Parenting skills begin with the premise that in order to change a child's behavior, the parent needs to clarify the specific needs of the child emotionally, physically, socially, educationally, etc.

The parent needs to find out what the needs of the child are and to respond to them as much as possible.  The child is part of the family system, the question is how the child feels and functions within this system and how the system leads to difficulty in his/her behavior.

Improving the child's behavior takes place once the child's needs have been responded to.  Yet, parenting skills are needed to set limits and boundaries in shaping the child's behavior.  Behavior modification is proven to help achieve those goals.  Therefore, these techniques are utilized as part of the parenting skills therapy process.