“A Guide to ADD and Discipline (3&6 hour, FP, SW/CO)
Come and deepen your understanding of this disorder as we examine the dynamics of living in an ADD household. We will look at the six types of ADD, and we will discuss an effective program for enhancing brain function and overcoming the ADD traits that sabotage chances for success in all aspects of living in relationships, at work and at school. Finally, some children with ADD can take defiant behavior to another level. But take heart. This class aims to help identify what is causing misbehavior and understand why traditional discipline may not always work for kids with ADD.
“Almost” Frazzled Free Parenting (3 hour, FP, SW/CO)
Desiring less drama, less trauma, less frazzled nerves? Whether you are a new foster parent or you've been around the block a few times, come and discover fun and practical skills that will help you take the "frazzle" out of parenting.
Avoiding ANTs (3&6 hour, FP, SW/CO)
Those "Automatic Negative Thoughts" that bug your mind and hinder your relationships with your kids. Come and explore practical and creative methods of exterminating these ANTs in order to have a healthier, happier relationship with your kids and others.
Boundaries with Kids (3&6 hour, FP, SW/CO
Learn the techniques you need for raising your foster kids to take responsibility for their actionsand emotions. You will discover the in’s and outs of establishing boundaries in your parenting, and instilling the kind of character in your kids that will help lead balanced productive and fulfilling adult lives. Learn how to: Set limits and still be a loving foster parent; Bring control to an “out-of-control” familylife; Apply the “laws” of boundaries to parenting; Define appropriate boundaries and consequencesfor your kids and much more.
Boundaries with Teens (3&6 hour, FP, SW/CO)
Gain insight and guidance to help your teens take responsibility for their actions, attitudes, and emotions and gain a deeper appreciation and respect both for you and for themselves. We will discuss how to: * deal with disrespectful attitudes and impossible behaviors in your teen * set healthy limits and realistic consequences * be loving and caring while establishing rules *determine specific strategies to deal with problems both big and small. Boundaries with Teens can help you establish wise and loving limits that make a positive difference in your adolescent, and in the rest of the family. This class is based off the work of Dr. John Townsend and Dr. Henry Cloud.
Caring for Children Who Have Been Sexually Abused (3 hour, FP)
This course is designed to help caregivers better understand some of the behaviors displayed by children who have been sexually abused and, armed with that understanding, help them effectively manage the behavior in a manner that not only supports the child but maintains the safety and well-being of all family members. Participants will discuss examples of some problem behaviors seen in children who have been sexually abused and learn some strategies they can use in their own homes. The training will provide lots of opportunity to interact and share dilemmas and possible solutions with other caregivers.
Confronting Conflict (3&6 hour, FP, SW/CO)
Specially designed to help you gain insight into how to change the way you react and manageconflict when it occurs. You will learn to: • Examine emotional triggers and relational habits that perpetuate and deepen conflict; • Learn the essential processes and practical skills needed togracefully manage and resolve most conflicts; • What to do when facing tense situations and angry people.
Developing a Heart of Gratitude (3&6 hour, FP)
"But everyone else has it!” .... “If you loved me, you’d get it for me!” When we hear these comments from our kids, it can be tough not to give in. We love our children, and want them to be happy and fit in. In fact, when we fail to set and maintain reasonable limits, it puts our kids at long-term risk and sets them up for failure as adults. When foster/adoptive parents set reasonable limits, they can rid the effects of the "child-centered home" and raise confident, resilient, and successful children. Whether starting from scratch with a young toddler or navigating the teenage years, foster/adoptive parents can learn strategies to effectively teach their foster children how to develop a heart of gratitude.
Developing Empathy in the Workplace (6 hour, SW/CO)
What if there were a single skill that could directly and radically improve your relationships and your emotional life with your co-workers and clients? Empathy teaches that skill. In this class, you will learn how to perceive and feel the experiences of others with clarity and authenticity—to connect with them more deeply and effectively and to help create a more positive work environment that can transfer to also working with clients.
Effective Ways to Parent Children with Defiant Behaviors-Staying on Your Toes (3&6 hour FP, SW/CO)
When you’re a parent for a defiant child, it’s not easy. Defiant children frequently challenge their foster parents, and they often don’t respond to the same parenting techniques that typically work with other kids. In this class, you will learn how to apply step-by-step techniques (TOES) and fail-proof consequences that work even with the most explosive, resistant children. You will learn the CARE and TIPP method and by the end of the class, you will be able to learn how to help children be accountable for their behaviors and implement effective child behavior management strategies.
