An evaluation of playful discipline taught in an attachment-based parenting program

The study is designed as a 12-week RCT trial with an active control group. At baseline, participants in the treatment group will receive a single 3-hour introductory session (online) of the Aware Parenting program. The program teaches parents responsive parenting skills and playful discipline. The session will be delivered by a trained Aware Parenting facilitator who is also trained in psychosynthesis. The workshop will meet in small groups of 3-10 participants. It will be a combination of lecture style (teaching to slides) and demonstrations as well as giving the participants chances to ask questions and share experiences. Some of the responsive skills parents will learn are: reasons why their child may be behaving in certain ways, such as not cooperating or crying. Reasons for misbehaviour will include that the child is lacking information or that the child has an unmet emotional or physical need. Participants in the treatment group will be taught playful discipline as both a prevention and present time remedy for challenging behaviour. Some games parent will be taught are called 'power reversal games', an example could be 'the exaggeration game' exaggerate about something that is going on. For example, if a child won’t come out of the house, the parent could pretend that you need a whole team of people to help you, and gather a team of superheroes who all try to do magic things to help him leave. Another strategy will be the use of 'present time', which is another name for 'Non-directive Child Centred Play'. At week 4, parents will be invited to a 1 hour Zoom follow-up call. At week 8 they will receive a follow-up phone call. The phone call is estimated to last 10-15 minutes. Parenting support via email, text or phone call will be provided if needed throughout the 12 weeks. Support as needed will be provided by answering parenting questions about their child's behaviour and also where they may find resources, such as websites and videos from aware parenting instructors. If the parent is struggling in any other domain (emotional, physical) they will be directed to the relevant resources available (i.e., government websites, hotlines, emergency). A psychologist will be on the team to consult with if needed. Participant adherence to the intervention will be noted in the engagement level of the follow up call and the follow up phone call. If participants do not attend one of the 3 hour sessions in the first week or 10 days of the start of the study, they will not be eligible to continue with the study. Survey data will be collected at baseline and week 12.