Embracing the NEST Philosophy: A Holistic Approach to Nurturing and Empowering Families
Discover how Parenting Journey’s NEST Philosophy provides a holistic approach to nurturing families, empowering them through healing, self-efficacy, and growth.
What is the NEST Philosophy?
At Parenting Journey, our mission is to fundamentally transform family and community well-being by centering on strengths-based, trauma-informed approaches that help families and communities thrive.
To do this, we train professionals in the field of family services, foster care, human services, neighborhood development, mental health clinics, and more to become facilitators of our Parenting Journey programming, so they can bring our approach rooted in our NEST Philosophy to even more parents and caregivers who could benefit from it.
The Core Elements of the NEST Philosophy
There are four components to our NEST Philosophy:
- Non-didactic: programs are not aimed at teaching how to parent, they help to identify the strengths needed to parent
- Evidence-based: our core program has proven to help parents transition from negative to positive feelings about themselves and life in general
- Strengths-focused: programs hone in on what parents are already good at and amplify it, rather than focusing on weaknesses
- Trauma-informed: programs are designed to acknowledge the impact of past experiences and create a safe space for growth
How Parenting Journey Implements the NEST Philosophy
Our Parenting Journey 1 program was studied in a quasi-experimental program evaluation completed in partnership with the Institute for Community Health and Boston University, showing statistically significant improvements in parents and caregivers who have completed the core curriculum. The results offer solid evidence of the success of our thoughtful approach to parenting support.
Parenting Journey 1 is our core program, with the rest of our trainings including Parenting Journey For Fathers, Parenting Journey 2, Parenting in America, Parenting Journey in Recovery, and My Journey rooted in this established framework.
We designed our programs to help all types of parents, in all types of situations, increase their resilience and confidence, resulting in stronger family relationships. As you’re trained as a group facilitator, you’ll act both as a group leader as well as a participant, while establishing a supportive, safe atmosphere where parents can blend their emotional experience with their intellectual understanding.
The Benefits of a Holistic Approach to Family Support
With a holistic approach to family support, we encourage individuals in your groups to form meaningful relationships with those around them to create a sense of community. By building bonds, they will be able to better trust and lean on, each other during the trials and tribulations that come with parenting children of any age.
The mental, emotional, and social benefits that come with the sense of belonging are immeasurable. Fostering a community reduces rates of loneliness and social anxiety, which are factors that contribute to low self-esteem. When we feel connected, our health and happiness improve, and when families feel connected to their communities, they continue to lay the groundwork for strong relationships inside, and outside, of the home.
Coupled with our NEST Philosophy, focusing on strengths, our PJ families can confidently go out into their community with their best foot forward, showcasing not only what they bring to the table, but better recognizing the inherent strengths in the individuals around them.
Conclusion: Transforming Lives Through the NEST Philosophy
Our NEST Philosophy allows caregivers to identify and focus on the strengths they bring to the table, as well as recognize and honor the impact of past experiences to create a safe space for growth and evolution.
Explore our upcoming trainings for family support professionals today to sign up and make an even bigger impact in your community.
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