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Setting limits teaches your children valuable skills they will use the rest of their lives. One day, they will report to a job where their ability to follow rules will dictate their success.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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Foster Parents Working With Birth Parents

 

 

The Children’s Aid Society has a legal responsibility to provide care for children who, for a variety of reason are unable to live with their birth family. The preferred arrangement for most of these children is to live temporarily within a foster home and work towards the reunification of the family. A respectful working relationship between the foster parents and birth parents can provide an essential ingredient in the reunification process. This workshop explores practical ideas on how foster parents can facilitate healthy outcomes for children and their families. (3 hours)

Recognizing, Living With and Treating Depression in Young People

 

 

There is no sharp dividing line between “normal” mood swings of adolescence and depression. Parents are the key people to recognize signs of depression and recognition is the first step toward getting help.(3 hours)

This workshop clearly explains:

  • what depression is
  • how to recognize it (it’s more than moody)
  • how common is it
  • the difference between depression in adults and young people
  • the risk factors
  • the warning signs
  • survival tips for the family
  • dealing with discipline and conflict
  • what parent’s can’t do
  • what is bipolar, schizophrenia
  • the nightmare of suicide
  • treatment options
  • what does the future hold

Behaviour Management

This full day or 2 evening workshop will introduce you to the skills, techniques and strategies required to assess and control a wide range of behaviour problems (example: aggression, destruction, non-compliance, swearing, school problems, tantrums, sibling quarreling, etc). You will learn how to determine the underlying causes of the inappropriate behaviours, develop logical interventions and establish a monitoring system to evaluate progress. Suitable for parents, teachers, day care, social workers, etc.

Parenting a Teen Without Losing Your Mind

This sanity-saving workshop explores the bewildering years of a teenager. What forces turn many delightful, talkative 11 year olds into moody, hormone-infused, self absorbed teenagers? What forces lead some of them “over the edge” into choices that include drugs, sex, booze, skipping school and crime? This workshop presents a philosophy and strategies that can help parents help their teens make the right choices. (formally “Teens in Trouble”).(6 hours)

Fostering – Take This Job and Love It!

“Fostering has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life. It is also one of the most difficult . I’m not sure I can keep this up much longer”. (quote from a long time foster parent) Balancing the demands placed on foster parents is no easy task and not a job for the faint of heart. This workshop explores valuable insights into the “real world” of fostering – the good, the bad and the ugly. It provides practical steps foster parents can take to manage the stresses inherent in sharing your home and family with a child in need.




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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

“He is a wealth of knowledge coupled with first hand experience.”

(E.K. – London)