New Mexico ranks among one of the highest states nationwide with families where the father is absent from the household. Las Cumbres’ Padres Unidos Fatherhood Program is trying to lower this statistic. New Mexico’s Indictor-Based Information System (NM-IBIS) explains how the impact of a single parent in the home has been associated with poor health outcomes for parents and children, higher unemployment, and lower-wage jobs. Experiences of stress and depression are increased, particularly for children showing adverse effects, for
example, on their achievement in school.
For families where the father is absent, each has individual circumstances why the father is not involved in the household. Padres Unidos has been serving fathers since 1996 through groups, one-on-one counseling, and case management. Weekly groups are currently held in 16-week cycles, three times throughout the year.
The program’s primary goal is to bring fathers into a group discussion where they meet other fathers who face similar challenges and are seeking to reintegrate back into their children’s lives. With a concentration on parenting and emotion regulation skills, the aim is to give fathers the tools, for example, to address custody issues in family court as well as mediation services or assistance while the parent is involved with the State’s Children Youth and Families Department (CYFD).
Angelo Sandoval, Padres Unidos Coordinator
In some instances, enrollment in a program like Padres Unidos is
court-mandated although there is no corresponding government funding provided for fathers to seek services. Las Cumbres Fatherhood Program supports are provided to the fathers at no charge. During the pandemic, the program saw referrals into the program triple.
The pandemic has forced virtual meetings since face-to-face meetings are not currently available, and this has lessened obstacles around involvement for clients, explains Sandoval. “Fathers don’t have to run from work to make a meeting. They can grab some dinner while in their car and connect with the Fatherhood group via Zoom. With the influx of increased group participants, we have been able to bring in additional behavioral health specialists and work in breakout sessions to provide deeper therapy.”
Of primary importance is the opportunity for fathers to be more established and effective in their relationships with their children and with the primary caregivers in their children’s lives. This is accomplished with a combination of clinical and psychoeducational supports, father-to-father mentoring, education on co-parenting after divorce, anger management, and recognition of their children’s emotional needs and clues.
The program has developed specialized services to help fathers improve parenting and emotion regulation skills, address family court issues related to custody/mediation, and involvement with CYFD. Many fathers enrolled in the program have a history of substance abuse or anger issues which have led to interpersonal violence, typically due to unidentified or untreated trauma. This often results in their exclusion from the day-to-day development of their children, participation in medical visits, teacher-parent conferences, or other activities. Las Cumbres’ services aim to provide evidence-based clinical services to fathers to establish safety, reflective capacity, and regulation in order to advocate for themselves in court, work toward more meaningful interactions, and increase safe and nurturing involvement with their children.
Padres Unidos believes that the role of the father is of great importance to the development of children and addresses child’s safety, well-being, and best interest. This trinity is at the core foundation of the program.
If you or someone you know would like to join Padres Unidos or if you would like to support these services for fathers please visit their webpage.
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