Parents Forever On-line: How Much Change is Possible?

Abstract

Parents Forever is an educational program developed by University of Minnesota Extension to support families experiencing separation and divorce. For over 20 years, it has helped Minnesotans learn to voluntarily settle divorce and separation-related disputes, decrease child stress, and improve divorcing adults’ communication and problem solving skills so their divorce costs them and the state’s legal system less time and money. In addition to in-person workshops in most of the state, Parents Forever became available online in early 2012. This poster highlights the effectiveness of the online format in creating behavioral and attitudinal change. Initial pre- and post-test survey results indicate that divorcing adults who took the internet-based intervention showed significant changes in: encouraging their children to maintain a close relationship with their other parent, how often they talk to their children about the feelings they are experiencing in the divorce, communicating more successfully with the other parent, and decreased anger at the other parent. The “Parents Forever Online: How much change is possible?” poster is at the intersection of “Use of Technology and Digitizing Extension” and “Program Evaluation” as it shares how a long-standing Extension program was leveraged through new technologies to produce promising program outcomes that reflect our continued commitment to Minnesota families in transition.