Positive Steps Workshops

Johnny’s teacher called you at work today… Mary’s depressed and won’t come out of her room… Bobby insulted your mother… Mark broke the lamp… Ruth’s late again… Russell wet the bed… Jenny told a lie… and the baby’s crying!

Every other occupation, from driving a truck to performing surgery, requires months or years of training. Only for the job of raising children do we expect that love will be enough. But, sometimes it isn’t. Parents also need skills. Here is the program that gives parents the know-how they need to be helpful to their children and helpful to themselves.

What Do The Workshops Teach?
The goal of the How To Talk So Kids Will Listen Group workshop is to help you and the members of your group communicate more effectively with children. In each session of the workshop you’ll be introduced to an additional set of proven skills that will help you to cope with your child’s negative feelings…engage your child’s willing cooperation…discipline without hurting or alienating…help your child develop a positive and realistic self-image…foster a family atmosphere of love and respect.

Young adults with social challenges can become isolated, withdrawn and the target for teasing and bullying. Conversely, having one or two positive friendships can assist with coping with stressful life events, increase self-esteem and wellbeing.

The PEERS® (Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills) was originally developed by Elizabeth Laugeson to clearly teach strategies to navigate social situations and form relationships with others. It has a strong evidence-base for use with teens and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, Anxiety, Depression, and other socioemotional challenges. Recent research has demonstrated that gains made over the course of this program are maintained 3-5 years later (Laugeson et al., 2013).

In the 16-week PEERS® program for young adults, they will learn …

• How to find sources of friends
• How to find common interests by trading information
• How to use appropriate conversational skills including starting and maintaining
  conversations
• How to enter and exit group conversations
• How to organize and have successful get-togethers
• How to appropriately use humour
• How to handle rejection and direct or indirect bullying
• Rules for forms of electronic communication
• How to handle arguments and disagreements
• Dating etiquette/skills

Teenagers with social challenges can become isolated, withdrawn and the target for teasing and bullying. Conversely, having one or two positive friendships can assist with coping with stressful life events, increase self-esteem and wellbeing.

The PEERS® (Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills) was originally developed by Elizabeth Laugeson to clearly teach strategies to navigate social situations and form relationships with others. It has a strong evidence-base for use with teens and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, Anxiety, Depression, and other socioemotional challenges. Recent research has demonstrated that gains made over the course of this program are maintained 3-5 years later (Laugeson et al., 2013).

In the 14-week PEERS® program for teens, they will learn …

• Choose appropriate friends.
• Use appropriate conversational skills.
• Find common interests in conversations.
• Enter and exit conversations between peers.
• Be a good host during get togethers.
• Use appropriate humour.
• Use electronic communication.
• Handle rumours and gossip.
• Handle arguments with peers.
• Change a bad reputation.
• Handle teasing and bullying.
• Be a good sport.

What Do The Workshops Teach?
The goal of the Siblings Without Rivalry group workshop is to help you to help your children learn how to live together.  Each session sensitises parents to what it is that increases hostility between children and the attitude and the language that decreases hostility.  During each session, parents will learn and practice specific skills that help to reduce friction and make harmony possible. Participants will also have the opportunity to take a fresh look at their own adult sibling relationships.

What Will Be Covered in Each Session?

1. Helping Siblings Deal with Their Feelings About Each Other – What happens to brothers and sisters when their hostile feelings about each other are ignored or denied? Four specific methods for helping children express their negative feelings to each other without doing damage.
2. Keeping Children Seperate And Unequal – How siblings react when they are compared to each other – unfavourably or even favourably. Effective alternatives to comparisons. How siblings feel about always being treated equally. Ways to treat children unequally and still be fair.
3. Siblings in Roles – Why brothers and sister are often cast, and cast each other, into different roles. A look at how powerfully these roles affect their relationships with each other. Skills that free each child to become his or her most whole self.
4. When the Kids Fight – What can you do when fighting breaks out between the children?  An exploration of commonly used strategies that backfire.  A chance to practice the skills that reduce rage and motivate children to work out their own solutions.
5. Problem Solving – A method for helping children deal with the problems they can’t work out for themselves.  A simple ten-step approach that enables adults to sit down with the young combatants so that they can move toward resolving their conflicts.
6. A Final Review – Time to review and consolidate your skills.  Exercises give you practice in applying everything you learned to potentially explosive situations.  Finally, an opportunity to take a second look at your own adult sibling relationships from your new perspective.