**7.1 Psychotherapeutic intervention with helicopter parenting can be conceptualized as teaching them how to**

	- i.**Identifying inappropriate and expensive fears regarding the child's welfare and the development of more realistic expectations:** Therapist needs to understand parent's behavior and role as a parent along with the set boundaries as well. Therapist also needs to have a contextual understanding

**81**

*Helicopter Parenting and Adolescent Development: From the Perspective of Mental Health*

parenting and how they may play a role in child pathology.

enting" and thoughts surrounding the situation.

of the roots of parental-over involvement. Strategies to be followed: (a) Reviewing the parent's histories and their concerns about their child's needs and definition of their role in the parent-child dyad. This helps identifying further strategies to be employed (e.g., parental regret would be addressed in a manner different from anxiety, at a cognitive level) [11, 53]. (b) Psychoeducation about "positive" parenting versus overprotective

ii.**Hyperinvolvement and over protectiveness of parents toward the child:** The rationale of this target behavior is to help parents identify behaviors that maybe contribute to maintenance of dependency in child and build an insight into the parenting practice. Psychotherapeutic strategy for such behavior is monitoring and identifying behaviors that constitute "overpar-

iii.**Discuss the benefits of allowing the child to gain wisdom from the experience of making mistakes:** Targeting this behavior works on bringing an insight into parents regarding their overinvolvement in child's life. Therapist assists the parents in creating a list of the benefits to both the parent and the child, allowing the child to learn from mistakes (e.g., child learns to accept responsibility for the outcome of both good and bad decisions). Therapy sessions also target on teaching parents to express empathy and understanding when the child struggles with the result of poor judgment or irresponsible behavior without interfering to prevent the teaching value of

iv.**Outline circumstances in which the child can safely learn from the consequences of a mistake or poor decision:** The rational of targeting this behavior is to allow the client to gain a gradual confidence in his/her ability to handle problems independently. The strategies are to be used. (a) Barnstorming with the parents help children to learn from the consequences of a poor decision without creating significant danger, destruction, or distress. (b) Assign the parents to identify the circumstances in which they have allowed their child to struggle with the consequences of a personal mistake or

v.**Implement strategies at home designed to foster responsible behavior:** The rational here is to allow the child to develop gradual independence and foster beliefs in the self-reliance of the child. Sessions aim on instructing the parents to facilitate responsibility in the child by: (a) giving the child a manageable task; (b) allowing any mistake to become a learning opportunity; (c) using consequences to teach appropriate behavior; and (d) giving the

vi.**Parental anxiety prompting overprotective behaviors:** The goal is to help parents target and alter potential contributing cognitions that may lead to the parental overinvolvement. The useful psychotherapeutic strategies to target parental anxiety and overprotective behaviors are cognitive reframing

Besides the aforementioned description, there is another therapeutic model that

can also be utilized to improve dysfunctional parenting practices.

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.93155*

the consequence.

poor judgment.

and reattribution.

same task again to check for learning.

*Helicopter Parenting and Adolescent Development: From the Perspective of Mental Health DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.93155*

of the roots of parental-over involvement. Strategies to be followed: (a) Reviewing the parent's histories and their concerns about their child's needs and definition of their role in the parent-child dyad. This helps identifying further strategies to be employed (e.g., parental regret would be addressed in a manner different from anxiety, at a cognitive level) [11, 53]. (b) Psychoeducation about "positive" parenting versus overprotective parenting and how they may play a role in child pathology.


Besides the aforementioned description, there is another therapeutic model that can also be utilized to improve dysfunctional parenting practices.

*Parenting - Studies by an Ecocultural and Transactional Perspective*

According to family differentiation theory, the balance of family interaction is important for healthy development of child. When the interpersonal boundaries are blurred, the sense of autonomy and individuality does not build up. With helicopter parenting, the boundaries are blurred; hence, it affects behavioral, cognitive, and emotional development and psychosocial adjustment during adolescence [49].

The phenomenon of helicopter parenting is one, which is still under developing study and research. Research regarding intervention strategies to help ease and reduce the over-involvement practices is still in its nascent stage. Before providing the intervention, the several domains of parenting associated with children should be assessed. Hence, a detailed assessment helps therapist to deal with the parental

behavior and children's as well. The assessments can include as follows:

**7.1 Psychotherapeutic intervention with helicopter parenting can be** 

a.Allow the child to participate independently in age-appropriate activities

b.Allow the child to learn from mistakes and react with empathy and support

c.Encourage the child to solve problems alone or with minimal guidance only

d.Utilize the techniques of positive discipline to facilitate responsible behavior

e.Offer the unconditional love for the child that is not based on behavior or

f. Encourage the child to plan for the future by setting long- and short-term

i.**Identifying inappropriate and expensive fears regarding the child's welfare and the development of more realistic expectations:** Therapist needs to understand parent's behavior and role as a parent along with the set boundaries as well. Therapist also needs to have a contextual understanding

**7.2 Parental behavior, rational, and useful psychotherapeutic strategies**

**6.3 Family differentiation theory**

**7. Assessment and intervention**

1.family dysfunctions

2. communication pattern

3.personality assessment

when requested.

accomplishments.

personal goals.

and independent thinking.

4.helicopter parenting assessment [17, 51, 52].

offering support and "can-do" encouragement.

**conceptualized as teaching them how to**

when the consequences are experienced.

**80**
