Skip to content

Main Menu

  • About
    • About Lionheart
    • Our History
    • Who We Are
    • Contact
  • Programs
    • Houses of Healing
      • The National Solitary Project
      • The National Solitary Project Fundraiser
    • Power Source
    • Power Source Parenting
    • EQ2
    • Training & Support
    • Research
  • Products
  • Community
    • Blog
  • Support Us
    • Donate
    • Volunteer
    • Partner
  • Donate
Cart

Power Source Parenting

for teenage parents

A practical and accessible book written for teen and young adult parents and the professionals who support them. It equips teen parents with social-emotional competencies and regulatory skills to become emotionally available and nurturing parents, and to raise their children in a healthy way.

Overview

Most teen parents share one thing in common — the desire to be great parents, the kind of loving and unconditionally supportive caretakers they may not have had. Power Source Parenting empowers youth to become exactly that. Power Source Parenting is an innovative, trauma informed program designed to provide adolescents with the knowledge and skills they need to grow into strong adults, become effective parents, and raise healthy children. What separates Power Source Parenting from other programs is the belief that self regulation lies at the heart of effective parenting and that you can’t teach your own children critical social and emotional skills unless you possess them yourself. Power Source Parenting has received funding from the National Institutes of Health and there are over 30,000 copies of the book in circulation.

The interactive, thirteen-session program addresses:

  • How to balance the competing needs of being a teen and being a parent
  • Managing challenging emotions
  • The importance of creating a healthy attachment to your baby
  • Using positive discipline practices
  • Establishing healthy relationships with partners
  • Finding common ground with the baby’s father
  • Three generational living
  • Understanding how high risk behavior impacts your ability to parent effectively
  • Becoming an emotion coach to your child

Who It helps

Power Source Parenting offers a comprehensive social and emotional learning (SEL) program for virtually any adolescent parent. However, it is uniquely designed for youth with histories of trauma and intergenerational cycles of abuse and neglect. Power Source Parenting can be used by anyone with an understanding of the strengths and needs of teen parents including direct care staff, counselors, teachers, parenting specialists, psychologists, and social workers. Power Source Parenting is one of the few programs that addresses the risk factors associated with children being removed from parental care and focuses on the parent behaviors required for reunification. It can be utilized in a variety of settings, such as:

  • Residential teen parenting programs
  • Community based parenting support programs
  • School based parenting programs
  • Child welfare agencies
  • Home visiting programs

Why It Works

Power Source Parenting is a strength based program that recognizes the inherent resilience and fortitude of teen parents. The program makes its impact by first meeting youth where they are (with no judgement!) and offering an engaging, developmentally informed guide to becoming attuned and sensitive parents. Power Source Parenting helps teen parents build their self regulation capacities through mindfulness training and evidence based cognitive behavioral skills. Power Source Parenting uses motivational interviewing techniques to help reduce the risk behaviors many trauma impacted teen parents engage in including substance abuse, interpersonal violence, and offending behaviors in order to be more attuned and effective parents. Taking control of one’s own emotions and behaviors is the first step in modeling and transmitting effective SEL skills to one’s child. The program also integrates concepts from proven parenting interventions such as Parent Management Training to equip parents with the discipline skills shown to reduce child behavior problems and build parents’ sense of competence.

Learn more about the impact that Power Source Parenting has on participants.

Play Video

Each purchase of Power Source Parenting comes with access to The Mindful Parenting Videos which use real teens to model sensitive and attuned caregiving. Available at no charge to agencies that purchase the Power Source Parenting manual.

Program Resources

Book for teen parents
Book for teen parents
Add to Cart
Facilitator Manual
<br>Easy to use guide to group facilitation
Facilitator Manual
Easy to use guide to group facilitation
Add to Cart

Additional Resources

These free Power Source Parenting videos can be used alongside the Power Source Parenting book and manual. The videos feature adolescent parents modeling mindful parenting practices, as well as specific skills from the Power Source program.

ACCESS FREE RESOURCES

Research

Research and ongoing program evaluation are critical components of ensuring that our resources are not only effective, but are revised to incorporate the growing body of knowledge in the fields of social and emotional learning, trauma, and effective treatment delivery.

