Parent & Professional Development Trainings

PARENTING WITH STYLE

As we prepare for the birth of a child, a new alliance has formed. We become the child’s partner and coach through the process of development. Our first, most important gift to our child is love. The second is discipline, yet it is this topic that raises many questions. This series is designed to address those questions in a way that respects each family’s unique history, values and perspectives.
 

DIFFERENT CHILDREN, DIFFERENT NEEDS

Children are not things to be molded, but people to be unfolded. This session is designed to reveal the essence of every child and what nurtures their greatness. Understanding the seven major influences on behavior and development is critical to ensuring that every child we relate to and interact with is visible, valued and supported in their own way. Together, we will discover the layers of possibilities waiting to unfold and the strengths each child brings to this world. These will be revealed through a research-based model of temperament that honors the differences among us.
 

TEACHING SELF-REGULATION TO YOUNG CHILDREN

Self-regulation is a complex set of skills that exert influence over internal sensations and states. These skills are necessary for consistent performance, behavior and school readiness. Without them, a child may experience a life of chaos characterized by explosiveness, violence, anxiety, substance abuse, impulsivity, hyperactivity, distractibility or mood disorders. This skill development begins at the point of conception and continues into the late twenties. This session examines self-regulatory functions through a developmental lense and offers proven strategies to develop and strengthen them.
 

THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE

In today’s world of quick fixes, there is little discussion about prevention. This session facilitates this discussion and leads to a deeper understanding of how best to promote a life of wellness by intentionally structuring the conditions of an environment for optimal development. Early experiences matter, especially relationships. Since all pathologies have been linked to the absence of feelings of belonging, the major focus of our work will be to examine relationship models. Our goal is to create enduring relationships characterized with sensitivity, acceptance, accessibility and cooperation.
 

HELPING CHILDREN COPE: PUTTING HUMPTY BACK TOGETHER AGAIN!

As the nursery rhyme goes…”all the King’s horses and all the King’s men, couldn’t put Humpty together again.” While that may be true, professionals and parents can by tipping the scale from vulnerability to strengths. This session will explore resiliency as an active ingredient to a life at peace with its past, content with its present and optimistic about the future. It offers field-tested strategies so every child can navigate stormy waters without capsizing and how to create safe harbors for those whose storms continue to crash their shores and toss them about in the surf.
 

THE TRUTH ABOUT THE HARD OR SENSITIVE TOPICS

Learning how to address the uncomfortable and unspeakable is a necessary part of our profession. Children struggle when the people close to them get sick, are hospitalized or die. Others struggle with issues associated with domestic violence, substance abuse or mental illness in their family. The desire to shelter children from some of life’s harsher realities must be balanced with teaching them skills so they grow into compassionate and healthy individuals. This session covers valuable tools to address the unfortunate and sometimes, unexpected life events.
 

BEYOND BOSSING, BEGGING AND BRIBING

Have you ever heard someone say “What part of no don’t you understand?” or “Because I said so, that’s why!” Or maybe you have thought there has to be a better way to get children to listen and respond to our directions. This session explores the choices we have to parent, teach and discipline children. When you leave this session, you will have a deeper understanding of the strategies that balance structure and support in a child’s life.
 

CHILDREN IN THE SHADOW

Anxiety is the most common mental health diagnosis in children and adults. diagnosed are often in the shadow of others who are more outgoing. Therefore, we may be unaware of their anguish. This session examines the childhood fears, sensitivities and anxieties that may interfere with learning and maximizing full potential. The focus is on applying scientifically-proven approaches in the home and classroom environment.

BRAINS@RISK

The brain is not the largest organ in the body, but it is the source of all behavior, emotion and thought. This session answers three critical questions; on being “Are the brains of children today getting the right types of stimulation during the right developmental stages to optimize their development?” The emphasis in this session is one the seven golden maximizers that can enrich over 90% of a child’s brain, including those living in poverty, diagnosed with special needs or mental health challenges, and those who have experienced a traumatic event. Experiences wire the brain, and repetition of the experience strengthen the wiring.
 

