Family Services of Greater Victoria is proud to have designed this unique program.
​We are the sole provider of this program for the Greater Victoria area

About the program

is a program for children and parents who are separated or divorced.  Parenting is often challenging and complex as all family members hurt and face fundamental change over a considerable period of time.  Children often experience a range of feelings when parents separate such as confusion, guilt, anger, loss, abandonment, and anxiety. They often have difficulty understanding these feelings and can feel torn by divided loyalty.  Caught in the Middle offers family members, the opportunity to explore the changes that have happened in the family, with a primary focus on the parent-child relationship.  Parents and children participate in separate peer support groups led by professionally-trained facilitators.  The groups provide a safe place to discuss the challenges of separation in a supportive, confidential, and neutral learning environment
Parents:
  • should be separated at least 6 months
  • attend a Group Intake
  • can attend without a child
​​

Parents look at:
  • Communication skills
  • Ways to take care of yourself
  • Building healthy boundaries
  • Taking the child out of the middle
  • Problem solving techniques
  • Separation through the eyes of the child
  • Understanding and managing feelings in the parent-child relationship
Children:
  • ages 7 - 12 years
  • attend a Group Intake, with a parent*
    ​*if both parents are interested, they would attend separate intakes and groups
​
Children look at:
  • How to handle difficult feelings
  • Distinguishing between parents’ problems and children’s problems
  • Anger issues
  • Relaxation

Considerations

  • If both parents are interested in taking the program, only one parent can register per group
  • If a parent does not have the child(ren) every week, then arrangements will need to be made to bring the children to the program on the "off" week(s)
  • Permission is not necessary from the other parent to register a child, but we do ask that the other parent be notified
  • Parents can still attend the program without their child(ren)
  • The program is designed for Parents (Step-parents may be able to participate only under special circumstances)

Group Intake process

  • Group Intakes are booked up to a few weeks prior to the start of a program. They are used to decide if the program will meet the family's needs.
  • Parents are in a group with other parents and children are in a group with other children.  Attending the Group Intake is necessary to be considered for the program, but is not a guarantee everyone will be registered for the next program (due to space requirements, etc)
  • Ideally siblings will not be placed in the same group, but this is not always possible, and depending on the relationship dynamic will determine if siblings can attend at the same time.
  • The major difference between the intake and the program:
    ​- The intake will be bigger, as not everyone who attends the intake will go on to take the program.
**Caught in the Middle is a Voluntary program, and does NOT meet the needs of all families that inquire - and this OK
We have individual counselling/therapy for families who's needs can't be met with Caught in the Middle**

Schedule

Both The Group Intake and the Program run from 5:30pm to 6:30pm (1 hour in duration)
Groups start 6 times a year, and do not run during July and August
The Groups Start as follows:
Thursday Nights
-September
-January
-March/April
Tuesday Nights
- October
- February
- April/May
Groups will take a break on Holidays(including Halloween)
NEW - May 07th, 2020
Due to COVID-19 Concerns this program is on hold until September 2020
Month
Day of the Week
Target Start Dates
​(5:30pm - 6:30pm)
September 2020
Tuesdays
TBA
Intake will happen in August

Fees

Group Intake: $20 (covers the Parent and Child(ren))

Effective August 01st, 2018 the cost of the program itself  is sliding-scale fee based on Annual Income.  It goes from:
  • $100 per adult and $100 per child if the Annual Income is less than $25,000
  • up to $250 per adult and $250 per child if the Annual Income is greater than $75,000
​*Group fees are due in full within 2 business days of being accepted in to the program
(we accept cash, debit or cheque in person, or credit card payment over the phone or in person)

Funders

Caught in the Middle is partially funded by the following:
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Community Gaming Grant