Transforming
the Difficult Child: The Nurtured Heart Approach
Many parents with "difficult" children are
desperate for help, yet prefer to avoid resorting to harsh measures or
medication. The
Nurtured Heart Approach, developed by Tucson,
Arizona family therapist Howard Glasser, offers an alternative approach
that reaches the child's heart and leads to remarkable behavior changes.
Ordinary methods of parenting and teaching typically backfire with
intense children. Despite the best of intentions, the harder adults
attempt normal responses, the worse the situation can inadvertently
become(Glasser).
Research on the Nurtured Heart Approach has shown that
ninety-seven percent (97%) of children who were candidates for
medication were able to avoid starting them with the use of the Nurtured
Heart Approach. I believe we owe it to these children to use
alternatives to medication that breed success.
The Nurtured Heart Approach is based on the premise that
intense children are subconsciously seeking the emotional energy of the
adults in their lives. We often think of this energy as the “attention”
we give to them. Instead, if we think of the children we care about as
needing this energy
in order to recharge their own internal batteries, it becomes clear what
is really happening when they act with such intensity.
The Nurtured Heart Approach gives parents and caregivers an
clear understanding of how a challenging child responds to normal ways
of parenting and why traditional method actually make the situation
worse. It also provides a powerful set of strategies designed
specifically to turn the challenging child around to a new pattern of
success. Learning to use this approach can make it easier to shift a
difficult child to being more cooperative and to use the child's
intensity in positive and creative ways. Training for child care professionals based on the
Nurtured Heart Approach is provided by the Center for Inclusive Child
Care. If you are interested in scheduling this training, please
contact me.
