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

A tantruming toddler is a little ball of writhing muscle and incredible strength. It's like trying to carry a greased pig past a slop bucket.

Parenting style matters - a lot!

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

We should not medicate the boys so they fit the school; we should change the school to fit the boy. (Leonard Sax, M.D. Ph.D)

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

If you are headed in the wrong direction as a parent - you are allowed to make a U-turn.

Some hope their children will be like sponges soaking up the truth and wisdom imparted by their parents. However appealing this philosophy might be, it seldom seems to catch on with their children.

There has been an explosion in the prescribing of medication for very young children, particularly preschool and kindergarten boys (Juli Zito , Univ. of Maryland)

Good parenting requires sacrifice. Childhood lasts for only a few brief years , but it should be given priority while it is passing before your eyes

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Training Session at Betamarsh

On Wednesday, April 20 I had an opportunity to present a training session to the staff of Betamarsh in Goderich Ontario. The all day session focused on assessing and treating children’s behavioural problems. Betamarsh provides a long-term therapeutic placement for troubled children, adolescents and young adults in a safe and nurturing environment. The goal of their specialized programs is to provide an opportunity for their clients to develop skills which will enable them to reach […]

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“The Difficult Child” – workshop

I will be presenting a workshop entitled “The Difficult Child” at Fanshawe College at the Tillsonburg campus on Wednesday, April 27, 2011 from 6:30 tp 9:30 pm. The cost is $47 and you may register by phoning (519) 421-0144 or (519) 842-9000 ext. 225) Do you find your child difficult to raise? Do you find your child’s behaviour hard to understand? Are you often battling with your child? Do you sometimes feel inadequate or guilty […]

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Face of Facebook (bullying)

I had an opportunity last night to attend a presentation by Katie Cole (Thames Valley District School Board) which focused on the ugly side of social media. My reason for going was that I am not at all into these modern forms of communicating (Facebook, Twitter, etc) but I am frequently asked to deal with the fallout of bullying that has taken place through these sites. Katie gave a very thorough and informative description of […]

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“Alternative” Approaches

The preceding 5 approaches could be described as the “conventional” approaches to changing behaviour. There are of course other directions one could look, but they would be categorized more as “alternative” approaches. I do not mean to belittle them in any way, it is just that they are more “outside the box” and they generally do not have the degree of independent and peer reviewed research to provide evidence of their effectiveness. Examples of these […]

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The “Skills Acquisition” Approach

The skills acquisition approach assumes that the source of the behaviour problems lie in a skills deficit. This means that the child cannot do something or doesn’t know something that directly leads into an inappropriate behaviour. The skills acquisition people state that once the child learns the missing skill, the undesirable behaviors will fade away, therefore the solution lies in determining what skill(s) is lacking and developing a plan to teach it. An obvious example […]

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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

“Our daughter was the joy of our life until she turned 13, then all hell broke loose. Rick helped us understand what was happening to her and we made some adjustments that helped us get through it. She’s now in University and doing well.”

(D.A. – St. Thomas)