SENG-Model Parent Support Groups

In 1981, SENG established guidelines for SENG-Model Parent Support Groups.  SENG Model Parent Groups are structured to bring together 10 to 20 interested parents of gifted and talented children to discuss such topics as motivation, discipline, stress management, and peer relationships.  The co-facilitators of the group, though they are knowledgeable about parenting and about educating gifted/talented children, do not attempt to give expert advice to families.  Instead their facilitation provides a non-judgmental and nurturing atmosphere.  The parents of the high ability children are themselves a rich resource of information, and they are able to get fresh ideas from other parents and from A Parent’s Guide to Gifted Children, the book around which the sessions are organized.  The groups meet weekly for a set number of weeks – usually 10 weeks.
(Gifted Parent Groups: The SENG Model, 2nd Edition, 2007, p. x-xi)

 

 

Objectives of SENG Model Parent Groups

  1. Establish an environment in which facilitators provide support and guidance, so parents of talented children can interact and learn from each other.
  2. Increase parents’ awareness that talented children and their families have special emotional needs.
  3. Develop parenting skills for nurturing the emotional development of talented children.
  4. Provide parents with materials to enhance understanding of:
    • Characteristics of high potential children.
    • Programs and opportunities for talented children.
    • Relevant books and professional organizations.
    • Referrals for more in-depth professional assistance.
  1. Encourage parent involvement in and support of appropriate educational opportunities.

(Gifted Parent Groups: The SENG Model, 2nd Edition, 2007, p. 6)

 

Finding a Group Near You


SENG is in the process of rebuilding a list of active facilitators around the country.  If you're interested in finding a group near you, please access the SMPG Facilitator Directory for a facilitator near you. You may also contact us with your city and zip code, and we will try to put you in touch with a trained facilitator near your community. Upcoming groups are listed on our Group Directory Page.

 

Starting a Group

If you want to start your own SENG-Model group, you need to be trained as a facilitator!  Please access the SMPG Facilitator Trainer Directory or contact us and we will be happy to put you in contact with a trainer in your region, with whom you can discuss the possibility of setting up a future session, and who can also answer all of your questions about the model and the process.  You can also view upcoming trainings on the Facilitator Training Directory.

You can also get a head start on training by reading these books, used in the course:
Gifted Parent Groups: The SENG MODEL, 2nd ed. by DeVries and Webb, Great Potential Press, 2007. 
and one of the following:
A Parent's Guide to Gifted Children, by Webb, Gore, Amend and DeVries, Great Potential Press, 2007.
Guiding the Gifted Child: A Practical Source for Parents and Teachers, by Webb, Meckstroth and Tolan, Great Potential Press, 1989.

 
 
 

The SENG Model Parent Group Disclaimer

In order to help parents understand why SENG cannot control Model Parent Groups, and why SENG cannot be liable for what happens in SENG Model Parent Groups, we need to tell a story involving four books and a bounty of old-fashion generosity, freedom,  and responsibility.   

Four Books

James T. Webb, Ph.D., Elizabeth Meckstroth, M.S.W., and Arlene DeVries, M.S.E., invented the SENG Model Parent Groups beginning in 1981. After the 1994 publication Guiding the Gifted Child by Webb, Meckstroth, and Stephanie Tolan, M.A., many SENG facilitators used that book as a resource for parents participating in the groups.  In 1998, Webb and DeVries wrote Gifted Parent Groups: The SENG Model, which was the first training manual for facilitators of SENG Model Parent Groups.  In 2007, Webb and DeVries joined with Janet Gore, M.Ed. and Ed Amend, Psy.D.  to write A Parents Guide to Gifted Children.  Also in 2007, Webb and DeVries wrote Gifted Parent Groups: The SENG Model, 2nd Edition, which recommends use of the 2007 parent guide.

Generosity 

For over two decades, the authors of these books have generously shared the SENG Model Parent Group concept with thousands of people in the United States and abroad.  In fact, they’ve shared the concept so widely that it has acquired a life of its own. Maybe the concept owns itself; we’re not sure.  Tens of thousands of families have benefited from the generosity of the authors, and from the generosity of thousands of individuals who have served as SENG Model Parent Group facilitators.

Freedom

SENG recommends that people receive training in the SENG Model, and people who want to become SENG Model Parent Group facilitators are free to choose from several methods of training. Sometimes groups of parents hire Webb and DeVries (or others experienced in the SENG Model) to train parents and educators who want to learn how to facilitate SENG Model Parent Groups.  Often the training is offered as a pre-conference workshop at various conventions. In such cases, Webb, DeVries, and the other trainers, all of whom are strong SENG supporters, usually operate independently of SENG when they train facilitators. Sometimes, however, parents simply buy the books and teach themselves how to facilitate SENG Model Parent Groups.  In various states, people who have facilitated groups in the past train others how to facilitate groups.  Quite frankly, SENG does not know how many people facilitate SENG Model Parent Groups, or how many people have trained others to facilitate groups.  Just as SENG cannot control the concept, SENG also cannot control the training of SENG Model Parent Group facilitators.  Freedom abounds.

Responsibility

Many successful SENG Model Parent Groups are led by parents just like you, and many parents have found the SENG Model Parent Groups to be extremely helpful and supportive. Please note that the SENG Model Parent Groups are not therapy groups, nor are they advocacy groups. They are guided discussion groups where parents share information about techniques and approaches to parenting gifted children. If you, as a parent, want to participate in a SENG Model Parent Group, you will probably want to ask about the training and background of the facilitator.  For example, if you want only to participate in a SENG Model Parent Group that is led by a licensed psychologist, its your responsibility to refrain from participating in groups with facilitators who are not licensed psychologists.  If you only want to participate in a SENG Model Parent Group if the facilitator has had a background check, its your responsibility to refrain from participating in groups led by facilitators who have not had background checks.  

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is that SENG does not control, monitor or guarantee the services or qualifications of SMPG facilitators or facilitator trainers posted on the SMPG website pages, and SENG does not endorse any views expressed or products or services offered by SENG facilitators or facilitator trainers. In our current societal climate, we thus feel obligated to state that in no event shall SENG be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any such content, goods, or services available on or through any such site or resource.