DON’T POP YOUR CORK

No matter how much we love children or how fulfilling we find caring for and educating them, it is difficult and demanding work at times. There are no instruction manuals or cookbook recipes, nor are there mandates that require us to take care of ourselves. However, your success as a caregiver is determined in part, by your ability to renew your energy and meet your own needs. This session explores ways to nurture the nurturer. It is about creating wellness in your life which is much more than stress management and reduction.
 

FREEING CHILDREN FROM FEAR

All children should be free to grow up in a world without oppression. Yet the statistics related to the form of oppression called bullying continue to increase. This pattern of intentionally inflicting harm on others for the sole purpose of intimidation must stop. In this session, you will contrast peer conflict to bullying, and learn how and when to step in to protect children from each other.
 

NURTURING THE YOUNG, THE RESTLESS, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL

We are shaped by those we love and refuse to love, and by those who love us and refuse to love us. And while most children are being loved, they may not be feeling loved. This session ensures that from this day forward, all children will feel loved by us.
 

EMOTIONS COACHING

Emotions dominate the world of our children. Since emotions regulation precedes self-discipline, it is essential that we consciously nurture these skills from infancy through adolescence. Together we will identify the four skills of an emotions coach and how to teach emotions identification, modulation and expression to our children. The goal is not to suppress emotions, but to express them in ways that are not destructive to ourselves, others or property.
 

READY OR NOT, HERE I COME!

In the year 2000, the national mandate became “all children will enter school ready to learn.” The national goals panel adopted this mantra as its first in the education reform movement and defined school readiness as mastery of a pre-determined set of skills. Current neuroscientific research has identified that readiness begins in the womb and is determined in large measure by the early life experiences and the environment a child lives and grows in. Readiness does not happen at the same time or in the same way for all children. This session examines school readiness from the point of conception through the period of school adjustment.
 

RAISING A HAPPY CHILD

Happiness is a gift we gift ourselves and our children. Too often we hope it finds us or we pursue it in places or ways it will never be found. Together, we will be introduced to the pursuit of happiness for our children: defining it, examining attributes that lead to it and applying ways to behave that achieve it.
 

DANCING WITH PORCUPINES: SOLVING OUR PEOPLE PUZZLES

Have other people’s behaviors ever left you feeling annoyed or frustrated? Have you ever wondered why some people talk things out while others think things through? Or perhaps, you have experienced misunderstandings because of differences in communication styles. If so, you are not alone. We have been there ourselves, but we have found a way to create a collaborative team by making sense of the “people puzzles” in our lives. This session applies an empowering model that leads to a deeper understanding and appreciation of ourselves and others. This model can be used to reduce tension, minimize confrontation and conflict, restore relationships, enhance communication and manage team dynamics.
 

BEHAVIOR FUNDAMENTALS

A child’s behavior is not the problem to be fixed, nor is the child. Behavior is a symptom of an unsolved problem and a form of communication. Get ready to examine the principles that govern behaviors and strategies of positive guidance from prevention to crisis intervention. The ultimate goal of any system of discipline is to solve the problems when possible, not to coerce through quick fixes.
 

WORKING WITH MULTI-STRESSED FAMILIES

In today’s world, there are three types of situations we need to be prepared to work with: achieving outcomes in distressed families, sustaining competence in families experiencing stress, and helping families recover from traumatic events. While all families experience stress, ongoing or chronic distress erodes the family system in ways that lead to “the ecology of despair.” This series examines ways to conquer the greatest of adversities.
 

ATTACKING VIOLENCE

Youth violence has increased to epidemic proportions in the United States and our society appears more disordered every morning we awaken. Children who display aggressive tendencies at a young age are likely to develop violence behaviors, mental health issues, chemical dependency, criminal behaviors and/or become prisoners. Fortunately, there are many proven interventions available and this session will examine a multi-systemic framework of developmental interventions.
 

THE DANCE OF INTERACTION

Adults and children are partners in the dance of interaction, and adults hold greater responsibility.
While there are many tools that look at different dimensions of the whole child, these tools do not require a college degree. They are simple enough to grasp the essence of a child’s nature and connect in authentic and personal ways. Our goal is to nurture each child by nature and create winning combinations as we interact and relate.
 

ENVIRONMENTS MATTER!

It is time we expand our thinking beyond the traditional concept of classroom design. We must embrace a vision that transforms our spaces from commercial settings to ones that enrich full potential. While safety and teaching competence are important, we must consider that this may become a child’s home away from home. This session shares a vision of what is possible so the environment becomes a place that nurtures the logical, imaginative, analytical and creative mind.
 

