GROUP THERAPY FOR PARENTS OF BEHAVIOR PROBLEM CHILDREN IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS : Failure of the Method in a Negro School

A group therapy project for parents of behavior problem children in public schools succeeded in several varied white school districts, but failed in a colored area. Reasons for failure lay in minority tensions and status anxieties between group members which made it impossible for the Negro mothers to face responsibility for their children. The behavior problems of their children could not be felt by them as clear-cut issues without contamination by ideas of discrimination. Also the educational-cultural level of the Negro population in this partially segregated area is not comparable to that in the white districts. Methods in mental health education for parents and school personnel are outlined. Preventive and therapeutic psychiatric methods must be specifically tailored to the population to be served if they are to be successful.