About APC
Active Parenting Canada has been providing support to parent educators since the early 90’s. Family Services of Central Alberta took over Active Parenting Canada in 2013 as a social enterprise and continues to support parent educators across Canada. Over the last year, we have responded to training needs and expanded to do virtual training in parenting programs that support all ages and stages. Active Parenting programs are an evidence based, video based parenting program that is offering new ways to help families survive and thrive in our changing world. Topics include brain development, parenting styles, communication, positive discipline and school success.
As an organization, we have been supporting families by providing Active Parenting programs in our center and have seen the success families have once they have participated in the classes.
About Active Parenting
Dr. Michael H. Popkin, a former child and family therapist and Coordinator of Child and Family Services for Northside Community Mental Health Centers in Atlanta, Georgia, founded active Parenting Publishers (APP) in 1980. The goal in founding APP was to apply state-of-the-art educational technology to the field of parenting education. The APP model is largely based upon the theories of Alfred Adler and Rudolf Dreikurs as it relates to an “authoritative approach” to parenting as opposed to an “autocratic or permissive” approach.
The Theory Behind Active Parenting
The Active Parenting model is largely based upon the theories of Alfred Adler and Rudolf Dreikurs known as “Adlerian psychology.” These theories include the importance of mutual respect between people, and an emphasis on cognitive-behavioral approaches to change, personal choice, and responsibility.
Parenting skills that derive from these theories and that are taught in Active Parenting are described as an “authoritative approach” (as opposed to autocratic or permissive), and include such methods as natural and logical consequences, recognizing the goals of behavior, family meetings and problem-solving skills, the importance of encouragement, and much more.
Dr. Popkin has extended the Adlerian model, creating specific methods designed to support and prepare families through “every stage, every step” of their child’s development. These include such tools as the “think-feel-do” cycle, the positive and negative approaches to the four goals of behavior, the FLAC (Feelings, Limits, Alternatives, Consequences) method of discipline, the importance of relationship building through “family enrichment activities and the self-esteem spiral.” In addition, Active Parenting includes communication theory evolving from the work of Carl Rogers, Robert Carkuff, and others that are used to teach active listening, empathy for others, feeling recognition, and problem solving. These skills are taught under the title “Active Communication” and are the perfect complement to the cognitive-behavioral model of Adlerian psychology.
