April Multifamily Workshops Begin

Multifamily Groups are open community spaces that bring together, in a single session, different family members, students, and teachers. This April, Yumakids is launching these workshops in various educational institutions in Ibagué and other municipalities in the Tolima department. In the educational context, these spaces provide a structured opportunity to address relational aspects, strengthen communication, and foster stronger bonds among the various actors within the school community, promoting greater coordination between families and the educational community in favor of child protection and well-being.

This type of work is based on the idea that many of the difficulties children face cannot be fully understood solely from an individual perspective. The family, school, and social environments directly influence their development, so creating shared dialogue spaces allows participants to recognize common challenges, exchange experiences, and build collective solutions.

The sessions will be facilitated by clinical psychologists Pilar Fuxet Comas and Montse Matéu Ribas, specialists in group analytic therapy with extensive experience in multifamily groups.

Each session will last approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes of group work, followed by 30 minutes of informal interaction among participants. This additional time aims to foster a climate of closeness and trust between families, students, and members of the educational community.

During the workshops, participants will engage in a participatory dynamic addressing topics such as coexistence, family communication, adolescent emotional challenges, and the relationship between school and family. The goal is to create a space where participants can listen to each other, share experiences, and reflect together on situations that affect the well-being of children and adolescents.

In addition to providing emotional support, these sessions help strengthen the bonds among different actors in the educational community, fostering a better understanding of the realities students face both inside and outside the school environment.

Multifamily approaches have a well-established history in community psychology and psychosocial intervention. Various studies have shown that group spaces involving multiple families improve communication, reduce social isolation, and strengthen support networks among participants (Asen & Scholz, Journal of Family Therapy).

Through this initiative, Yumakids continues its work in community mental health and support for children and adolescents, promoting participatory spaces where families, schools, and the wider community can actively collaborate to enhance the well-being and development of young people.

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