Mellow Dads

Mellow Dads is an attachment and relationship based group intervention for Dads who have babies and young children. Mixtures of reflective and practical techniques are used to allow parents to address their personal challenges and the challenges they face with their children. A typical Mellow Dad’s group will run for 14 weeks, one day a week. A typical group might run between 10am and 2:30pm. Children participate in a children’s group while the parents meet together.

In the personal group parents discuss and reflect how their own experiences of being parented is affecting their relationships with their children now.

The Parenting Workshop is where parents’ own videos are used to build on existing skills, get feedback from their peers and practice new ways of relating to their children.

The morning sessions comprise of the personal group where parents discuss and reflect how their own experiences of being parented is affecting their relationships with their children now.

Over snack/activity time the parents and children eat together and participate in a joint activity. This allows the parent and child to share in fun activities which build and strengthen their relationship. Lunchtime activities build up a repertoire of cheap or free activities to draw on at home or later.

Dads then participate in a parenting workshop where strengths-based video feedback of their own videos helps them build on their existing skills and practice new ways of relating to their children. Parents are also encouraged to “HAVE A GO!” at home putting into practice the things they have learned.