High-risk families were characterized by either excessively rigid interaction styles or excessively chaotic styles with little structure. Low-risk parents tended to be flexible and communicative with adolescents, providing clear boundaries to protect the individuality of family members. All of the 62 families assessed, whether low-risk or high-risk, were invited to participate in the Family Intervention Project (FIP). The FIP goal was to increase parents' use of positive discipline techniques that did not involve physical punishment. The program provided information on the challenges of parenting adolescents, training in skills of communication with adolescents, and the development of discipline alternatives to physical punishment. A central focus was the development of parental empathy for the needs of adolescents. Anonymous self-reports from participants, feedback from graduate student observers, and leader judgment indicate the program content was appropriate for parents' needs and that the mix of high-risk and low-risk parents was not disadvantageous. 1 table and 26 references.