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

The challenge of adolescence is to balance the right of the parents to feel they are in charge with the need of the adolescent to gain independence.

The mistake that Sharon and I both made is we never set any boundaries.  (Ozzy Osbourne)

The more 2 parents differ in their approaches to discipline, the more likely it leads to trouble for the child.

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

Some hope their children will be like sponges soaking up the truth and wisdom imparted by their parents. However appealing this philosophy might be, it seldom seems to catch on with their children.

Many clinicians find it easier to tell parents their child has a brain-based disorder than suggest parenting changes. Jennifer Harris (psychiatrist)

Simple rules adhered to when children are young can prevent more serious problems later.

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.

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)

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“DOOM” by Lori – age 15

DOOM                                       by Lori – age 15
                                    The only visible light          
                                    Into darkness
                                    The only relief is
                                    Cut into my flesh
                                    As deep as sadness
                                    Pain passes away
                                    But I will be left with the scars
                                    From the past
 
                                    I hear vividly the sounds
                                    The screams.
                                    I am but a bug
                                    Invisible to life
                                    Picked on when sought.
                                    Pain is an addiction
                                    The only life I’ve known.
 
                                    Blood returns me to life
                                    But at any mistake may turn me away
                                    Sadness is but a dream,
                                    Supplied by the haunted past.
                                    Shame upon the head
                                    Grows older into endless time.
                                    Until the next time
                                    I wait in endless time
                                    For the end.
 
This poem was written by a 15 year old girl suffering from:
                  – depression
                  – anxiety disorder
 
She was “cutting” and experiencing significant school problems
 
The poem suggests she feels:
                  – insignificant
                  – numb
                  – alone
                  – detached
                  – suicidal

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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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2720 Rath Street, Putnam, Ontario
NOL 2BO

Phone: (519) 485-4678
Fax: (519) 485-0281

Email: info@rickharper.ca

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