LEARN MORE

Testimonials

Our agency has been providing case management and support services to adolescent parents and their children for over 22 years. We have reviewed and utilized numerous resource materials over this period, including books, brochures, pamphlets, videos, DVDs, etc. I have never come across a resource that has been so universally accepted and embraced by my staff as Power Source Parenting.

Program Director
Adolescent and Family Services, Fresno, CA

Power Source Parenting really inspired me. I took a real interest in this book. It warmed my brain with a lot of thoughts about my life. The horrible situations I went through during my childhood nobody can believe. This book made me stronger and more confident as a parent.

Jen
16 years old

Power Source Parenting gives young parents vital information, practical tools and a clear picture of challenges they will face and skillful ways to meet those challenges.

Molly Baldwin
Director, ROCA, Chelsea, MA

The Power Source Parenting group really helped me out with discipline. It taught me a lot about how to deal with temper tantrums and so much more. It’s like I see parenting in another way now. I don’t want my baby going through what I went through. I want to give him all the love I got.

Ginny
17 years old

I love Power Source Parenting. I have been teaching child development and working with teen moms for eight years. I have reviewed MANY books. I find Power Source Parenting so useful because it is readable, current and realistic. The issues addressed are those my students deal with on a daily basis. And reflection sessions are thought provoking and helpful.

High School Counselor
California

This book is an indispensable source for young parents themselves, and for those who work with them.

Judith S. Musick, PhD
Founding Director, The Ounce of Prevention Fund, Chicago, IL

I am very impressed with how genuine this book is. It is difficult to find reading material that connects with youth. Either the author tries too hard to connect making the book disingenuous. Or they alienate the young reader with a writing style they cannot relate to. Thank you for supporting us with this book that gets to the heart and soul of being a young parent in these times.

Teenworks Teacher
Crossroads Pregnancy Resource Center

The teens who participated in the Power Source Parenting groups, found the information informative, useful, and fun! They reported feeling validated and hopeful. They looked forward to group every week and were totally engaged. Power Source Parenting is an invaluable resource for any professional working with teen parents.

Elizabeth Dugan
Program Director, St. Mary's Women and Children's Center, Boston, MA

What I like about this book is the down to earth approach from the perspectives of the young inexperienced parent and the clear and insightful comments from the author. Most of my parents who struggle with parenting skills were not parented themselves…. For those who missed those opportunities, Power Source Parenting is definitely the place to begin. I’d love to give a copy to all my clients.

Janet M.
Case Manager

The book is wonderful! It is not just for teens as I see value for most of our parents with young children. The chapter for Dads is great. I want to use it at our Father Support Team Meetings.

Parent Involvement Coordinator
Head Start, NC

I learned how to actually bond with my daughter because we always had a little issue where she wouldn’t listen to me. And she’s starting to listen to me now. The sheets you guys give us on learning how to talk to them, hold them, play with them, look them in the eyes… like she likes that. She likes the attention…. Everyone liked this group. It was just helpful because we all have kids and we all have trouble handling them. It made it a lot easier. I just want to say thank you. It really helped me with her.

Tiffany
Power Source Parenting Program Participant

Power Source Parenting has been a great resource. I shared it with a 17-year-old mother with a runaway history. It was a big help to her as it helped her to clarify her goals and realize the effect that her actions would have on her child in the long run.

LMSW
Hattiesburg, MS

I wholeheartedly endorse this book.

Carolyn Wiseheart
Executive Director, Healthy Families San Angelo, San Angelo, TX

I have a new positive perspective on myself and I realize I have control over a lot more in life than I thought.

Power Source Parenting Program Participant
Ruth House, Brockton, MA
  • Overview
  • Program Resources
  • Additional Resources
  • Research
  • Testimonials

Changing Lives – Building Futures

Read our biannual update

Contact Us

PO Box 327
Dedham, MA 02027
Phone: 781-444-6667
questions@lionheart.org

Sign up for our newsletter

© 2023 The Lionheart Foundation. All rights reserved. Terms | Privacy Policy