Mindful Parenting and Parent Training Program Study

"The Mindful Parenting Program consists of 7, 2.5 hour weekly group sessions. In the program, parents learn to apply the skills of mindfulness to themselves and to their experience of parenting their children. Parents are introduced to formal meditation practices, including the bodyscan; choiceless awareness; mindful walking; and yoga. They are also introduced to mindfulness of everyday activities from the beginning of the sessions, with an added focus on day-to-day parenting and family activities. Additionally, short self-compassion practices occur throughout the weekly sessions, culminating in the teaching of formal loving-kindness meditation.~Additionally, the program encourages parents to engage in home practice, where parents can experience and practice many of the new skills they are learning. This includes both formal, longer meditation practices, as well as shorter practices, which can occur throughout the day, such as mindfulness of daily routines."

The MATCH BPT Program consists of 8-12 weekly (depending on how long it takes for individual parents and their assigned trainer to get through the material), 60 minute individually-implemented sessions.The sessions will consist of the coach obtaining and reviewing weekly assignments completed by the parent, followed by activities and discussions that focus on a particular parenting skill (i.e. praise, active ignoring, giving effective instructions). The discussions will emphasize benefits and possible problems that the parent may encounter throughout the week while implementing the new skill. The coach will assign to the parent a practice assignment to further encourage use of the concept.