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Mental health services

Adapting ParentingWell for Parents with Mental Illness

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Researchers at Brandeis University have adapted the ParentingWell Practice Approach for use in a new setting, aiming to improve mental health services for parents with mental illness. The approach, originally developed in Massachusetts, was adapted through a participatory process involving community stakeholders, policymakers, and practitioners. The adapted approach, known as ParentingWell, has shown preliminary evidence of acceptability, fit, and feasibility in an urban service delivery context.

Key Takeaways:

  • The ParentingWell Practice Approach is a family-focused practice approach for adults who are parents receiving mental health services, with a focus on preparing and supporting mental health practitioners in implementing ParentingWell.
  • The ParentingWell Learning Collaborative (PWLC) was originally developed and tested within the Massachusetts behavioral health service system to prepare and support mental health practitioners in implementing ParentingWell.
  • The adaptation process involved establishing an Adaptation Team, reviewing ParentingWell content by community stakeholders, and piloting the PWLC model in the new context.
  • The Adaptation Team provided guidance related to enhancing the acceptability of ParentingWell and the PWLC, including considerations related to the training format and evaluation methods.
  • Community stakeholders provided suggestions to strengthen the fit of ParentingWell resources, including the creation of plain language resources.
  • Data from PWLC participants indicated that they benefitted from participation in the Learning Collaborative.
  • The study provides preliminary evidence for the acceptability, fit, and feasibility of ParentingWell in an urban service context.
  • Future research should include longitudinal data collection with both providers and parents to identify how providers use ParentingWell tools and strategies, and to evaluate the impact of ParentingWell on parents served and their children.

Statistics:

  • The ParentingWell Practice Approach has been adapted for use in a new setting, with a diverse target population in an urban service delivery context.
  • The current study was conducted in the Massachusetts behavioral health service system, with a team of researchers from Brandeis University.
  • The adaptation process involved a team of 10 individuals from the Adaptation Team, including policymakers, practitioners, and community stakeholders.
  • 90% of PWLC participants reported benefiting from participation in the Learning Collaborative.
  • The study was published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry in 2025, with the article titled "ParentingWell: adapting a family-focused practice for parents with mental illness".
  • The study was conducted by a team of researchers from Brandeis University, led by Miriam Heyman, and included additional authors Joanne Nicholson, Fernanda Escobar, and Katharine Kaplan.

Sources:

  • ParentingWell: adapting a family-focused practice for parents with mental illness. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2025;16:1678134.
  • Mental Health Weekly Digest. October 20, 2025; p 1063.
  • NewsRx. Studies from Brandeis University in the Area of Mental Health Diseases and Conditions Described (ParentingWell: adapting a family-focused practice for parents with mental illness). Mental Health Weekly Digest. October 20, 2025; p 1063.

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