Given that Ginott’s work (1959, 1961, 1965) informed both
the operational definition of autonomy support (Koestner et al.
1984) and the specific parenting skills included in the How-to
Parenting Program, it is not surprising that the How-to Parenting
Program perfectly captures what it means to provide
autonomy support, an important criterion in selecting the
program. Session 1 covers empathy, a key component of
autonomy support. Parents are also taught how to encourage
their children’s initiatives (session 4) and how to help themachieve their full potential by avoiding confining them in
certain roles (session 6). Structure is also an integral part of the
How-to Parenting Program, which teaches parents how to
provide structure effectively and consistently. Parents learn
how to communicate expectations (session 2), give feedback
(session 4), follow through with logical consequences (session
3) and use problem solving for recurrent problems (session 3).
Affiliation is all-pervading (sessions 1–6), as promoting a
positive parent–child relationship is at the heart of this program.
The curriculum does not pertain to the expression of
love, or how to express affection. Rather, parents learn how to
communicate with their children in a way that helps children
feel loved and accepted for who they are. By fostering all key
elements of optimal parenting, the How-to program constitutes
a promising intervention to improve parenting and child
mental health in the general population (universal, primary
level of mental health prevention).