Our GROUPS

The Fatherhood Project runs groups for fathers who would like to discuss their parenting dilemmas with other fathers and a professional. We help by introducing specific skills that have been shown to be effective in relating to your children. We like to use your individual experiences with your children in our teaching. Dr. Levy creates and open and supportive environment that allows fathers to contribute their ideas, experiences and concerns. The groups are a combination of discussion and teaching.

Week 1

Introductions and orientation to our four-step approach
Dr. Levy uses a video clip to demonstrate a parenting dilemma
Group members share their own experiences, questions and dilemmas

Week 2    STEP 1

Accurately perceiving, inferring and identifying your child’s emotions and needs (contact-seeking or exploratory) from his or her behavior

Week 3    STEP 2

Recognizing the emotion as an opportunity for intimacy and teaching
Understanding and managing your own emotional reactions to your child

Week 4    STEP 3

Talking to your child about his or her feelings and needs
Listening, validating, and helping your child find words to label the emotions he/she is having

Week 5    STEP 4

Responding promptly and adequately to your child’s feelings and needs
Setting limits while exploring strategies to solve the problem at hand

Week 6

Wrapping up, reviewing what was learned, and planning next steps

Our groups use a variety of methods, including brief lectures, discussions, video clips, role-plays and hand-outs. Fathers learn new skills by exploring what to do in the moment with his child(ren) for each of the four steps.

Our groups are based on the evidence-based parenting interventions developed by the following researchers:

1. Gottman, J.M., & DeClaire, J. (1997). The heart of parenting: Raising an emotionally intelligent child. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster Paperbacks.
2. Cooper, G., Hoffman, K., Powell, B., & Marvin, R. (2005). The circle of security intervention: Differential diagnosis and differential treatment. Chapter in Enhancing Early Attachments: Theory, Research, Intervention, and Policy, edited by L. Berlin, Y. Ziv, L. Amaya-Jackson, and M. Greenberg. New York: The Guilford Press.
3. Slade, A., Sadler, L., & Mayes, L. (2005). Minding the baby. Chapter in Enhancing Early Attachments: Theory, Research, Intervention, and Policy, edited by L. Berlin, Y. Ziv, L. Amaya-Jackson, and M. Greenberg. New York: The Guilford Press.