welcome image

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

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

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

You cannot reason with someone who is being unreasonable.

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

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

If it  was going to be easy to raise kids, it never would have started with something called "labour".

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.

Don't wait for him to turn 10 before you reveal that you are not in fact the hired help whose job it is to clean up after him.

Parenting style matters - a lot!

Learn more.

THE VICIOUS CYCLE OF BEHAVIOUR PROBLEMS

  A “vicious cycle of behaviour problems” begins when a child repeatedly performs an inappropriate behaviour and the parent’s attempt to manage it is unsuccessful. The behaviour is repeated many times over a period of time with the results being: management strategy continues to be less than successful parent gets angry the child continues the behaviour child gets “locked in” and shows no sign of wanting to cooperate parent gets “locked in” to a strategy […]

Read complete blog post

LEADERSHIP WITHIN A FAMILY

  LEADERSHIP WITHIN A FAMILY A leader or leaders will emerge in every family. If parents are unable or unwilling to perform the leadership role, a child will take over. There is no minimum age for this to happen. Some parents become “slaves” to a newborn, the moment  (s)he comes home from the hospital. Frequently heard comments from parents who are not in charge of their home:  “We can’t take him/her out to a restaurant, […]

Read complete blog post

Have ADD/ADHD ?

  You’re in good company . Beethoven Elvis Bill Gates Henry Ford Robin Williams Socrates Mozart Winston Churchill Alexander Graham Bell Picasso Napoleon Jim Carey John Lennon Howie Mandel J.F.K. Bill Cosby Louis Pasteur Michael Jordan Richard Branson Whoopi Goldberg Michael Phelps Jamie Oliver A diagnosis of ADD /ADHD is not something one would wish for but it obviously does not need to prevent one from accomplishing great things !

Read complete blog post

The Teenage Brain

  Adolescence is ONE of the times in an individuals life when the greatest brain development is occurring. the brain changes in size and shape grey matter thickens increase in synaptic connections between brain cells specialization within the brain occurs “pruning” of neural pathways occurs sex hormones impact the brain Neurotransmitters  are chemicals in the brain that facilitate the transmission of messages along nerve cells (billions of messages per second). The primary neurotransmitters involved with […]

Read complete blog post

Types of Depression Diagnosed in Young People

  TYPES OF DEPRESSION DIAGNOSED IN YOUNG PEOPLE (the Oxford Psychiatric Dictionary lists 25 different types of depression) Listed below are the most common   a) MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER (MDD)                   – serious depression lasts an average of 7-9  months                   – similar to adult depression in some ways                                          – sadness           […]

Read complete blog post


Back to Top

Workshops

+ Behaviour Management (now available online)

This full day or 2 evening workshop will introduce you […]

Learn more

+ A Parent’s Guide to the Teenage Brain

  A teenager’s brain is not just an adult brain […]

Learn more

+ Reading Rescue

A program for children with reading problems

Learn more

+ A Guided Tour of ADHD (now available online)

This workshop will present the facts, myths, misconceptions, controversy and […]

Learn more

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

Archive


Parents' Comments

“Our daughter was the joy of our life until she turned 13, then all hell broke loose. Rick helped us understand what was happening to her and we made some adjustments that helped us get through it. She’s now in University and doing well.”

(D.A. – St. Thomas)