Parents course: Helping your Teenage Child Live Life to the Full

This is a self-directed online course for use by parents or guardians of young people of secondary school age. It can both enlighten and inform parents- as well as providing tools they can use jointly with their (willing) child to support them in making helpful changes in life.
Each module typically takes 10-15 minutes or so to complete and is based around worksheets to help apply what is being learned.

The core sessions of the course provide many of the key CBT-based skills needed for life change.

How often should I complete a module or how many?
We recommend you either work through all the modules, completing one every few days will allow you the opportunity to put into practice what you are learning. That way you will gain a comprehensive overview of the available tools. Parents can also choose to pick out topics of interest and relevance to their or their child’s situation.

Using the worksheets: practical worksheets can be completed by printing them on paper, or by answering the questions electronically if you prefer such as in notes on your phone. The worksheets help you apply what you are learning, make plans and review your progress.

Working with a support worker: Some people using this course may be receiving additional support from a health, social care or voluntary sector worker. It is suggested you inform and show them the available resources and discuss how they might helpfully complement – or not the support already being received.

LLTTF is our most popular course and is available as a self-directed online course for young people or adults. This parent-focused course takes the same attractive resources and is taught to help parents or guardians understand how the varied worksheet resources can be used with their child.

The course is currently being evaluated as part of a University of Glasgow Doctoral student research project with questionnaires and interviews of parents at a large Glasgow secondary school.

A license is also available to provide access to Supporter Resources to deliver a series of classes: The Living life to the full (LLTTF TM) for young people course.

Please note: the class version has not been modified for parents, and the course lead would need to ask questions and give examples to make the course applicable and relevant to parents attending a class programme. The online self-directed course highlights the areas seen as important by parents that would facilitate this.

Translations: Multiple language (>15) versions of the standard LLTTF® adult books, and live classes are available.

How to provide access to clients: Practitioners/supporters can deliver the self-directed course by purchasing single use log in codes individually to pass to your patients/clients. Or a group code valid for, 10, 50, or an agreed number of patients/clients if you prefer.

Terminology: LLTTF is designed to teach evidence-based CBT life skills in an accessible language.

• Understanding why I feel as I do (self-formulation)
• Planning effective change (SMART goals)
• Changing upsetting thinking (negative automatic thoughts)
• Doing activities that improve how you feel (behavioural activation)

Dr Chris Williams is Emeritus Professor of Psychosocial Psychiatry at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and Past-President of the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP). His main area of interest is making Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) approaches accessible to all.
He is an internationally recognised researcher, teacher and trainer.