With twelve skills to learn, it is best to follow the suggested method of practising them one at a time before going on to additional skills. One unique feature is that this book allows for the parents’ own style rather then expecting them to follow a prescribed style. You can be authoritarian, authoritative (more democratic), or permissive and still find these skills useful. Probably most parents move from being in total control of their children’s lives when they are very young to expecting them to look after themselves when they are nearly ready to leave the nest.
This would also be a good textbook for a facilitator to use in a parenting class. There are exercises and lots of examples. But the method is only as good as people are willing to use it. My own experience in leading Parent Effectiveness Training groups showed me that while the parents were taking the course, they were getting very good results. But living in the community I was able to see the long term effect of the course. Without the ongoing support most parents reverted to their old ineffective ways.