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

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

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.

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 quickest way to change your child’s behaviour is to first change your own.

Children do not develop on their own - they only develop within relationships.

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

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

Relationships matter:  change comes through forming trusting relationships. People, not programs change people.

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

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Trauma in Children

It is estimated that 40% of North American children will have at least one potentially traumatizing experience by the time they are 18 years old including:

– death of a parent or sibling

– ongoing abuse – physical, mental, sexual

– serious accident

– natural disaster

– witnessing domestic violence

– violent crime

How adults respond to children during and after traumatic events can make an enormous difference in the eventual outcome – both for good and for bad.

(Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience , Nov. 2005)

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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

“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)