The information in this program outline is provided by the program representative and edited by the CEBC staff. The Parenting with Love and Limits (PLL) program has been reviewed by the CEBC in the area of: Disruptive Behavior Treatment (Child & Adolescent), but lacks the necessary research evidence to be given a Scientific Rating.

• Types of Maltreatment: Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Physical Neglect, Emotional Abuse, Exposure to Domestic Violence
• Target Population: Children and adolescents aged 10-18 who have severe emotional and behavioral problems (e.g., conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder) and frequently co-occurring problems such as depression, alcohol or drug use, chronic truancy, destruction of property, domestic violence, or suicidal ideation. The program also has been used with teenagers with less extreme behaviors.

PLL combines group therapy and family therapy to treat children and adolescents aged 10-18 who have severe emotional and behavioral problems (e.g., conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder) and frequently co-occurring problems such as depression, alcohol or drug use, chronic truancy, destruction of property, domestic violence, or suicidal ideation. The program also has been used with teenagers with less extreme behaviors. PLL teaches families how to re-establish adult authority through consistent limits while reclaiming a loving relationship. It includes six multifamily sessions, conducted by two facilitators that employ group discussions, videotapes, age-specific breakout sessions, and role-play. Individual families also receive intensive 1 to 2-hour therapy sessions in an outpatient or home-based setting to practice the skills learned in the group setting. Three or four family therapy sessions are recommended for low to moderate-risk adolescents; up to 20 sessions may be recommended for those with more severe problems such as involvement with the juvenile or criminal justice system. PLL 's integration of group sessions and family therapy is designed to help families apply skills and concepts to real-life situations and prevent relapse.

• Combines both group and family therapy together over a six to seven week period.
• Uses the Stages of Readiness Scale as an overlay to break parental resistance.

Fidelity is assessed using the following 4 scales plus a manualized curriculum:

• Interpersonal Process Recall (IPR)- Expert Rating Scale
• Group Fidelity Checklist - (Therapist Adherence Measure)
• Family Therapy Fidelity Checklist - (Therapist Adherence Measure)
• Monthly COE Report - (Therapist Adherence Measure)

Parenting with Love and Limits (PLL) was designed with a child component that addresses the following presenting problems and symptoms:

• Severe emotional and behavioral problems (e.g., conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder) and frequently co-occurring problems such as depression, alcohol or drug use, chronic truancy, destruction of property, domestic violence, or suicidal ideation.

Age range: 10 – 18

Developmental Delays:

This program was not developed for children with developmental delays, and has not been tested for children with developmental delays.

Parenting with Love and Limits (PLL) was designed with a parent/caregiver component that addresses the following presenting problems and symptoms:

• Has a son or daughter aged 10-18 who has severe emotional and behavioral problems (e.g., conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder) and frequently co-occurring problems such as depression, alcohol or drug use, chronic truancy, destruction of property, domestic violence, or suicidal ideation.

Parenting with Love and Limits (PLL) was designed to be conducted in a group setting, and has been tested for use in a group setting.

Recommended group size:

6 to 8 adolescents and their families per group.

Testing References:

Smith, T. E., Sells, S. P., Rodman, J., & Reynolds, L. R. (2006). Reducing adolescent substance abuse and delinquency: Pilot research of a family oriented psycho-education curriculum. Journal of Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse, 15(4), 105-115.

Recommended Intensity:

2-hour weekly group sessions with 1 hour of parents and teens meeting together and 1 hour of the parents and teens meeting separately, and 1-2 hour weekly family sessions, as needed.

Recommended Duration:

6 weeks for group sessions, and 4 to 20 sessions for family sessions.

This program is typically conducted in a(n):

• Adoptive Home
• Birth Family Home
• Community Agency
• Foster Home
• Outpatient Clinic
• Residential Care Facility

Parenting with Love and Limits (PLL) includes a homework component:

Participants are expected to practice the skills they learn in both group and family sessions at home.

Parenting with Love and Limits (PLL) has materials available in languages other than English:

Dutch, Spanish

For information on which materials are available in these languages, please check on the program's website or contact the program representative (contact information is listed at the bottom of this page).

The typical resources for implementing the program are:

Rooms to provide individual and group therapy in and measures.

Master's level degree in counseling or higher

There is a manual that describes how to implement this program, and there is training available for this program.

Training is obtained:

• Initial 5 day On-site clinical training
• Weekly or biweekly quality assurance and clinical adherence telephone consultations (2 hours every 2 weeks)
• Outcome research and analysis that includes an independently conducted, published program evaluation on recidivism rates and clinical effectiveness
• One annual on-site visit to observe delivery of the model for quality assurance purposes
• Videotape supervision of therapist to facilitate treatment fidelity
• Ongoing consultations as needed to answer questions outside the weekly telephone consultations

Number of days/hours:

Five days of clinical training, 48 weeks of telephone consultations.

Additional Resources:

There currently are additional qualified resources for training:

Please go to www.gopll.com for more information.

This program has been reviewed and it was determined that this program lacks the type of published, peer-reviewed research that meets the CEBC criteria for a scientific rating of 1 – 5. Therefore, the program has been given the classification of "NR - Not able to be Rated." It was reviewed because it was identified by the topic expert as a program being used in the field, or it is being marketed and/or used in California with children receiving services from child welfare or related systems and their parents/caregivers. Some programs that are not rated may have published, peer-reviewed research that does not meet the above stated criteria or may have eligible studies that have not yet been published in the peer-reviewed literature. For more information on the "NR - Not able to be Rated" classification, please see the Scientific Rating Scale.

Child Welfare Outcomes: Not Specified