PARENTING WISELY
Interactive CDROM/ Video Program
Parenting Wisely (PW) was developed to teach parents of children and adolescents important parenting skills in
an entertaining, efficient and inexpensive manner. These skills prevent or reverse the development of serious
problems such as: delinquency, academic failure, truancy, substance abuse, violence, irresponsible and reckless
behavior, chronic family conflict, and depression. The effective parenting skills in this program were chosen
because experts have judged them to be critical not only in helping children and adolescents avoid delinquency
and substance abuse, but also in improving common family problems. The program covers the following topics:
Communication skills
Speaking respectfully
Assertive discipline
Physical aggression
Problem solving skills
Stepfamily problems
Monitoring and supervision
Chore and homework compliance
Successful treatment of child and adolescent behavior problems often depends upon teaching parents these skills.
The program is based upon the Functional Family Therapy model. Problems depicted and explanations of
effective solutions are presented within a family systems context, emphasizing the interrelatedness of family
members’ thoughts and behaviors. Strategies for altering conduct are enriched by a cognitive-behavioral
emphasis, ensuring that behavioral change is supported by changes in the meaning family members ascribe to
each other’s actions.
Advantages of the program to the parent include:
 The scenarios are highly relevant, promoting parental interest
 No self-disclosure is required
 Defensiveness is decreased because feedback is made by the computer
 Effective and ineffective parenting methods are demonstrated
 Tutoring in needed skills begins immediately, without the necessity of building a trusting relationship
 The parent is in control and makes many choices so that parent involvement is intensive
 The learner must think and respond to get the program to continue; thus it is self- taught and self-paced
 The learner receives interesting, detailed feedback after each response.
 Computer experience is NOT required
PW is geared to a fifth-grade reading level; however, literacy is not required, as all instructions and text can be
read aloud by the computer. The entire program lasts 2 ½ hours but can be divided into two, three or more
sessions. Some families have been court-ordered to use the program; it is a part of a social services case plan for
others. For some families, incentives such as pizza or a small payment have encouraged use of the program;
others respond when referred by someone they respect, such as a pastor. With parents requesting counseling
services from an agency, a recommended use is during the time period between their first call and their first
session.
The program is currently being used in 48 states, Canada, Australia, Great Britain, Ireland, Switzerland,
Germany, and France. Sites include residential centers for delinquents, children and family service agencies,
mental health centers, libraries, schools, departments of Human Services, jails, prisons, Head Start and other
childcare programs. Other uses are with teen parents, divorcing parents, high school family living classes (some
schools call PW the “parent simulator”), families under reunification plans from child protective services,
parents of ADHD children, and domestic violence and homeless shelters.
The efficacy of the program continues to be thoroughly evaluated by feedback from parents, teens, courts and
social service agencies. User satisfaction is very high, as rated in eight controlled studies. Parents rated the
program as a) easy to use, b) realistic and relevant to their concerns, c) helpful in dealing with problem behaviors
in their children, d) effective in increasing their confidence in managing child behavior. Parents with pre-teens
and teens showing significant behavior problems were evaluated before and after (one week to one year) using
the program. They showed a) increases in knowledge of parenting principles and skills, b) increased use of
parenting skills taught in the program and c) reductions in problem behaviors of their children. These reductions
in child problem behaviors were often (in 50-60% of the children) clinically significant, and these children
(OVER)
scored in the normal range of behavior one to twelve months after their parents used the program. Most of the
parents reported at least moderate improvement in their child’s behavior. Control groups (both matched and
randomly-assigned) either showed no improvement or a worsening of acting-out behavior (among the higher risk
families). When parents and children used the program together, communication and problem solving improved
compared to families receiving a different treatment. PW use reduces family conflict, clearly diminishing verbal
and physical aggression between parents as well as between parents and children.. Maternal depression was
reduced when mothers used the program with their children. These treatment effects are very robust and
comparable to interventions taking many times longer and requiring the involvement of trained professionals.
Visit the website, www.familyworksinc.com, to download complete research articles.
Because of its effectiveness, PW has been awarded Exemplary or Model Program (CSAP, SAMHSA & OJJDP)
for preventing delinquency and substance abuse in children and teens. It has also been listed as an effective
program in the Child Welfare League of America’s (CWLA) Research to Practice initiative.
