Course Tag: communication

Does your child have meltdowns when you try to limit behaviors? 

Is your little one suddenly hitting or biting others in frustration? 

Have you tried to resolve these challenging behaviors, and nothing seems to work? You are not alone. Participants will learn 

● Why challenging behaviors are typical at this age 

● How to help children manage their impulses 

● How parents can manage their own distress when challenging behaviors occur

● Positive discipline approaches to help children recover from aggressive behaviors 

● How to implement positive routines that reduce intensely emotional and aggressive behaviors 

Co-parenting can be stressful after a divorce, separation, or anytime parents are not in a couple relationship. Learn the importance of “cooperative co-parenting” and strategies to support your children. This class will help you minimize conflict when navigating parenting responsibilities across households. Participants will be able to: 

● Recognize different types of co-parenting relationships 

● Identify the impact of conflict on children 

● Apply strategies to help children cope and adjust 

● Avoid creating “loyalty binds” in children 

● Apply skills to develop a successful co-parenting plan 

During this class, you will discover myths that keep parents repeating ineffective discipline techniques that can actually increase misbehavior. You will learn evidence-based, straightforward strategies that increase and sustain child compliance, support child self-worth and strengthen your parent-child relationship. 

No matter the age of your child, you’ve probably experienced some difficulty that’s led to an argument. Whether the conflict lasts a moment or a month, it can leave parent and child feeling hurt or frustrated or both. Learn how to work with your child to work together to find solutions to conflict, which will strengthen your relationship. You will learn how to:

• Talk with your child about problems without judging or criticizing
• Work together as a team to find solutions that work for both parent and child
• Resolve conflicts peacefully and teach these skills to youth so they can solve their own conflicts when you are not there.

Learning to have romantic relationships and deal with sexually maturing bodies are essential tasks of healthy teen development. As the parents, you may feel as unprepared as your kids feel to navigate this ever-changing stage. While adolescents sometimes act like they know it all, they often feel vulnerable and unprepared for the social and sexual realities of romantic relationships. And the same may be true for you – maybe you are wondering how do I support exploration and independence while keeping my child safe, especially during these challenging times. 

Participants in this class will be able to 

● Apply steps to navigate teens’ romantic relationships with trust, compassion, clarity and consistency 

● Identify strategies to balance monitoring with trust 

● Recognize the connections between physical and romantic relationships with parental relationship health

Even before the Pandemic, mental health disorders were the most common diseases of childhood. Due to the dramatic increase in children and teens entering hospital emergency departments, some are declaring a “pediatric mental health emergency.” Whether your child is doing fine and you want to prevent future mental health issues, or your child just doesn’t seem like their usual self, or has actually declared suicidal thoughts, you can help. Increase your awareness so that you can be positive and intentional about your relationship with your child. Participants in this class will be able to: Identify and apply relationship strategies and everyday habits that support good mental health in children and teens Recognize the impact of parents’ mental health on the family Recognize and respond to signs in children and teens that more support is needed

Autism Why does my kid act this way? 

Many parents try punishment or persuasion to help misbehaving or withdrawn children to improve their behavior. You have likely discovered that these methods are not especially effective, especially with children who display special needs. This class will provide practical tools and strategies to help you achieve the stronger connections and positive behaviors you are seeking.

 Most parents know a bit about their child’s development, especially in infancy when motor milestones are celebrated by everyone.  Learning a bit more about how infant’s brains develop offers parents insights into how they can support their infants as they eat, sleep, play, and learn. From this class you will be able to:

• Appreciate key ideas about what’s important about brain development 
• Use fun and easy ways to support the development of lifelong learning skills starting in the child’s first year 
• Apply positive parenting solutions for supporting resilience

The way we praise children affects how they see themselves. The language we use can actually help or hinder their desire to learn and their level of effort, as well as their ability to stick with a challenging task. You might be surprised to learn that telling your child how smart they are can actually decrease effort. Research tells us that we can help even discouraged children cope with frustration and see failure as an opportunity to learn rather than giving up. Use specific, powerful feedback to encourage your child to take appropriate risks and feel more confident to try new things. 

After this class, you will be able to: 

● Explain to your child how their brains change when they try new things 

● Give feedback using language that supports your child’s self-worth and enthusiasm for learning 

● Coach your child back to confidence after a failure 

● Recognize areas in your life where your own fixed thinking may affect your child’s behavior and self-worth 

Parents sometimes feel discouraged when their children want more toys, the newest technology or the coolest sneakers that they believe will make them really happy. And maybe those things will work…for a few hours or a couple of days. What really makes our kids happy? How often do we get caught up in what media tells us will bring joy into our lives?

Research tells us that “things” don’t really make us happy. While temperament is inborn, parents can actually help children increase optimism (positive outlook and hopefulness) and resilience (ability to effectively bounce back from challenges). These capacities are strongly connected to well-being and success. You will examine your day to day interactions and consider approaches that will increase these important traits in yourself and your children. You will also gain the courage to set limits on “stuff” and focus on what counts in building a happy family.