Finding Hope and Humor with ADD (3&6 hour, FP, SW/CO)
ADD has its up’s and its downs (literally). Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) affects everyone in the family, not just those who are diagnosed with the disorder. However, there can be a bright and humorous side in dealing with Attention Deficit Disorder and hope can be found for those both suffering this disorder and those whom it indirectly affects. Just buckle up and enjoy the ride!
Healing ADD in Adults and Children (3&6 hour, FP, SW/CO)
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) affects whole families, not just individuals. If ADD is impacting your family, or your foster children, come and deepen your understanding of this disorder as we examine the dynamics of living in an ADD household. We will look at the six types of ADD, and we will discuss an effective program for enhancing brain function and overcoming the ADD traits that sabotage chances for success in all aspects of living: in relationships, at work or school, and internally. Finally, you will take home many practical suggestions for yourself and your children for affective ways of living together as a family.
Letting Kids Be Kids (The Dangers of Over Protective Parenting) (3&6 hour, FP, SW/CO)
Sometimes even the most well-intentioned parents can hinder development of their children by being overly protective, indulgent, and too controlling. This class will explore the issues of over-protection and family conflict which spring from excessive parental attachment. We will offer practical alternative strategies that underline the importance of allowing children to make their own mistakes and develop resilience, resourcefulness, and inner determination necessary for success.
Listening for Goodness Sake (3&6 hour, FP, SW/CO)
Effectively learn essential skills for handling emotionally charged people and circumstances gracefully. You will learn to: identify your emotional triggers; and build bridges that lead to resolution. You will also learn to increase your ability to: break through communication barriers; communicate warmth and empathy; and show understanding and respect.
Living with a (RAD) Child (3&6 hour, FP, SW/CO)
Living with a child who has been diagnosed with RAD (Reactive Attachment Disorder) can be quite challenging. Learn practical ways of parenting children with RAD as well as discovering tools and techniques to help maintain your sanity and bring healing to these children in a loving and practical way. We will also discuss what do you do when love is not enough. Discover how to teach your RAD child the three core values that you want your child to learn: • respect • responsibility • and fun to be around
Moody, Mouthy and Just Plain Mad (3 hour, FP)
It’s a bird, it’s a plane . . . it’s . . . no, wait . . . it’s just little Suzie spouting her mouth, Tommy throwing his temper tantrum and Sally with steam pouring out her ears. This learning lab is geared towards helping parents “stop the show before the encore” with tips and techniques that will help to change your child’s undesirable behavior into the desirable behavior we want for our children
Overview of Fatherhood (3&6 hour, SW/CO)
This training will discuss the definition of fathers, the importance of father involvement, and the price of not involving fathers. It will also provide information on various mechanisms and resources for locating fathers, since looking through the Yellow Pages is not enough anymore. It will identify both barriers to and tips for engagement. Finally, it will present fatherhood initiatives at the federal, state, and local levels that can be used as valuable resources for working with fathers in child welfare.
Parenting Boys and Girls: The Art of Understanding Their Differences (3&6 hour, FP, SW/CO)
Often, parents need some guidance with understanding their children's perspectives. As every parent knows, parenting children can at times be more of an art than a science. This class will focus on some of the physical, social, emotional, and developmental elements of parenting boys and girls. The class will also help parents better understand some of the inherent differences between girls and boys. Useful tools will be provided to help communicate and connect with children of all ages, and reveal 6 steps to help boys and girls grow up to be happy, healthy adults.
Parenting By Personality (3&6 hour, FP, SW/CO)
How can you be sure that your approach to parenting your foster/adoptive child is well-suited to your child's needs? “Through this class, you will learn to use a personality type summary to understand how personality can affect a parents interactions with their child. You will learn which of the 16 distinctly different types best matches your child's personality and how this personality type affects your child in the home and at school. You will discover how you can adapt your parenting style to your child's personality type to get better results when communicating, supporting, motivating, and disciplining.
