Parent Project

Parent Project® 

Parents: Do you worry that your teenager is making poor choices that may negatively impact his or her future? Would you like to spend less time arguing with your teen? The Parent Project may be a solution to your worry and frustration.

When facing the toughest adolescent behaviors, parents need three things: desire, information, and support. If you have the desire, Parent Project® will provide you with the information and support in a 10-week workshop that will build a foundation your child cannot shake!

What is it?

  • A 10-11 week parent training program designed specifically for parents of strong-willed or out-of-control adolescent children ages 10 and above.
  • The curriculum teaches concrete identification, prevention, and intervention strategies for the most worrisome, and potentially dangerous, adolescent behaviors (arguing and family conflict, poor school attendance and performance, media influences, early teen sexual behavior, alcohol and other drug use, destructive relationships, running away, and violent behavior).


How does it work?

  • The focus of the program is to help parents learn specific ways to change worrisome/negative behavior.
  • Parents attend and learn to manage teen behavior problems at home.
  • Parents meet one time per week, for roughly two hours per session, for between 10 –11 weeks.
    • Weeks 1-7: Step-by-step, concrete skills for preventing and interrupting worrisome/dangerous teen behavior. Learn why teens think the way they do. Develop a tailored plan for your family.
    • Weeks 8-10/11: Fine-tune and implement your intervention plan and continue to develop effective tools to strengthen your relationship with your child.
  • An activity-based workbook, “A Parent’s Guide to Changing Destructive Adolescent Behavior,” is used and available only to program participants.
  • Parent support groups are formed using the UCLA, Self-Help Support Group model.

What behaviors are addressed?

  • Arguing, backtalk, family conflict
  • Poor school performance
  • Truancy and dropping out
  • Influence of social media and technology
  • Early teen sexual activity
  • Drug use by teens and pre-teens (identification and intervention)
  • Destructive relationships
  • Youth violence and bullying
  • Running away and breaking laws

Who sponsors and teaches the program?

  • Mahoning County Juvenile Court, through funding from the Ohio Department of Youth Services, sponsors and hosts the program. An independently licensed counselor facilitates the program. 
  • Trained facilitators working with youth and families in your community teach the curriculum.
  • There are over 3,500 trained facilitators in 36 states across the U.S., who have successfully completed the 40-hour Parent Project® Facilitator Training.


Why the Parent Project®?

  • Thirty years in development, the Parent Project® is the only course of its kind. It was developed in direct response to the questions and challenges parents say they are facing with their strong-willed teenager.
  • Over 150,000 families have attended Parent Project® classes, nationwide.


Contact Us 

For more information: Karen Guerrieri, Parent Project® Facilitator, Mahoning County Juvenile Court (330) 740-2244, ext. 6412 or [email protected]

*Content on this page is adapted from Parent Project website. Additional information about Parent Project can be found at https://parentproject.com/