Louise Guerney’s Parenting Skills Program is a 10 to 20 hr program that adapts the skills of Mastering the Mysteries of Love RE to parenting. Parents learn skills for Empathy, Expression, Changing Child Behaviors, and Fostering Healthy Normal Development. Assessed by the US Department of Juvenile Justice as one of the top 25 parenting education programs in the US, the Parenting Skills Program is simple and adaptable to teach.
While no training to teach the program is required, a two training workshop is strongly encouraged. The program leader uses the same skills to interact with parents in the class as parents are to use with their children, so parents learn by experience. The class requires minimal props or equipment. The text is written on a 5th grade reading level. It is also available in Spanish.
Two versions of teaching instructions are available. Louise Guerney’s original manual teaches via discussion, in class practice, and at home practice. The staff of IDEALS for Families and Communities has developed an alternative presentation structure which uses a variety of experiential activities, from their work teaching the Parenting Skills Program to inmates at the Fayette County Detention Center. Additional information about the Parenting Skills Program, including research information, is available at the NIRE website, www.nire.org