that this group will use a solution focused approach:
Focus on the future rather than on the past
Focus on solutions rather than problems
Recognizing that the problem is not the person (separating the person from the
problem)
Looking at what is already going right.
Group leaders will name the topics for the next seven groups:
Signature strengths
Small changes lead to big solutions
What is better further progress
Doing something different
Maintaining change
Panel discussion life lessons
Change Party
Group leaders will give the date, time and topic of the next group session.
Problem #1: Bob tends to dominate the conversation, interrupting his wife, Emma and cutting off the
other members when they talk.
Solutions: I might try using physical proximity with Bob to communicate that I am paying attention to
him and help him feel heard. I would ask his wife direct questions and maintain eye contact to allow her
to answer and communicate with body language that her opinions are important to me. I might use a
writing rather than talking structure for some activities or assign Bob the role of notetaker to promote his
being in listening mode. I might use a small group discussion and report back strategy so he and his wife
are separated to give her time to voice her ideas. I might also ask the group to practice active listening,
and when Bob interrupts, I would remind him of the active listening goal and request that he restate what
someone else has said to demonstrate he has heard them. Instructions for SFBT Assignment
1. Read the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren article. (W. Sean Newsome PhD &
Michael Kelly MSW (2005) Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: A Solution-
Focused Brief Therapy Approach in School Settings, Social Work With Groups, 27:4,
65-84, DOI: 10.1300/J009v27n04_06. To link to this article:
https://doi.org/10.1300/J009v27n04_06) In the article, you will find summary
descriptions of the eight sessions that were used to run the referenced group. Each
of the sessions represents one or more common elements of Solution Focused Brief
Treatment adapted for use with this population.
2. Choose one of the group sessions summarized in the article (excluding sessions 1
and 8) for which you will develop a detailed agenda for leading the selected session
for a fictional set of grandparents. The group sessions are as follows:
1. Intros and orientation (do not select this session)
2. Signature strengths
3. Small changes lead to big solutions
4. What is better further progress
5. Doing something different
6. Maintaining change
7. Panel discussion life lessons
8. Change Party (do not select this session)
3. Create a list of 5-6 individuals who represent fictional grandparents who will be part
of your group. Describe briefly their demographic information, how they been
affected by the opioid crisis, the reason for placement of their grandchildren in their
care and some demographic information about their grandchildren. Example:
Grandparent: Ethel Stevens, 69, white
Parent: Joslyn Stevens, 41, white, incarcerated
Grandchild: Edward Stevens, 12, white
Referred for: truancy, failing grades, fighting in school.
Background: Joslyn has been incarcerated for 2 years, expected release
in 3 years. Monthly visits with Steven in prison. Stevens father and
grandfather are deceased. Little contact with cousins or other relatives.
4. Develop a detailed agenda for running the group that includes the approximate
duration, materials needed, content and instructions for each activity you will
execute with the group members. (See the attached sample assignment.)
5. Predict 2 potential challenges that might arise in your group. These challenges
might be related to the content or material covered or to interpersonal dynamics
among members.
6. Make suggestions about how you might address the problems. Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at
http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=wswg20
Social Work With Groups
ISSN: 0160-9513 (Print) 1540-9481 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wswg20
Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: A Solution-
Focused Brief Therapy Approach in School Settings
W. Sean Newsome PhD & Michael Kelly MSW
To cite this article: W. Sean Newsome PhD & Michael Kelly MSW (2005) Grandparents Raising
Grandchildren: A Solution-Focused Brief Therapy Approach in School Settings, Social Work With
Groups, 27:4, 65-84, DOI: 10.1300/J009v27n04_06
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1300/J009v27n04_06
Published online: 08 Sep 2008.
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Grandparents Raising Grandchildren:
A Solution-Focused Brief Therapy
Approach in School Settings
W. Sean Newsome
Michael Kelly
ABSTRACT. Over the last decade, grandparents have increasingly
taken on the role of primary caregiver for their grandchildren. In fact, re-
search 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 grandchil-
dren. The second purpose seeks to provide an overview of current solu-
tion 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 with grandparents and highlight the key compo-
nents of each weeks focus. [Article copies available for a fee from The
Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-HAWORTH. E-mail address:
<[emailprotected]> Website:
by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.]
