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Parents Make a Difference: Designing a Psychoeducational Program for Families of Gifted Children — Denise S. Fleith, Renata Muniz Prado, & Daniela Vilarinho-Pereira

Tuesday, May 21, 2024, 8:00 – 9:00 am, Lawrence D. McHugh Hall, Room MCHU 302

This presentation aims to describe and explore a psychoeducational program for parents of gifted children. Additionally, it will share results of a study detailing the challenges these families faced and strategies they implemented to foster talent development. Twelve parents who attended the program were interviewed and answered a demographic questionnaire. The purpose of the program was to provide parents an opportunity to express concerns and discuss strategies to nurture children’s talents. The program included 12 sessions of two and a half hours conducted every other week. Parents mentioned challenges such as providing opportunities for children to develop their talents, helping children be free to grow up without feeling compelled to meet society’s high expectations, and mediating the child-school relationship. Participants revealed they sought to identify their children’s potential and areas of interest and support their needs. Families positively evaluated the program, as they had the opportunity to learn and felt they belonged to a group. They considered the program a safe and welcoming space to discuss feelings and issues they did not feel comfortable sharing elsewhere. In this presentation, we discuss practical implications by examining how a psychoeducational program may be designed to benefit parents of gifted children.