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What parents are saying

‘The entire family is now more conscious of their own and other’s feelings/emotions.’

‘I have learned not to dismiss my children because I thought what they were carrying on about was silly.’

‘I truly loved this course — I felt it was way too short, and I needed more time to fully learn to carry out the methods of Emotion Coaching. Because I have always been a dismissive parent, and one who never looked at emotions, I found this very hard. Honestly I could have done that course for another six months or more. So interesting and makes you look and parent in a more effective way. I find I apologise now to my children and I try very hard not to solve their problems for them and listen to them.’

What is Tuning In To Kids?

Tuning in to Kids is a parenting program that helps children learn to understand and regulate their emotions. It teaches parents:

awareness and regulation of their own emotions
awareness of their children’s emotions
to use children’s emotional experiences as an opportunity for closeness and teaching
skills in assisting children to verbally label and manage their emotions
skills in assisting children in problem solving
to guide children’s behaviour with appropriate limits

Preliminary Findings

Parents who received the Tuning in to Kids program improved in their ability to respond to children’s emotions in supportive and teaching ways. They were also much less likely to be dismissive or critical when their children were emotional. Furthermore, children of parents participating in the program experienced significant reductions in behaviour problems, especially in those families where the child was having behaviour problems before the program began. Results also suggest that parents who learn to Emotion Coach can help their children cope better with anxiety.

Ninety-two percent of parents completed the program — suggesting a high level of engagement. Fewer parents attended the booster sessions, often due to changes in their circumstances after the program finished (such as starting a job or children starting school).