Parent Study Groups

After World War II and with the birth of the baby boom generation, an emphasis on positive parenting took hold in North America. Parent study groups were one form of training that brought together new ideas and research on child development, goals of children’s misbehavior, encouragement practices, parenting styles, effective parent communication, and discipline without punishment. Initially, these groups were run by professional or paraprofessional counselors, but by the 1960s, these groups were almost always run by parents who followed published study guides and eventually integrated video-based training programs developed in the 1970s and 1980s. Even today, effective parenting skills are often taught in psychoeducational groups as an adjunct to family counseling and therapy. The information and guidance provided in these groups and programs has ...