W. Sean Newsome, PhD, is Assistant Professor and Michael Kelly, MSW, is a doc-
toral candidate, Jane Addams College of Social Work, University of Illinois at Chi-
cago, Chicago, IL 60607-7134.
Social Work with Groups, Vol. 27(4) 2004
Available online at http://www.haworthpress.com/web/SWG
2004 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.
Digital Object Identifier: 10.1300/J009v27n04_06 65
KEYWORDS. Grandparents, caregiving, SFBT, group work
INTRODUCTION
Grandparents have increasingly taken on the role of raising their
grandchildren. A national study, based on 1992-94 survey data, found
that 10.9% of grandparents reported having primary responsibility for
raising a grandchild for six months or more at some point during their
life (Fuller-Thomson, Minkler and Driver, 1997). Most recently, Cen-
sus Bureau statistics revealed that 4.5 million children are living in
households headed by grandparents (Davies, 2002). Of these house-
holds, the fastest growing group was skipped-generation families in
which the childrens parents were not present (Casper and Bryson,
1998).
The increase in grandparents raising grandchildren has been attributed
to a number of social concerns. Foremost are traumatic events that often
lead to parental absence or ones inability to parent. As such, factors such
as drug or alcohol addiction, incarceration, homicide and AIDS represent
some of the leading issues contributing to this new trend (Fuller-Thomson
and Minkler, 2000; Pruchno, 1999). Along these same lines, factors such as
teen pregnancy, divorce, domestic violence and mental illness have re-
sulted in imminent concerns affecting the trend of grandparents raising
grandchildren (Fuller-Thomson and Minkler, 2000; Jendrek, 1993; Kelley,
Whitley, Sipe and Yorker, 2000). As a result of these factors, school princi-
pals in some communities report 30% to 70% of their students live with
grandparents or other relatives at some point in their lives (Minkler and
Roe, 1993).
In reaction to these trends, there has been increasing attention to the
needs of grandparents raising grandchildren. Over the last decade, studies
have documented the challenges these families face and the social service
interventions developed to address their concerns (Burton, 1992;
Pruchno, 1999; Minkler and Roe, 1993). In most cases, the interventions
addressing grandparents raising grandchildren have been staffed by pro-
fessionals and organizations external to the school system (Dannison and
Smith, 2003; Grant, Gordon and Cohen, 1997; Rogers and Henkin,
2000). However, given the complexity of the issue and its potential im-
pact on the adjustment and performance of children cared for by grand-
parents, professionals in K-12 settings must begin to address this
important issue.
66 SOCIAL WORK WITH GROUPS
A group of professionals who can begin to address the complex issue
of grandparents raising grandchildren are social work practitioners in
K-12 settings. As part of the school system, social work practitioners in
K-12 settings are placed in a unique position for on-going work with
grandparents and their grandchildren. Specifically, social workers in
K-12 settings are positioned to identify grandparents raising grandchil-
dren as well as raise awareness of the issues faced by these care provid-
ers. In addition, social workers in school systems are expected to
develop support groups that address the multitude of needs presented by
vulnerable and underserved populations.
From an intervention standpoint, a practical and perhaps effective
group approach in addressing the needs of grandparents raising grand-
children in K-12 settings is solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT). In
particular, the use of SFBT grandparent groups may provide these care
providers with the opportunity to present their strengths, shed light on
their old world wisdom, and reenact for a second time their parenting
role. As a result, the advantages of using SFBT may provide grandpar-
ents with an optimistic picture of the future and the self-reliance neces-
sary in addressing the needs presented by their grandchildren.
With the aforementioned considerations, this article has three pur-
poses. First, it seeks to sensitize social workers in K-12 settings to some
of the adversities and prospects faced by grandparents raising grand-
children. Second, it seeks to provide an overview of current SFBT
group work as well as provide considerations in facilitating and using
the model with at-risk and vulnerable populations. Third, it seeks to ad-
vance the work done by Selekman (1991, 1993, 1999) and Seligman
and Petersons (2004) on identifying signature strengths when working
with primary caregivers. As such, the article describes the nature of an
eight-week SFBT group with grandparents and highlights the key
components of each weeks focus.
