Parenting is full of moments when emotions run high—your child’s and your own. In Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), validation is one of the core relationship skills, and it can be one of the most powerful tools you have as a parent: for their emotion regulation and for your own as well as for the connection you have.

Fear is a powerful emotion in parenting. We fear our kids will get hurt, will fail, be rejected, struggle socially, or fall apart emotionally. No parent wants their child to have difficulties or be distressed. Sometimes fear helps us to pay attention and problem-solve or protect. Other times, fear causes bigger problems.

There’s a cornerstone skill for emotion regulation that parents often neglect: Care of their bodies. As impossible as it can sometimes feel, it’s also profoundly necessary. The skill’s acronym is PLEASE.

Getting stuck in “nonacceptance” of reality often leads to more pain. Learn how the powerful skill of radical acceptance can help parents break free of what SHOULD be to make space for what IS, reducing suffering in the process.

Parents juggling many responsibilities can find themselves getting stuck in extremes when it comes to holding limits—too strict or too permissive—or flip flopping back and forth. DBT offers a helpful approach to finding a more balanced middle ground.

With all of the social, political and global changes going on, parents can feel even more overwhelmed. This article explores simple tips for parents.

Wise Mind is one of DBT’s three “states of mind.” When applied to parenting, it can be a game changer for families experiencing emotional and behavioral challenges.

The kids are not okay. With mental health disorders on the rise, parents are struggling to manage distress and conflict when family life gets hard. Parents need compassionate support and practical tools for regulating emotions.