New programs are the UK Teens, Young Children’s version (for parents of 3-9 year olds), Foster and Residential
Care version (for training foster parents and residential staff, and for parents of very disruptive teens). Both PW
(American Teen) and the Young Children’s’ version are in Spanish (the latter is available late fall, 04). We
recommend that parents first use PW (American Teen) then return and use the UK teen program, which
reinforces the same skills in different situations. Parents who are resistant to changing their parenting of teens
may be more willing to use the Young Children’s program with their younger children.
PROGRAM FEATURES
The interactive CDROM Parenting Wisely has specially designed features which include:
1) Automatic tracking of the user’s progress. The CD writes to a floppy disk (inserted at the same time
as the interactive CDROM) and records login time and date, all problems and solutions visited, and performance
on the quiz questions.
2) Highlighting of all parenting skills throughout the program; the user can obtain additional
information just by clicking on these underlined terms. This action leads the user to a glossary that provides both
a more detailed explanation of the skill and appropriate audio examples of parents employing the skills.
3) A built in “notepad” which parents can use to jot down notes and then print.
4) Push-button control of the video with pause, fast forward and reply buttons similar to standard
VCRs.
5) Audio narration that can be turned on or off at the user’s discretion.
FUNDING THE PARENTING WISELY PROGRAM
Most of our customers have written grants to purchase the PW program, computer and materials. The Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration offers funding help at:
http://modelprograms.samhsa.gov/grants.htm
State funds for programs affecting children are sometimes funneled through Family and Children First Councils.
Often several agencies share the cost and use of the program. Juvenile courts have been the other main source of
funds (note: courts often need advance notice for budgeting). Other sources of funds include the Children’s Trust
Fund (for child abuse prevention) and technical assistance or formula grants from the Office of Criminal Justice
Services (each state receives formula grants from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention of
the U.S. Dept. of Justice and makes these funds available to counties for delinquency treatment and prevention).
Grants are also available from your state’s drug and alcohol office, and from The Safe and Drug Free Schools
program. Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) funds, available in every state of the US (usually
through Departments of Human Services), can be used to purchase PW. Titles I and IV funds can be used to
purchase the program. Rotary, Elks, Lions, Kiwanis and school parent-teacher organizations have funded the
purchase of the program. Target, Costco and Wal Mart Department Stores have small grant programs, which
have funded purchase of PW and computers. Ask the store managers.
Private providers have purchased the program, then contracted with social service agencies and courts to provide
the program to referrals. Some charge user fees (ranging from $5 for indigent families to $80) and provide
(OVER)
additional services to parents after they use the program (in family or marital settings, in group therapy or in
parent education classes).
SUGGESTIONS FOR USING PARENTING WISELY WITH EXISTING PROGRAMS:
Juvenile and Drug Courts
 Diversion: have parents and teen use the program as a condition for avoiding court processing.
 Adjudicated cases: have parents and teen use program in addition to other services, such as therapy
(individual, family, group), substance abuse counseling, parent education classes, etc.
 Serious offenders: for youth committed to institutions, requiring parents to use PW prior to or after
release may ease the transition and reduce the risk of re-commitment. Use of PW by parent(s) and youth
together is more effective than use by parent alone.
Domestic Relations Courts
 Divorcing parents: have parents use PW very soon after filing for divorce or dissolution, ideally in
conjunction with a parenting class covering divorce issues (e.g. Children in the Middle—see
www.divorce-education.com). Parenting skills usually decline post-divorce; strengthening parents’
skills improves the parent-child relationship. PW has been shown to reduce conflict between parents.
 Re-litigating parents: when parents file motions for changes in child support, access or custody, they are
probably in conflict, and the children’s risk for harm is increased. Referring both parents to use PW will
improve parenting skills and the parent-child relationship, which is a protective factor for children.
Child protective Services
 Parents found guilty of abuse or neglect can be required to use PW as a condition of reunification.
Caseworkers can sit with parents to use the program (either at the agency or in the home with a laptop)
and learn where the problem areas are; then caseworkers can focus on helping the family in these areas.
 For parents suspected of abuse or neglect, PW can be an evaluative tool.
 For parents required to attend parent education classes, PW is an excellent curriculum, either for
individual or group (video series) use.
