welcome image

"Cutting" is a visible sign to the world that you are hurting.

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

The teenage years require a delicate balance between the young person's need to gain independence, and the parent's need to retain authority.

Wouldn't it be nice if children would simply listen and learn.

"The thing that impresses me most about North America is the way parents obey their children"    (King Edward VII , 1841-1910)

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

Parents are the external regulator for kids who cannot regulate themselves.

It is what we say and do when we're angry that creates the very model our children will follow when dealing with their own frustrations.

Hurt people hurt people.

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.

Learn more.

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 this (mice, rats, monkeys)
                  – maternal deprivation
                  – social isolation
                  – maltreatment
                  ( these stressors caused changes in the structure and function of their brains similar to those
                   seen in adult humans with depression)
 
CHANGES  TO THE ADOLESCENT’S BRAIN
                                PLUS
THE STRESS CAUSED BY THEIR DEVELOPMENT TASKS
                            COINCIDE
WITH INCREASED RATES OF  MAJOR PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS 

Back to Top

Workshops

+ Behaviour Management (now available online)

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

Learn more

+ A Parent’s Guide to the Teenage Brain

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

Learn more

+ Reading Rescue

A program for children with reading problems

Learn more

+ A Guided Tour of ADHD (now available online)

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

Learn more

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

Archive


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)