Parenting group therapy focuses on enhancing parenting practices and behaviors, such as developing and practicing positive discipline techniques, learning age-appropriate child development skills and milestones, promoting positive play and interaction between parents and children. As a parent, you’ve quickly learned that a big part of parenting is matching discipline, praise and other parenting strategies to your child’s individual needs. In fact, how well your parenting style matches the personality of your child has a major impact on how well-adjusted they become later in life. According to a University of Washington study, parents can halve their child’s tendency toward depression or anxiety by using parenting style geared toward the particular personality of their child. Conversely, parents who use a style ill-suited to a child’s personality can double the likelihood that they’ll become depressed or anxious.
While learning new parenting strategies is important, sometimes you just need the listening ear of someone who knows what you’re going through. Whether you’ve got an 18-month-old who won’t let you set him down or a 10-year-old who is determined to take on the world, parenting skills grouo can help you find other parents who understand what you’re going through.