In a 2024 public health advisory, the former U.S. Surgeon General highlighted the significant mental health challenges facing parents today. These pressures underscore the critical need for honest advice around parenting in the twenty-first century – which this new course aims to provide. “Parents are facing stressors they’ve never faced before,” Dr. Santos said. “It’s made an already challenging job even harder, and to top it off, this is the first time in human history we have parenting influencers giving updates all the time, making many parents feel like they’re not doing enough.”
This self-paced, asynchronous course includes seven 45-minute modules packed with research-backed lessons, questions from real parents, and expert advice that’s both practical and grounded in science. “The Science of Well-Being for Parents” builds on Dr. Santos’ widely popular online courses, “The Science of Well-Being” and “The Science of Well-Being for Teens,” which have attracted over 4 million students globally, representing one-third of all enrollments in Yale’s online offerings through Coursera.
“From the beginning, our goal was to bring parent voices to the forefront,” said Belinda Platt, Senior Associate Director of Digital Education and course producer. “We surveyed thousands of parents and asked them to share their most pressing parenting challenges. These insights shaped the structure of this course, helping us to build something grounded in science and relevant to their day-to-day lives.”
