Children and adolescents do not exist in a vacuum. They exist in a series of systems, the most proximal of which is the family.
Optimising family functioning is important in the sense that any child who is struggling will likely have better treatment outcomes if their improvement is supported by their family environment. Parents (or where appropriate primary caregivers/guardians) are in charge of managing the family environment.
Despite this, parents do not receive formal training or an instruction book when they receive their bundle of joy. Parents simply do the best they can to incorporate what they have learned from their own family of origin experience (‘good stuff to do’ and ‘not so good stuff to avoid’) and any also other information or strategies they may have stumbled across along the way.
Therapists at Adaptive Strategies have trained in a variety of popular parenting programs (including Triple P and 123 Magic). Our therapists are highly skilled in delivering parenting programs to parents and caregivers.
Our Adaptive Systems Approach for Parents is a parenting approach developed based on empirical evidence sourced from research in the evolutionary psychology, behavioural psychology, and developmental psychology fields.
The Adaptive Systems Approach for Parents is an ‘approach’ in that it promotes a continuously adaptive method of parenting based on key parenting principles to encourage growth and good behaviour in children.
An approach is different to a program which, like a diet, has a start and a finish and may produce good initial results but fails to deliver in the longer term. Continued lifestyle (parenting) adaption and maintenance is needed to ensure optimal long-term success.