GRANDPARENTS RAISING GRANDCHILDREN:
ADVERSITIES, PROSPECTS, AND PRACTICAL WISDOM
The process of becoming a grandparent raising a grandchild is often a
protracted and painful one that results from a traumatic event. In fact,
many grandparents do not ask for this new role, instead it is thrust upon
them as they approach or live out their golden years. In the United
States, the prevalence of grandparents raising grandchildren has
reached alarming rates. In the last decade, the United States Census Bu-
W. Sean Newsome and Michael Kelly 67
reau found that 3.9 million grandparents were raising their grandchil-
dren and that as many as 3.75 million grandchildren under the age of 18
were living in the home of their grandparent or grandparents (Casper
and Bryson, 1998).
In their expanded new role, grandparents are faced with a myriad of
daily, weekly and monthly obstacles that must be negotiated and managed
on behalf of their grandchildren. One of the more common areas that
grandparents raising grandchildren must suddenly take on the responsibil-
ity of is the educational system (Waldrop and Weber, 2001). The impor-
tance of managing this system is vital, given the potential impact the
school-home interface may have on grandparents as well as grandchildren.
In fact, research over the last two decades has documented the importance
of the school-home interface between parent involvement and student
achievement (Epstein, 1995). Benefits for students include lower drop out
rates (Rumberger, 1995), fewer suspensions (Comer and Haynes, 1992)
and greater enrollment in postsecondary education (Kellaghan et al., 1993).
Equally important, educators and researchers have recognized the
potential impact of parent participation on parents themselves. For ex-
ample, when parents are involved in the educational endeavors of their
children, parents develop an increased sense of self-efficacy (Davies,
1993), an increased understanding of school programs (Epstein, 1996),
and greater appreciation of the role they play in their childs education
(Davies, 1993). However, despite the positive advantages of having
parents participate in the educational endeavors of their own children,
grandparents may be ambivalent about assuming this role in school set-
tings. They may lack role models and sources of information for dealing
with the school and may feel overwhelmed with the logistical details of
dealing with the various types of services in K-12 settings (Pelt, 2001).
On the other hand, these new responsibilities and adversities provide
grandparents raising grandchildren with an opportunity to reenact their
role as parent and primary care provider (Cox, 2000). This is particu-
larly important for grandparents of adult children with problems such as
substance abuse, incarceration, and mental illness. In Minkler and
Roes (1993) study of grandmothers raising the children of sub-
stance-involved parents, grandparents described their new role as a
second chance to raise kids right (p. 127). Similarly, some grand-
parents said they viewed their activities as a way to demonstrate love
and concern for their own adult child, whom they could help in no other
way (Minkler and Roe, 1993).
For other grandparents who have removed their grandchildren from
an uncertain situation there is a sense of relief knowing that their grand-
68 SOCIAL WORK WITH GROUPS
children are safe (Baird, John, and Hayslip, 2000; Minkler and Roe,
1993). Indeed, both African-American and White/Caucasian grandpar-
ents raising grandchildren reported a greater purpose in life by provid-
ing a more caring and safe environment for their grandchildren
(Jendrek, 1993; Minkler and Roe, 1993; Pruchno, 1999). Within the Af-
rican-American community, research has found that women may derive
special meaning from their fulfillment of a cultural legacy, with grand-
mothers serving as caregivers who are keeping the family together
(Minkler and Roe, 1993). With such considerations, primary caregiving
for grandchildren can provide a productive, meaningful new role to
many grandparents (Giarusso et al., 2000).
Lastly, and perhaps even more compelling, is that grandparents rais-
ing grandchildren bring practical wisdom to their new role. As such,
grandparents can draw on their previous life experiences raising their
adult child in addressing the complex issues of becoming a second-time
parent. Drawing on these previous life experiences make grandparents
raising grandchildren prime resources for solution-focused practice in-
terventions that emphasize client strengths and resourcefulness.
SFBT Group Practice
Group practice may offer the most advantageous modality for ad-
dressing the adversities and prospects faced by grandparents. Groups
allow for the development of mutual aid and support among those in
similar circumstances and make efficient use of potential time con-
straints for social work practitioners in K-12 settings (Essex, Newsome
and Moses, 2004). Researchers and practitioners have documented the
use of psycho-educational support groups, educational workshops, and
classroom formats with this population (Burnette, 1998; Cohen and
Pyle, 2000; Cox, 2002; Rogers and Henkin, 2000). Along these same
lines, the use of a specific model such as SFBT may offer social work
practitioners in school settings an optimal group approach that helps to
facilitate the continued growth of grandparents raising grandchildren.
