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"To be a man, a boy must see a man."  (J.R. Moehringer)

"Rules without relationship leads to rebellion" (Josh McDowell)

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

"Unexpressed feeling never die. They are buried alive and come back later in ugly ways." (Stephen Covey)

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)

Being a parent of a teenager can cure a person of narcissism.

The way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice. (Peggy O'Mara)

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.

Children today are under enormous pressures rarely experienced by their parents or grandparents. Many of today's children are being enticed to grow up too quickly and are encountering challenges for which they are totally unprepared.

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

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Types of Depression

TYPES OF DEPRESSION
DIAGNOSED IN YOUNG PEOPLE
(the Oxford Psychiatric Dictionary lists 25 different types of depression)
 
a) MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER (MDD)
                  – serious depression lasts an average of 7-9  months
                  – similar to adult depression in some ways
                                                                        – sadness
                                                                        – pessimism
                                                                        – sleep & appetite disturbance
                                                                        – decrease in concentration
                  – dissimilar in some ways
                                                                        – anxiety
                                                                        – irritability
                                                                        – overly sensitive
                                                                        – eating & sleeping too much
 
b) DYSTHYMIC DISORDER
                                    – milder but more chronic
                                    – low level depression
                                    – usually able to carry out daily routines but requires major effort
                                    – continues for years
                                    – often progresses into major depression
 
 
c) DOUBLE DEPRESSION
                                    – combination of above
                                    – serious and chronic
 
 
d) BIPOLAR  (manic depressive)
                  – unusual & extreme swings in mood and energy
                  – may cycle each day or several times per year
                  – frequently begins with depressive episode in youth
                  – runs in families
                  – research suggests 20-40% of adolescents with MDD develop bipolar within 5 years
                  – usually starts in adolescence or early adulthood and continues throughout life
                  – equal male & female
 
 
e) REACTIVE DEPRESSION
                  – most common form of mood problem
                  – brought on by disturbing experience
                  – lasts anywhere from a few hours and a few weeks
                  – least serious
                  – not considered a  mental disorder
 

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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

“We were so naive. We thought our son’s poor behaviour was just a phase he was passing through. Thankfully you led us ‘out of the wilderness'”

(N.S. – London)