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

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.

You cannot reason with someone who is being unreasonable.

The best inheritance  parents can give their children is a few minutes of their time each day.

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.

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

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.

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

"The thing that impresses me most about North America is the way parents obey their children"    (King Edward VII , 1841-1910)

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

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Rewarding Behaviour

    Consistent, small rewards for small achievements work much better than large rewards for big goals, especially for younger children. After all, you wouldn’t expect your child to learn to read if you paid him no attention until he’d finished his first book. You would indicate your pleasure along the way.  Why set such a high expectation for behavioural self-control? Food and toys are often the first rewards that come to mind, but they […]

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Preventing Teen Suicide

FACTORS THAT FACILITATE SUICIDE                   – an impulsive personality                   – neurochemical imbalance                   – lack of strong family ties                   – social isolation                   – family history of suicide                   – recent suicide of someone else                   – easy access to method                   – agitated mental state         FACTORS THAT INHIBIT SUICIDE                    -strong family and social support                   – being around others                   – religious taboos against suicide                   – […]

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Depression & Discipline

CONFLICT AND DISCIPLINE   – conflict in a home with a teenager is inevitable – challenge for parents is to balance firmness with support and encouragement -parenting a depressed teen is particularly challenging                   – “walking on eggshells”                   – scared of pushing too far   TIPS 1. “Pause” button                                     – don’t get sucked into full-scale war                                     – exit & wait                                     – brain dead phrases                                     – reflectors 2. active listening 3. […]

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Suicide – Warning Signs

WARNING SIGNS   – depression – previous suicide attempts – suicide of someone close – talking of suicide – preoccupation with death – giving away possessions – saying “Good bye” to family & friends – cryptic statements “You won’t have to worry about me  anymore” – listening to sad music – drawing morbid pictures – statements indicating feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, worthlessness – statements about being a burden to others – loss of interest in […]

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Sleep Problems (part 3 – the middle of the night screamer)

A child who regularly wakens in the night and won’t go back to sleep without  a parent’s help is SO DRAINING!  The following technique is worthy of your consideration if you have a middle of the night screamer and you are sure that there is nothing wrong with the child ie. ill. The Controlled Crying Technique Step # 1 – when the child wakens and begins to cry, let him cry for 10 minutes – […]

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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

“Our psychiatrist recommended Rick to help us sort out behaviour management issues for our autistic son. He was an invaluable help.”

(C.C. – Sarnia)