Parenting with Emotional Intelligence: How to Raise Happy, Responsible, Socially Skilled Kids (3 hour, FP),
A growing body of research is has made a compelling case that emotional intelligence is more predictive of success in most arenas of life than either high IQ or obvious talent. We'll look at the basic principles of Emotional Intelligence as shared with kids by skillful parents, and show parents how to use them to raise socially skilled, responsible, and self-disciplined children. This workshop offers practical strategies that have been field-tested, for everyday issues including school situations, peer pressure, fights with friends and siblings, impulsive behavior. In addition, the research of John Gottman on the differences between emotion-coaching and emotion-dismissing parents is a real eye-opener! Parents will learn how to coach children in a crisis, help them stay calm and become more self-aware, and learn how to think in a sharing, caring, problem-solving family. These are exciting new techniques especially useful for the parents of school-aged children and adolescents, although some examples involve preschoolers.
Practical Strategies to Help Combat “Parenting Frustration Syndrome” and Toxic Thoughts. (3&6 hour, FP, SW/CO)
At times, parents suffer from "Parenting Frustration Syndrome", characterized by feelings of negativity, resentment, or frustration towards their child. Frazzled adults may often be tempted to blame their frustration on the child's behavior. However, sometimes this could be attributed to a parent's own "toxic thoughts". Such toxic thinking patterns include using labels, sarcasm, blaming, "emotional overheating," or using the words "always," "never", or "should". This class will offer practical strategies to help parents combat this habit by providing them with the tools to identify and transform these damaging thoughts, and helping them to reduce stress and negative emotions by changing their perspective.
Re-parenting the Wounded and Traumatized Child (3&6 hour, FP, SW/CO)
You will learn down-to-earth advice, which will be welcomed by all foster parents of wounded children. Learn how to seize every opportunity to cement the attachment relationship rather than focus on winning the battle. Discover parenting techniques that are “Destined to Succeed” in parenting the wounded child.
“ReMoved” Strategies for Hope and Healing for Youth in Care (3&6 hourr, FP, SW/CO)
When children are removed from their biological homes, they often experience fear, trauma, feel powerless, and lose hope. In this class, you will learn practical ways to bring hope and healing to children through real life case examples and sharing experiences. Discussion around the culture of trauma, attachment, grief and loss, nurturing techniques, sibling connection and ways to help children feel safe will also be addressed.
Speaking The Truth in Love (3&6 hour, FP, SW/CO)
In this course, you will learn proven practical applications that will help you “Speak the Truth inLove” to restore and deepen stalled or conflictive relationships especially with your child as well as learn to improve your ability to help others by becoming more genuine, focused, and confident in your confrontations with others. You will also learn to increase your ability to: • Ask questions that create deeper insight. • Help others set and reach healthy goals. • Confront in love and restore damaged trust
Steering Clear of the Quicksand (3 hour, FP, SW/CO)
Quicksand . . . that goopy, sloppy, muddy gunk that pulls you down like a ton of bricks each time you struggle to free yourself loose. Sometimes parenting feels like being stuck in quicksand when we fall into common parenting traps of difficult children. You will discover ways to steer clear of the quicksand and build positive relationships with your child.
The Art of Listening and Confronting Conflict (3&6 hour, FP, SW/CO)
We will discuss practical applications that will help you restore and deepen stalled or conflictive relationships, especially with your child. You will learn how to ask helpful questions that yield fresh insight and deeper understanding and obtain the tools to manage difficult change. You will discover how to improve your ability to help others by becoming more genuine, focused, and confident in your confrontations with others. You will also learn essential skills for handling emotionally charged kids, adults and circumstances gracefully. We will also discuss how to identify your emotional triggers, deal with explosive personalities and build bridges that lead to resolution. We learn how to break through barriers, communicate empathy and show understanding and respect in the midst of a crisis or conflict.
The Lost Art of Empathy (6 hour, FP, SW/CO
Empathy is the ability to identify with what others are feeling. It is a crucial element of developing positive and successful relationships and can help prevent bullying and social isolation. Unfortunately, in our "hi-tech" society empathy is a social skill which has become de-emphasized. This class will focus on teaching children the importance of empathy, developing emotional sensitivity, and helping them connect and communicate with others in a meaningful way. By "leading through example", caregivers can model kind behaviors and emotional awareness to provide children with the foundation to connect and relate to others.
