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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)

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

It's more effective to reward your child for being "good" (appropriate) than to punish him for being "bad" (inappropriate).

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

When a child is disregulated - is the time parents need to be regulated.

Children mimic well. They catch what they see better than they follow what they hear.

If you (parents) tend to overreact to your child's misbehaviour - your child learns that he can't trust you. Mom, Dad, stay regulated!

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.

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.

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

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“DOOM” by Lori – age 15

DOOM                                       by Lori – age 15
                                    The only visible light          
                                    Into darkness
                                    The only relief is
                                    Cut into my flesh
                                    As deep as sadness
                                    Pain passes away
                                    But I will be left with the scars
                                    From the past
 
                                    I hear vividly the sounds
                                    The screams.
                                    I am but a bug
                                    Invisible to life
                                    Picked on when sought.
                                    Pain is an addiction
                                    The only life I’ve known.
 
                                    Blood returns me to life
                                    But at any mistake may turn me away
                                    Sadness is but a dream,
                                    Supplied by the haunted past.
                                    Shame upon the head
                                    Grows older into endless time.
                                    Until the next time
                                    I wait in endless time
                                    For the end.
 
This poem was written by a 15 year old girl suffering from:
                  – depression
                  – anxiety disorder
 
She was “cutting” and experiencing significant school problems
 
The poem suggests she feels:
                  – insignificant
                  – numb
                  – alone
                  – detached
                  – suicidal

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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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