The group meets every other Sunday in the playground of the Early Childhood Center, a community resource program under a section of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. The majority of the fathers are referred by their wives through Mommy and Me groups. All the men except one are married. They are Caucasian, educated and socio-economically represent the upper middle class. The fathers and their children spend the first 15 to 20 minutes in the outdoor playground with each other until the children are at ease in the setting.
Fathers talk casually with each other and staff.
This time period provides opportunities for staff to view the father-child relationship and interactions. The observations are then used in making interpretations of behavior and clarifications for the child and the father. The staff's orientation is psychodynamic, comprised of two male group facilitators and three or four female and male child development specialists. Fathers engage in group discussion for one hour at which time the child development specialists join the fathers for feedback regarding their observations of the children and provide opportunities for dialogue between staff and fathers. Group Dynamics Fathers in the group speak of not knowing their child as well as they wish, and not being known by their children.