The Art of Using Natural and Logical Consequences (3&6 hour, FP, SW/CO)
There is an art to using natural and logical consequences with children. It allows adults to be happier, empowered and more skilled in the interactions with youth. This method allows youth to grow through their mistakes and live with the consequences of their choices. This model is a way of working with youth that puts parents back in control, teaches youth to be responsible and prepares young people to live in the real world with its many choices and consequences. The possibilities are limitless!
The Cure for the Entitled Kid (3&6 hour, SW/CO)
“But everyone else has it!” .... “If you loved me, you’d get it for me!” When we hear these comments from our kids, it can be tough not to give in. We love our children, and want them to be happy and fit in. In fact, when we say yes too often, it puts our kids at long-term risk and sets them up for failure as adults. When caseworkers help foster/adoptive parents set reasonable limits, they can rid the effects of the "child-centered home" and raise confident, resilient, and successful children. Whether starting from scratch with a young toddler or navigating the teenage years, caseworkers can teach foster/adoptive parents strategies to effectively diminish "the entitlement complex" in their children.
The Five Love Languages of Teens (3&6 hour, FP, SW/CO)
Socially, mentally, and spiritually, teenagers face a variety of pressures and stresses every day. Despite these peer pressures, it is still parents who can influence teens the most. The Five Love Languages of Teenagers explores the world in which teenagers live; explains the developmental changes; and give tools to help you identify and appropriately communicate to your teens their love unique love language. Get practical tips on loving your teen effectively and explore key issues in your teen’s life including anger and independence. Finally learn how to set boundaries that are enforced with discipline and consequences, and discover useful ways for the difficult task of loving when your teen fails. This class is based on the work of Dr. Gary Chapman.
The Essentials of Team Building-Remembering the Titans (3 hour FP)
What do great child-welfare teams and successful football teams have in common? They often go through the same stages when it comes to building a successful team. We will discuss these four stages, the eight characteristics of effective teams, the differences between groups and teams and learn how to best serve children within a team approach.
The 360 Degree Leader (6 hour, SW/CO and Supervisor)
Regardless of my position, how do I apply leadership principles in my agency? It's a valid question that is answered in The 360-Degree Leader. You don't have to be the main leader to make significant impact in your agency. Good leaders are not only capable of leading their followers, but are also adept at leading their superiors and their peers. Shedding light on the challenges, 360-Degree Leader offers specific principles for Leading Down, Leading Up, and Leading Across. Discover how to lead effectively, regardless of your position in an organization. By applying certain principles, you will expand your influence and ultimately be a more valuable team member. This class is based off the work from Dr. John Maxwell.
Texting, Sexting, Addiction and the World of the Internet (3&6 hour, FP, SW/CO)
The average American teenager sends and receives more than 3,000 text messages per month, not to mention the hours they spend on the computer socializing with their peers. By educating yourself about the digital technology used by today’s teens, you can help both foster parents and the children they care for to be equipped with the knowledge of how to protect themselves in a world where nothing is ever private. Additionally, you will be more informed on everything foster teens are doing on both their phones and their computers. Other topics addressed will include sexting, phone addiction, online predators, apps that help keep social workers and teens safe, and the savvy media skills needed in today’s digital age.
Two Weeks to a Less Defiant Child (3&6 hour, FP, SW/CO)
Learn how to regain control over your defiant child or teen, including those with Oppositional Defiant Disorder. For every frustrated parent, we will discuss the causes of defiance in kids and how you can transform their behavior without resorting to yelling.You will also learn to avoid power struggles, learn discipline tactics you can depend on, successfully communicate without yelling, overcome stubborn obstacles, reinforce the positive changes in your child and last but not least, reduce defiance for the long run.
Using Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace (6 hour SW/CO)
This class will enable you to evaluate your own level of emotional intelligence, as well as identify your own personal strengths and limitations. You will also learn how to prevent yourself from being “sucked in” to other staff members’ negative emotions. We will discuss ways to prevent stress from having a negative impact on your level of functioning (thus decreasing job productivity). Lastly, you will learn to recognize non-verbal cues and interpret body language to assess how others may be thinking or feeling.
You Can’t Make Me (3 hour, FP, SW/CO)
Managing children who have less than desirable behaviors can be energy draining. By learning effective parenting strategies, our children can learn problem-solving skills that will help them function successfully in every day life. You can learn how to help them want to behave.