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Adolescence can be the cruelest place on earth. It can really be heartless.  ( Tori Amos)

The mistake that Sharon and I both made is we never set any boundaries.  (Ozzy Osbourne)

Criticism is not a motivator.

Removing a child from a traumatic environment does not remove the trauma from the child's memory.

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

If it  was going to be easy to raise kids, it never would have started with something called "labour".

If there is no relationship - nothing else matters !

Children fare better when expectations on them are clear and firm.

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

Don't wait for him to turn 10 before you reveal that you are not in fact the hired help whose job it is to clean up after him.

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Mom’s Manifesto

This was taken from Kirk Martin’s newsletter (www.celebrate calm.com) and is worthy to pass on to parents who are being “stretched” by the attitudes and behaviour of their teenage children. Mom’s Manifesto for Personal and Family Sanity (what I will do and what I’ll stop doing) 1. I will stop telling you what you should do and dumping my anxiety about your future on you. It’s your life, not mine, and you’re very capable of […]

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Violent Video Games

    The following is a scene from Grand Theft Auto : Vice City. It is a first person game where the player controls all the characters and is awarded points for behaving in certain ways. You steal a geek’s Corvette and speed along Miami’s roadways. You turn up the volume on the car’s radio. You see a pretty woman standing beside the road and slam on the brakes. She walks over to your car, […]

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Teen Suicide

Statistics: 1. suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among 15 to 24 year olds (after car accidents) 2. for every suicide completion, there are between 100 and 200 attempts 3. 15% of teens report suicide ideation Myths: a) young people rarely think about suicide – FALSE b) talking about suicide will give young people the idea or permission to consider suicide – FALSE c) suicide is sudden and unpredictable – FALSE d) suicidal […]

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ADHD in the Classroom

Many children with ADHD are in constant motion. Classroom settings pose a particular problem for them as they wiggle, squirm, talk out and annoy their neighbours. It is important for teachers and parents to understand that these behaviours are not the result of the children intentionally  choosing to behave in this way. It is an expression of a brain-based biological imbalance of their neurotransmitters. Sitting quietly, without moving for period of time is beyond their […]

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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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Workshops

+ Behaviour Management (now available online)

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

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+ Lick Your Kids

  “Lick Your Kids” (figuratively not literally) (2 hours) First […]

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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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+ Taming a Toddler

Many parents wonder what hit them when their sweet little baby turns into an unreasonable toddler – ideas for dealing with mealtime, bedtime, temper tanturms, toilet training, noncompliance, etc.

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See more of our workshops


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)