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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

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

"Parents aren't the cause of ADHD, but they are part of the solution." (Kenny Handleman, M.D.)

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

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.

You cannot reason with someone who is being unreasonable.

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

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

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

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.

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Suicide – Warning Signs

WARNING SIGNS
 
– depression
– previous suicide attempts
– suicide of someone close
– talking of suicide
– preoccupation with death
– giving away possessions
– saying “Good bye” to family & friends
– cryptic statements “You won’t have to worry about me  anymore”
– listening to sad music
– drawing morbid pictures
– statements indicating feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, worthlessness
– statements about being a burden to others
– loss of interest in activities
– risky behaviour (eg. driving, alcohol, drugs)
– sudden distinct improvement in mood ( the decision to kill self may relieve the burden)
– the association between substance abuse and suicide is strong
 
 
 
But the warning signs can create a false impression of probability
 
Even the experts are unreliable for even the next 24 hours
 
Trust your instincts
 
Be extra cautious if:
                              – a peer is suicidal
                              – child gives away possessions
                              – a close relationship is lost
 
What is the best way to determine if someone is suicidal ? (answer – ask them!)

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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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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

“Implementing Rick’s techniques and adhering to them is exhausting, but it is a healthy exhaustion rather than the detrimental exhaustion I used to experience.”

(B.F. – Woodstock)