 PW is an excellent skills training program for foster parents and can be used for continuing education.
Mental Health
 Use PW prior to the first session of family therapy, especially if there is a waiting list/delay for services.
 Use PW as an adjunct to traditional adult, child, adolescent, family or group therapy. PW makes an
excellent “homework” assignment using local agency, library or laptop computer.
 Use PW as a booster treatment/session after therapy termination.
Human Services
 Use PW as an aid for parents trying to maintain work or school requirements to relieve home-life
stresses.
 Use PW as a component of client (and staff) training, education or volunteer requirements.
 Use PW for life skills (i.e., communication) and adult literacy training
Schools
 Use PW as a reentry requirement (in the school computer lab or with a laptop), with parents of
teens/preteens facing suspension or expulsion.
 Use PW (in school lab or at home with laptop) with parents of teens and preteens with behavior or
substance abuse problems.
 Use PW as a part of parent education curricula for health, life skills and home economics courses.
 Use PW (school computer lab or as laptop loan) in alternative settings serving families with SBD
students.
PW is often used as an icebreaker to get parents to commit to attending months of parenting classes. Agencies
report that 30-40% of parents who use PW individually subsequently attend parenting classes.
(OVER)
RECOMMENDED PROGRAM PACKAGE
One CD-ROM for each location (multiple copy discounts and site licenses available); parent workbooks (one
for each parent); video series for booster treatment (can be loaned for home use). Staff training is minimal, since
PW itself teaches the user how to navigate through the program. However, training sessions individualized for
agency needs are available upon request.
COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS: Interactive CD-ROM vs. Alternatives
Parent Training¹
17 hours @ $100/hr. =
$1,700
Family Therapy²
18 hours @ $100/hr. =
$1,800
Parent Education Classes³ 20 hours @ $100/hr. @ 8 parents =
$250.00/ parent
Parenting Wisely*
$9.75/ parent
$ 6.75/ parent
100 parents/yr. X 3 years @ $2,450 =
300 parents/yr. X 3 years @ $3,750 =
Assumptions:
¹Parent training (individual therapist meets with parent) averages 17 hours in behavioral literature
²Family therapy averages twelve (12) 90-minute sessions
³Parent education classes showing treatment effects often require 10 two-hour classes
*Parenting Wisely program costs include the CDROM program and a workbook for each parent.
PARENTING WISELY DEMO CD-ROM
The demo CD-ROM contains the introduction, a sample problem scenario and the glossary for each of the
available versions of PW (American Teens, Spanish language, Urban Teens (UK), Young Children, and Foster
& Residential Care). The program is made for PCs using Windows 95 or higher. The PW Demo has an auto run
feature and will begin playing automatically after you put the CD-ROM in your drive.
If the screen appears too large for your monitor (running off to the right or bottom), quit the PW program by
simultaneously selecting “Alt+ F4” on your keyboard. Then go to the CONTROL PANEL, select “DISPLAY”
and then “SETTINGS”. Move the bar to the right until it reads 800 x 600, then click APPLY, then OK.
MINIMUM HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS
For desktop PC:
Pentium III 700MHz, high-end Pentium Celeron 1GHz or more,
or high end AMD processor 1GHz or more
128MB if Windows 98 SE, and 256MB if Windows 2000 / Windows XP
32MB video RAM, hard drive space: 1GB free, 16X CD-ROM drive
Recommended Brands (in order): Dell, Gateway, IBM, Sony, Toshiba, HP, Compaq
For laptop PC:
Pentium III 700 MHz or higher (Celeron 900 MHz, or AMD 1Ghz or higher)
128 MB RAM, 32 MB Video RAM
Hard drive space: 1 GB free, Windows XP
Recommended Brands (in order): IBM, Dell, Toshiba, Sony, Compaq, HP
The best way to check if the program can be played on a certain computer is to test it with the PW demo CD.
Family Works offers ongoing technical support at no charge for Parenting Wisely program purchasers.
(OVER)
ABOUT THE DEVELOPER
Dr. Donald A. Gordon is a clinical child and family psychologist and an Emeritus Professor of Psychology
(Ohio University). For over 30-years he has conducted research on parent and family interventions, and trained
graduate students, paraprofessionals and professionals to perform effective interventions. Dr. Gordon has
published over 50 journal articles and chapters in edited books, and has received numerous state, federal, and
private foundation grants. He has disseminated three interventions that he has developed: Home Based
Behavioral Systems Family Therapy, the Children in the Middle program for divorcing parents, and Parenting
Wisely.