MOVEMENT MAKES SENSE

How important is movement to learning? Amazingly, the part of the brain that processes movement is the same part of the brain that processes learning. Therefore, movement and learning have constant interplay. Together, we will explore series of simple movements that enhance whole-brain learning.
 

CALMING THE STORM

Anger is a part of life and a natural reaction to situations when we feel threatened, or someone close to us is being threatened. It may result from frustration, when our needs and goals are not being met. This session examines a conceptual framework for understanding anger and applying this understanding to create plans that address and change the cycle of anger.
 

WHEN KIDS DON’T PLAY NICE

Dozens of parents and professionals have expressed their concern with the social difficulties children experience. The social isolation, rejection and humiliation children experience every day is heart wrenching. Playing nice requires the personal intelligences and this session covers field-tested ways of developing both.
 

THE DEFIANCE SPECTRUM

As children explore the world around them, nearly all will occasionally test boundaries and challenge authority. While most become more cooperative by age 3, some continually defy any attempt to discipline them and seemingly reject authority all together. This session provides insight into this spectrum and offers proven methods to help children move beyond noncompliance and oppositional defiant disorder.
 

ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER WITH HYPERACTIVITY

The rise of ADHD diagnoses raises many questions. What role does the marketing of drug companies play in this phenomena? How do the educational structures that require children to sit up straight and still for unreasonable periods of time while learning irrelevant content for much of that time, influence attention? Does a society that supports an accelerated rate of living and learning encourage impulsivity and hyperactivity? This session examines what is the legitimate diagnosis from the effects of our culture. In addition, a full prescription of evidenced-based interventions is offered.
 

YOU LOVE HIM MORE

Siblings can be friends, companions, playmates and rivals. How parents relate to each child influences the sibling relationship. This session will explore issues related to sibling rivalry, as well as strategies that minimize their development and chances of them becoming harmful. After all, rivalry is a natural part of growing up in a family with more than one child.
 

INFLUENCING IN AUTHENTIC WAYS

The most effective professionals are not heros, but hero makers. They get children excited about who they are, the interests and talents they have, and what they can become because they understand that they cannot coerce someone to their full potential. It takes influence. This session answers two questions: “How do you influence?” and “Are those you want to influence, open to your influence?” Learn how to become a hero maker!
 

PLAY: UNIFYING THE MIND, BODY AND SPIRIT

Children haven’t changed, childhood has. Children no longer have the freedom to explore fields and woods, or find special places. Informal games on the playground have turned into structured leagues by age 4. We now have programs with scripted teaching, computerized learning, standardized assessment, and decreased time for recess on playgrounds that have been determined to present too much risk to safety. All of these trivialize and undermine children’s natural capacities for meaningful lessons learned through play. This session examines this one feature of childhood – play.
 

GETTING BACK TO OUR SENSES

Self-regulation and learning depends on sensory processing, defined as the way the nervous system receives countless bits of sensory input and organizes them into responses. When not registered, processed and organized in an integrated way, behavior, emotions, and performance are impacted . This session explores the seven senses and ways to strengthen them in service to self-discipline.
 

NO SENSELESS BEHAVIOR

Challenging behaviors are not just a reflection of some emotional or social disturbance in a child. They are a symptom of an unsolved problem, often related to unmet needs or a lack of skills and resources. Therefore, we must focus on what a child needs, instead of what an adult or system demands. It is time we move beyond tradition and see challenging behavior as an opportunity to teach alternative ways to gets authentic needs met. This session helps us do just that.
 

WHEN ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

While crisis is defined from two perspectives: the child’s and the adult’s, the outcome of a crisis is greatly influenced by the actions of the adult. The behaviors that often lead to a crisis situation are aggression and violence. This session examines the structures and techniques designed to prevent aggressive and violent behaviors and attitudes, along with how best to respond when these types of behavior surface. Children are the fastest growing segment of the criminal population in this country and we can and must do something about that.
 

WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM ANYWAY?

Friends argue, spouses quarrel, siblings fight, and enemies attack. One thing they have in common is a problem to be resolved. While there are many ways to solve problems, the approach recommended with children is social problem-solving. This session examines the prerequisite skills required for effective problem-solving, as well as strategies for conflict resolution.
 

