Background: Parenting programs are held to facilitate parent-child relationships and assist parents in preventing or addressing their children’s difficulties. The aim of this preliminary study was to explore the processes and benefits of a group-based parent support intervention, run as a clinical service.

Method: The intervention employed the format of a single-session group for parents, run at a well-being clinic in urban Bangalore. The sample included 123 parents, with a total of 50 sessions run over a period of 3.5 years. The sessions were observed and evaluated with regard to group discussions and processes. Immediate feedback was elicited and a 6-month telephonic follow-up was carried out with a subset of parents.

Results: Problems discussed by parents in the groups included developmental, academic, behavioural or emotional problems of the child, in addition to parents’ own problems. Observation of the processes indicated that parents took an active participatory role in group sessions. A majority of the parents reported the group session to be beneficial in understanding the nature of the child’s problems.

Conclusion: This study points to the value of a group-based parent support intervention in promoting parents’ understanding of children and their problems.