Beyond the most recent and positive developments of SFBT in school
settings (Franklin et al., 2001; Newsome, 2004; Watkins and Kurtz,
2001; Thompson and Littrell, 1998), the SFBT group model helps to cre-
ate new meanings, perceptions and solutions with group participants
(Coe and Zimpfer, 1996; Lafountain and Garner, 1996, Lafountain, Gar-
ner and Eliason, 1996). Group practitioners using SFBT in school set-
tings look to emphasize what individual members are already doing well,
or have the potential to do well, as a way to facilitate goal achievement
W. Sean Newsome and Michael Kelly 69
among all group participants (Banks, 1999; Lafountain, Garner, and
Elison, 1996; Selekman, 1999; Vaughn, Hastings-Guerrero, and Kassner,
1996). Similarly, SFBT with parental and primary care-giving groups
seek to utilize the strengths presented by its members while also shifting
beliefs and unproductive interactions they have with their children
(Selekman, 1999).
To achieve such proactive change, many SFBT practitioners structure
group sessions so that they (1) utilize the resources and strengths presented
by individual group members, (2) recognize that change, particularly posi-
tive change by individuals is inevitable, (3) focus on a present and future
orientation, (4) are cooperative and collaborative, (5) point out that prob-
lems are not solved, but rather solutions are considered, (6) discuss excep-
tions to problems that then become the building blocks for solutions, and
(7) are goal-directed and goal driven (Berg, 1994, Lafountain and Garner,
1996, Lafountain, Garner and Eliason, 1996).
From a practice standpoint, client potential is discovered through the
use of purposeful language and questioning. Since the models incep-
tion, SFBT practitioners in various settings with various clients readily
assert the importance of language, dialogue and questions as a way to
help build and uncover strengths in clients (Fish, 1997; Franklin et al.,
2001; Geil, 1998; Greene, Lee Mentzer, Pinnel, and Niles, 1998; Kral,
1995; Metcalf, 1995; Thompson and Littrell, 1998). Indeed, de Shazer
(1994), in his clinical trails of SFBT, found that purposeful, goal ori-
ented questions resulted in client recognition of possible solutions. Ac-
cordingly, questions such as the miracle question, scaling question,
relationship question and the exception-finding question, seek to em-
phasize client strengths and exceptions to problem situations. Such
questions, according to de Shazer (1994), encourage clients to reinter-
pret their options in life while also providing them with an opportunity
to assess their own future.
In practice, the use of purposeful, goal-oriented questions might take
on the following form: Miracle Question: Suppose that tonight, while
you were asleep, there is a miracle and the problem that brought you
here today has been solved. However, because you were asleep you
were unaware that this miracle happened. Could you tell me, what
would be different in the morning that would tell you a miracle has
taken place? Scaling Question: On a scale form 1 to 10, with 1 being
the least confident and 10 being most confident, where on the scale
would you say you are now, and where on the scale would you like to
be? Additional techniques include the Relationship Question: Who
would notice that you had reached your goal on the scale? If a close
70 SOCIAL WORK WITH GROUPS
friend was here right now, what would he or she say about how reached
your goal? Exception-Finding Question: Can you tell us when the is-
sue that brought you here today was less of a problem? As pointed out
by Greene et al. (1998), such questions help clients develop an image
without the problem as well as empower clients to recognize and build
on their own strengths.
Solution-Focused Grandparent Groups
Many SFBT practitioners endorse a perspective that says it is possi-
ble to effect change in clients both meaningfully and quickly. For many
SFBT practitioners, this means limiting their clinical work to 6-10 ses-
sions. As such, SFBT gives social work practitioners in K-12 settings an
excellent opportunity to apply the model to as many grandparents as
possible without overwhelming their traditional work in the school.
The group model discussed here is an 8-week GRG (grandparent
raising grandchildren) Solution Group. The group would meet on
school grounds, preferably at a time that most grandparents could at-
tend. While it is not absolutely essential that GRGs be grouped
homogenously, we suggest that novice SFBT practitioners try to imple-
ment a group from a specific population first, to both learn the specific
needs of GRGs and to apply and test SFBT ideas with them.
