Abstract
An urban child welfare agency ran a group for single, adolescent mothers based on the premise that the young mothers needed as much nurturing as their babies. Essential elements in the program were the provision of transportation to and from the weekly meetings, childcare, food for the teenagers, and a male/female co-therapy team. The group continued for over two years, allowing a psychosocial moratorium in which the adolescents could continue their developmental growth. At termination and later at a reunion of the group, the mothers were seen as young women with the capacity for both the partnerships and sacrifices of adulthood, with increased self-esteem, and confidence in their newly-developed parenting skills.
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Erf, L.A. A moratorium for growth: Group work with adolescent mothers. Clin Soc Work J 9, 44–56 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00757093
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00757093