RESEARCH SUMMARY
Some of the following studies were conducted as honors and masters theses and doctoral dissertations. Results
were presented at national and international conferences and either have been published or are in preparation for
publication in leading scientific journals. Most of these, articles as well as reports by several other independent
research studies, can be read and downloaded in their entirety from the website: www.parentingwisely.com
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
X.
XI.
XII.
XIII
Gordon, D.A. (2003) Intervening with troubled families: Functional family therapy and Parenting
Wisely. In J. McGuire (Ed.) Treatment and Rehabilitation of Offenders. Sussex, England: John
Wiley & Sons.
Gordon, D.A., & Rolland-Stanar, C. (2003). Lessons learned from the dissemination of Parenting
Wisely, A Parent Training CD-ROM. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 10, 312-323.
Segal, D., Chen, P.Y., Gordon, D.A., Kacir, C.Y., & Gylys, J. (2003). Development and evaluation
of a parenting intervention program: Integration of scientific and practical approaches. International
Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 15, 453-468.
O’Neill, H., and Woodward, R. (2002) Evaluation of the Parenting Wisely CD-ROM parent
training programme: An Irish replication. Irish Journal of Psychology, 23, No.1-2, 62-72.
Gordon, D. A. (2000). Parent training via CD-ROM. Using technology to disseminate effective
prevention practice. Journal of Primary Prevention, 21(2), 227-251.
Kacir, C.D., and Gordon, D.A. (1999) Parenting Adolescents Wisely: The effects of an interactive
video-based parent training program in Appalachia. Child and Family Behavior Therapy, 21(4), 122.
Lagges, A. and Gordon, D.A. (1997). Interactive videodisk parent training for teen mothers. Child
and Family Behavior Therapy, 21 (1), 19-37.
Gordon, D.A., and Kacir, C. D. Effectiveness of an interactive parent training program for
changing adolescent behavior for court-referred parents.
Woodruff, C.M., Gordon, D.A., & Lobo, T.R. Reaching High-risk Families Through Home-Based
Parent Training. A Comparison of Interactive CD-ROM and Self-help Parenting Programs.
Rolland-Stanar, C., Gordon, D. A., & Carlston, D. Reducing family violence through school-based
parent training.
Jenks, J. and Gordon, D.A. A comparison of two methods of parent education for high school
students.
Lobo, T., Ponferrada,, E., & Gordon, D.A. Group vs. individual parent education by CD-ROM.
Hupertz, M., and Gordon, D.A. (1995) Interactive video parent training for children with conduct
problems.
The following National and International conferences have featured presentations about the PW program:
 National Council on Family Relations (1998,1999,2000)
 International Association of Applied Psychology (1998)
 Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (1998,1999,2000,2001)
 Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (2001)
 International Congress on Parent Education (1996,1997, 2000, 2002)
 What Works in Corrections (1996,1998)
 Coalition for Marriages, Family and Couples Education (1997,1998, 1999,2000, 2002, 2003, 2004)
 International Association for Research in Family Education (2001)
 National Foster Parent Association (2001, 2002)
(OVER)












National Education Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (1998, 2000)
European Scientific Association for Residential and Foster Care (2002)
Association Internationale de Formation et de Recherche en Education Familiale (2001, 2003, 2005)
Foster Family Treatment Association (2001)
American School Counselor Association (2001)
Children, Youth and Families at Risk (2002, 2004)
Society of Prevention Research (2004)
National Conference on Juvenile Justice (2004)
National Middle School Association (2004)
Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (2002, 2003)
Child Welfare League of America (2004, 2005)
Community Anti Drug Coalitions of America (2005)
ORDERING INFORMATION
Order by phone, email, fax, or online.
Family Works Inc.
1005 East State St., Suite G
Athens, Ohio 45701-3751
Phone: 740-594-2502 or 541-488-0729
TOLL-FREE: 866-234-WISE
Fax 541-482-2829
e-mail: familyworks@familyworksinc.com
(OVER)