Ginott

Ginott's Method of Parent Education

Title: Ginott's Method of Parent Education

Summary of content or concept:

Haim Ginott developed a process for working with parents that helps parenting educators model the behaviors they are encouraging parents to practice with their children.

Practices or applications associated with the idea

Ginott (Orgel, 1980) suggested that there are four steps in the process of supporting parents:

1. Recitation.

In this first stage the parent(s) are encouraged to talk about their challenging experiences as parents. This allows parents to discover that all parents have problems. It also allows the parenting educator to model attention, understanding, and acceptance. Many parents have never had some one sensitively listen to them before. It is important for parents to feel heard and understood.

Such sensitive listening may not be easy for the parenting educator. The educator must listen carefully, resist the temptation to correct or preach, and be skillful in remaining supportive, and encouraging: "Wow. That must have been very difficult." "You probably wondered what to do." "Yes. Parenting can be very challenging!"

The objective at this stage of a discussion is not to teach new skills to the parents but to allow them to talk about their challenges while feeling valued and understood. This skill is especially important when parents have many challenges or are forced to participate in a parenting education program. When a parenting educator is supportive and encouraging, parents can embrace their unique strengths and feel safe enough to explore strategies to address their challenges.

Sometimes class members lack confidence in their parenting skills and worry that they make many mistakes. The effective parenting educator recognizes, values and encourages each parent's desire even as their skills are still emerging.

2. Sensitization.

This second stage of parent education can begin when parents feel accepted, valued, and safe---which may take 30 minutes, a whole session, or many weeks or months. In the second stage the parenting educator turns the attention of the parents to understanding their children's feelings. "How do you think you daughter felt in that situation?" "Why might that have been especially difficult for your son?"

The parenting educator may help the parents understand their children's feelings by asking them how they might have felt in similar situations. "How might you feel if you worked all day to get the house clean and your husband (or a friend) only noticed a dirty window?" Parents may come to better understand their children's feelings when they relate them to their own experiences.

Everyone has struggles and disappointments. One of the challenges of parenting is to apply our own human struggles to understanding how our children feel. While we will never completely understand how an experience feels for our children, we can appreciate how real the pain (or joy or confusion) is.

Parenting is often made more difficult when parents react to their children's behavior without taking time to understand. Under such circumstances the child is likely to become angry and resistant. When the child feels understood, the parent and child can work together more effectively.

3. Learning of concepts.

Parents can learn rules that will help them be more effective. For example "Take time to understand what your child feels." is a rule that can help parents listen. The parenting educator may have a series of rules to suggest. He or she can involve the group by asking them to apply the rules to situations in their homes. The parenting educator may even invite