ABSTRACT
The Nurturing Parenting Programs are family-centered programs designed for the prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect. Both parents and their children participate in the sessions, which enhance the acquisition and application of new behaviors. Initially developed in 1979 from a three-year grant funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the lessons focus on helping parents and their children, prenatal to 18 years of age, replacing old and hurtful abusive and neglecting parenting practices and family patterns with positive nurturing ones. By applying the theory and practices of re-parenting, parents and their children learn new nurturing patterns that build and establish their knowledge and skills of empathy, empowerment, self-worth, cooperation, and parental guidance based on respect and dignity.
