1. Strengthening Parent-Child Relationships: The Reflective Dialogue Parent Education Design
- Author
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Thomas, Ruth, Cooke, Betty, and Scott, Mary
- Abstract
Parenting education programs have traditionally consisted of teaching skills and providing information about child development, but have not focused on parents' own development as individuals and as parents. The Reflective Dialogue Parent Education Design (RDPED) described in this article helps parents increase their self-awareness and their beliefs and goals as parents. The authors provide a rationale for their approach and the theory underlying their program. They describe two frameworks for conceptualizing parent development: (1) parent-child interaction themes, which focus on parents' goals and actions and the deep motivations underlying them; and (2) parental perspectives, which focuses on parents' views of themselves, their child, and their parent-child relationship. The program developers view parenting as a process of developmental growth and recognize that parents' ideas about their children, their role as parents, and the parent-child relationship change as parents come to know and understand their own personal growth and that of their child. The RDPED classes involve reflective dialogue, scaffolding, and viewing videotaped interactions to guide discussion to help parents think critically about what they can do to strengthen their relationships with their children.
- Published
- 2005