The groups have the following topics for each week:
Week 1: Introductions and Orientation to SFBT GRG Ideas
Week 2: Identifying your Signature Strengths as a Grandparent and
Applying Them to Your Mission as a GRG
Week 3: Starting Small: How Small Changes Can Become Big Solu-
tions
(Note: The first three weeks are held consecutively; after that,
GRG groups take place on a three-week/monthly basis to empha-
size the belief that GRGs can both support each other and act cre-
atively and effectively on their own, without the aid of experts.)
(Selekman, 1993)
Week 4: Whats Already Working? Identifying Exceptions to Pre-
senting GRG Parenting Problems
Week 5: The Doing Something Different Day: Using SFBT Inter-
ventions in Daily Life with Your grandchildren
Week 6: Maintaining Change: Ways to Keep Change Going as a
GRG
W. Sean Newsome and Michael Kelly 71
Week 7: GRG Wisdom Night: A Panel of Elders Share their Life Les-
sons
Week 8: Change Party: A Celebration of the Changes Already Made
with the Help Of SFBT and those Changes to Come
Week 1: Introductions and Orientation
SFBT Technique: Sharing the SFBT Approach to Practice; Mobiliz-
ing Around Small Changes and Grandparent Strengths.
As with any training or group offered to primary caregivers, the first
session is crucial. Here we offer grandparents a chance to get to know
us, the other members in the group and the basic tenets of the SFBT ap-
proach. While it is likely that many GRGs will approach the first group
with some nervousness and/or anxiety (this may be the first time such a
GRG group has been convened, and they may feel self-conscious about
that), it is important to normalize both their particular circumstances as
GRGs as well as the need for collaborative problem-solving. Therefore,
a primary function of session one is to emphasize the importance of
change and the consistency of change. In addition, the SFBT practitio-
ner must also acknowledge the inevitability of change and think in
terms of their clients as being stuck and not sick, and the likelihood
of change instead of stagnation (Davis and Osborn, 2000). As
Selekman (1993) states, it is helpful to think when change will occur
with clients, rather than if it will happen.
Similarly in session one, social workers in K-12 settings who are
working from a SFBT approach should gain familiarity with GRGs and
their story. By carefully gathering GRGs stories in session one, we
pay attention to their struggles, their successes and their problems.
However, we are clear with our GRGs that even in their struggles and
problems there is a hopeful solution to be discovered that lies outside
problem explanations and conventional deficit-oriented thinking. With
such considerations, the following questions may be used to help guide
week one with grandparents:
What is the most important part of the problem that brought you
here?
What part of that problem would you like to work on first?
What is/are your thought(s) about the problem youre having with
your grandchild?
What is the one thing you would like to learn as it relates to this
problem from this group?
72 SOCIAL WORK WITH GROUPS
Week 2: Identifying Grandparents Signature Strengths
and Applying Them to Their New Role as Caregivers
SFBT Technique: Identifying Personal Strengths and Creating New
Options
Most GRGs have a wealth of strengths and qualities. For many, there
is the love, understanding and passion they have for their grandchildren,
the intrinsic understanding of hard-work, the patience needed in raising
a child, the importance of being consistent, and the practical wisdom
they have used in raising their own children. These strengths can be part
of any primary caregivers makeup; however, what makes GRGs dis-
tinct in this endeavor is their experience practicing these strengths over
time. Many GRGs have also had these strengths tested and perhaps am-
plified by their experiences in K-12 settings. Unlike other grandparents,
they have not only demonstrated their strengths with their own children,
but also uncovered new ways to cope as a primary caregiver to their
grandchildren. We believe that GRGs have done this by utilizing their
signature strengths.
Seligman and Peterson (2004) offer a taxonomy of strengths and virtues
to complement the conventional ideas of psychopathology documented
and measured in the DSM-IV. The Values in Action Questionnaire (VIA)
is an instrument that Seligman and Peterson (in press) are currently offer-
ing to educators to help children, teachers, and parents identify their five
signature strengths. We propose administering the VIA in our second
session with GRGs to help them identify their signature strengths. Then, in
written exercises and discussion, we ask them to analyze where they may
be applying their strengths as a primary caregiver to their grandchildren.
Recently the benefits of using the VIA was found to be quite helpful
with a GRG who had become the primary caregiver of her grandchil-
dren. As such, the grandparent stated to the second author that she was
hesitant to use her artistic and imaginative ability with her grandchil-
dren (
