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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.

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

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

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

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

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.)

There has been an explosion in the prescribing of medication for very young children, particularly preschool and kindergarten boys (Juli Zito , Univ. of Maryland)

Parents are the external regulator for kids who cannot regulate themselves.

Learn more.

Myths vs Facts – Suicide

MYTH VERSUS FACT
Knowing truth from fiction can make the difference!
Myth: Teens who talk about suicide never do.
Fact: Most of the time, people who attempt suicide have   provided significant clues to their intentions.
 
Myth: Nothing can stop someone once he has decided  to take his own life.
Fact: Most adolescents who contemplate suicide are torn. They are in pain and want their suffering to end.  They don’t necessarily want to die to make that  happen, but they can’t conceive of another way,  and too often their cries for help go unheeded.
 
Myth: talking about suicide with a teen may give them ideas.
Fact: While teens at risk might follow the model of a peer who committed suicide, talking about it in order  to prevent it will not encourage him to try it.
 
Myth: Only certain “types” of kids commit suicide.
Fact: There is no specific type. Socioeconomic status, intelligence, and culture don’t make a teen any   more or less vulnerable to suicidal thoughts or actions.

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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

“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)