DISCIPLINE MATTERS!

Behaviors that challenge us are a function of the interaction between a child’s nature and the demands of an environment. When working with these behaviors, the only sound type of discipline is self-discipline. So how do we develop a comprehensive system that is anchored in sound principles, protects a child’s dignity, and achieves self-discipline? This session examines an approach that transcends traditional behavior management techniques based in coercion and embraces an approach that empowers others through our influence.
 

CHILDREN IN THE SHADOW

Description Coming Soon…
 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: THE INFLUENCE OF NUTRITION ON BEHAVIOR

This generation of children has the highest rate of food allergies, obesity, emotional and behavioral diagnoses, autoimmune disease and learning challenges ever recorded. And while we prefer to look for the quick fix, there are hidden connections between nutrition and these challenges. If our current approaches considered nutrition as having preventive and healing properties, we would waste less money on evaluations, lab tests and medications that do not solve the challenges, but mask or treat the symptoms. This session examines ways that nutrition impacts a child’s energy, learning and susceptibility to the diagnoses of ADHD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder and others. If offers scientifically-proven approaches that have led to real-life solutions.
 

MENTAL HEALTH IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Contrary to popular belief, mental health is not treating the symptoms of disorder or disease. Mental health structures the conditions of an environment for optimal functioning. The conditions to be structured include creating a repertoire of effective strategies that meet the authentic needs of children, cultivating enduring relationships, transforming environments so they embrace full inclusion, and increasing competence through effective educational programming. This session examines these elements in ways you can immediately apply when you return to your place of work.

EDUCATING THE HEART

“To educate the mind, without educating the heart is no education at all,” according to Aristotle. And, future success in academics and in life is social-emotional competency. The critical time for its development is childhood, however it continues throughout adolescence. This series examines the facets of intrapersonal and interpersonal intelligences. It is filled with cutting edge insights and approaches the ensure the development of self-awareness, self-discipline, social cognition and social skills.
 

BEYOND BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT

Description coming soon…
 

THE EPIDEMIC OF DIAGNOSIS

Many resources are available for working with and supporting the children who thrive within the traditional system and follow the expected developmental milestones. But what about those children who are not? This session examines a comprehensive survey of common diagnoses and provides comprehensive approaches that offer hope to those who appear to be unreachable. The information is delivered in plain language so you can lead the your most frustrated and misunderstood children toward significance and success.
 

TEACHING YOUNG CHILDREN SELF-REGULATION

Gaining self-regulation is a long, gradual process that depends on children internalizing the expectations of society. Without these skills, children may challenge authority, display explosiveness that harms others or destroy property, or remain incapable of delaying gratification, following through on instructions or effectively resolving conflicts. Anyone working with children today has experienced the results of not supporting the development of self-regulation. Now, it is time to discover the solutions.

This is approved as a five hour course and successful completion of the requirements earns .5 CEU.
 

THROUGH THE EYES OF A CHILD: THE DEVELOPMENT IMPACT OF TRAUMA

Trauma reactive children walk through our doors every day and their life experiences have influenced the developmental pathway each follows. Often, there are behavioral symptoms that professionals label as challenging or pathological. This practicum-based course examines trauma and its impact through a three-part developmental framework that explains the surface behaviors and offers research-based strategies to meeting needs, providing safety and increasing competence.

This is approved as a ten hour course and successful completion of the requirements earns 1.0 CEU.
 

THE MOST VALUABLE GIFT: IDENTITY AND SELF-ACCEPTANCE

In recent years, we have given attention to two aspects of self: self-understanding and self-esteem. Self-understanding is the child’s self-concept. Self-esteem is the evaluative dimension of the self-concept. A healthy self-esteem is a most important tool for successfully facing the challenges that arise in every day life. It is essential to how a child learns, socializes and relates to others. It is the key to how a child treats himself and is treated by others.

Among the questions we will explore are: How do relationships contribute to or compromise a child’s sense of self? How does temperament play a role? What role does communication style play? How can the health of a child’s self-esteem be enhanced once it has been compromised by life experiences?

This is approved as a five hour course and successful completion of the requirements earns .5 CEU.