Parenting Help and Resources
Bowen Family Systems Theory
Our family emotional systems are learned in childhood and passed from one generation to another. Insight into this process can help us understand ourselves and others, and help us change unwanted patterns of behavior. Read more about Bowen Family Systems Theory, and search for Bowen-trained counselors, on the website of the Bowen Center for the Study of the Family.
Celebrate Calm
Kirk Martin learned the hard way that his anxiety and anger were destroying his relationships with his family. Searching for a better way, Kirk worked hard to change his behavior and he repaired his own relationships. He has spent years working with thousands of families. Kirk and his son Casey offer help to parents and children through audio CDs, presentations to school and church groups and online via their website and email newsletters.
Hand-in-Hand Parenting
This nonprofit organization helps parents learn how to build stronger emotional connections with their child. Stronger connections have positive effects on the child's challenging behaviors and other symptoms of distress. Hand-in-Hand now offers online classes as well as a blog, with stories by parents about how they applied what they learned from Hand-in-Hand.
"Playlistening" is one of the most powerful ways parents can understand their children and strengthen emotional bonds, explains Hand-in-Hand founder Patty Wipfler. Visit their website for many great articles, some available in Spanish.
Learning from a Difficult Child
FAHN's own Jeanne Faulconer wrote about some of her parenting experiences in Learning from a Difficult Child. Don't miss her book recommendations and "other thoughts" in the accompanying article, Other Thoughts about Dealing with Difficult Children.
Newborns: what are they telling us?
To help new parents, Family Nurse Practitioner Jan Tedder, BSN, IBCLC developed H.U.G. Your Baby (Health, Understanding and Guidance). Ms. Tedder explains how to recognize which "zone" your baby is in -- Resting, Ready, or Rebooting -- and when the baby is sending an "SOS" (Signs of Over-Stimulation). Read the Parent Skills page, and don't miss the link to an illuminating video (in the bottom right corner). A DVD for parents is available for purchase.
Parent Coaching Institute
A nonprofit organization founded in 2000 by Gloria DeGaetano, Parent Coaching Institute trains Parent Coaches to work with families one-on-one, and they aim to help parents “discover more of their own answers.” PCI’s grad-level, year-long training program for coaches is offered online in collaboration with Seattle Pacific University. On the PCI website, you can search for a PCI Certified Parent Coach (available throughout the U.S. and coaching by phone is also an option). 
Raising Teens
From the Harvard School of Public Health, Center for Health Communication, this free report (available online as a pdf download) identifies 5 basics for parents:
Love and Connect - Monitor and Observe - Guide and Limit - Model and Consult - Provide and Advocate
Written by A. Rae Simpson, Ph.D., the report cites widespread agreement among researchers that parental relationships are key to healthy teen development.
Family and Home Network asked parents to tell us about their own experiences with each of the five basics - see our webpage "Raising Teens" for the parent narratives, and add your own comments and ideas.