Abstract
ParentingWell® is an approach to routine practice that makes
talking about parenting, children, and family experiences a natural
part of the conversation and of an adult’s recovery process.
Appropriate, effective treatment for an adult’s specific behavioral
health condition is paramount. However, recovery does not occur in isolation. Family can
provide motivation for change. Family members can encourage
and support individuals to seek help. Parenting provides
opportunities to be part of a community—in the neighborhood
or through participation at children’s school events, for example.
ParentingWell promotes a parent’s ability to live interdependently
and to pursue recovery in the context of family life. The ParentingWell practice approach promotes opportunities
to conduct family-focused conversations, to generate a familyinformed service plan, or simply to provide services to an adult
living with a mental health condition or addiction, taking parenting
and family circumstances into account. Just as you might routinely
ask about housing, school or employment, or friends and social
supports, it is important to ask: