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Early intervention is always better than crisis management - but it is never too late to do the right thing.

Criticism is not a motivator.

"To be a man, a boy must see a man."  (J.R. Moehringer)

The quickest way to change your child’s behaviour is to first change your own.

The challenge of adolescence is to balance the right of the parents to feel they are in charge with the need of the adolescent to gain independence.

Many clinicians find it easier to tell parents their child has a brain-based disorder than suggest parenting changes. Jennifer Harris (psychiatrist)

"Moody" and "unpredictable" are adjectives parents will often use when referring to their teenagers.

Whining and crying are employed by kids for the purpose of getting something. If it works, then it was worth the effort and will be repeated.

You cannot reason with someone who is being unreasonable.

Hurt people hurt people.

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Living With & Treating Depression in Young People

RECOGNIZING, LIVING WITH AND TREATING DEPRESSION IN YOUNG PEOPLE ———————————————   Living with someone who is depressed can be a profoundly depressing experience     ———————————————————————————         Parents of teens expect mood swings, highs and lows and challenges to authority that are part of normal adolescence. But being a parent of a depressed young person can be a very daunting, overwhelming experience. It often produces dramatic and frightening changes in their behaviour, […]

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CYC Job Placement

Best wishes to the Fanshawe College (Woodstock campus) Child and Youth Counsellor students who are about to begin a 4 month work placement. These work experiences in the community allow students to put the theoretical knowledge they gain from their academic courses into practice in the real world. The CYC program is a 3 year diploma course with three semesters in class and 3 semesters in the field. It is my privilege to be a […]

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Depression – What It Is & What It Is Not

Depression is not: – a sign of weakness – a punishment for past wrongs – a flaw in a person’s character or  personality – the young person’s fault       It is an illness that results in: – emotional changes – physical changes – cognitive changes – behavioural changes         HOW COMMON IS IT ? – between 5-15% of all older children &  teens – a high school with 1000 students […]

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The Golden rules of Temper Tantrums

Tantrums are a normal part of a child’s development. Always remember the boy Scouts motto: Be Prepared. Never look around at the faces of those people watching you when your child is having a tantrum in public. The more involved you are with your child’s tantrum, the longer it will last. Remember to catch him being good as often as you can. Understand that all children want their parents’ love and attention. Move on and […]

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Depression – the stress “triggers”

  THE STRESS “TRIGGERS”   “Bad” things happen to kids                   – 1/2 of Canadian families go through divorce                   – 1/4 of Canadian women report having been sexually abused                   – parents, siblings, friends die   The overwhelmingly majority of children are remarkably resilient and emerge from the “bad” things relatively unscathed.   Those predisposed to anxiety and depression sometimes develop major depression after a stressful event.       Studies with animals corroborate […]

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Workshops

+ Behaviour Management (now available online)

This full day or 2 evening workshop will introduce you […]

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+ A Parent’s Guide to the Teenage Brain

  A teenager’s brain is not just an adult brain […]

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+ Reading Rescue

A program for children with reading problems

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+ A Guided Tour of ADHD (now available online)

This workshop will present the facts, myths, misconceptions, controversy and […]

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Contact

2720 Rath Street, Putnam, Ontario
NOL 2BO

Phone: (519) 485-4678
Fax: (519) 485-0281

Email: info@rickharper.ca

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Parents' Comments

“I wish we had found Rick 2 years ago. We could have saved ourselves and our son a lot of trouble.”

(T.T. – Byron)