ABSTRACT
The Child-Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT) process is characterized by two key components: a didactic component and a group process component in the context of a safe, reassuring, supportive, nonthreatening environment that encourages parents to explore feelings, attitudes, and perceptions about themselves, their children, and parenting. A variety of group process elements and teaching points have been presented as critical components of the 10-session CPRT model. The group process components illustrated by selected transcriptions are normalizing and generalizing individual parental concerns and fears to the group, encouraging a parent to explore thoughts and feelings more fully, and building group cohesion to encourage or teach members. Presenting the information to be learned in simple one-item teaching points is the key to parents learning and assimilating new information. CPRT training emphasizes teaching parents to focus attention on their children. The therapist, while acknowledging lack of perfection, is nonetheless a mental health professional trained in knowledge of children’s behavior.
