Skilled Parenting is a parenting education program and support group available to any parent experiencing difficulty in raising children. The program is designed to improve skills in parenting, assertiveness, communication and coping while education the parent about additional resources in the community for the family. Another goal is to prevent child abuse by teaching effective parenting skills to at-risk parents.

Participants lessen their degree of social isolation through the weekly meetings and many find comfort in a non-threatening, non-judgmental group setting.

Although the program receives referrals from local child protective agencies, health care providers, schools and other social service organizations, any parent or caretaker is welcome to attend.

The goal of the Skilled Parenting Program is to help parents:

•	Learn basic parenting techniques.
•	Communicate more effectively.
•	Learn realistic expectations for children.
•	Learn appropriate anger and stress management.
•	Learn alternative methods of discipline.
•	Work toward a healthy self esteem and learn to build the child\\\\\\\'s self esteem.
•	Build better lives for themselves and their children.

This program is sponsored by the HandsOn Texarkana and Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services.

For more information regarding meeting times, please e-mail HandsOnTxk@aol.com or call 903-798-3211.