PORTLAND, Oregon — Parents have been under increased stress for almost a year now, as they try to balance families and finances during a pandemic.
Prevent Child Abuse Oregon wants to keep the stress from becoming so overwhelming it leads to kids getting hurt.
It goes without saying: many families are overwhelmed and in crisis. Maybe parents lost their job, or worse - a loved one.
"Parents are under a great deal of distress right now," clinical psychologist Dr. Amy Stoeber said. "It's really hard to balance working from home, being asked to do distance learning, plus just the social isolation for both families and kids that everybody is experiencing right now."
Prevent Child Abuse Oregon teamed up with DHS, Dr. Stoeber and a parent mentor to equip parents with ways to build resilience amid the chaos.
On Feb. 4, they'll hold a free virtual workshop for parents across Oregon in English and with Spanish translation.
"Number one thing - what I tell people all the time - is acknowledgement of pain helps to begin the healing process," Stoeber told KGW. "They just need validation, support and some practical tools about how to manage and what to really focus on."
That workshop will be followed by at least two, six-week cohorts. It's called: 'I didn't sign up for this!'
"The way we help kids is by helping their parents," Stoeber added.
Reports of child abuse and neglect plummeted during the pandemic with kids away from mandatory reporters. Advocates worry there's a surge behind closed doors caused by economic stress. Rather than intervention - reacting after kids have been hurt - advocates want more resources for prevention.
"If we help parents, as a community, feel less overwhelmed, feel validated and supported, gain skills to be able to better help their kids, the likelihood that parents are stressed and therefore do things that can potentially harm their children - whether it be emotional abuse, physical abuse, continued exposure to violence, stress and overwhelm - then we're doing what we should be doing as a community, which is helping our most vulnerable people," Dr. Stoeber said.
The hope is that so many people sign up this turns into more huge workshops and parenting series. If you want to take part, you can register here.