This is a seven-week class. Each class is 2-hours long. I use a combination
of discussion, lecture and role-play exercises to teach this class.
Each week parents are encouraged to practice the particular skill
set that they learned about in the previous class. The following class
starts with a discussion of the successes and challenges encountered
when using that skill set.
Parents are also educated about the developmental need for these
parenting skills and are given personal questions to reflect on each
week to help illuminate these needs. Thoughts about questions, such
as ‘How were you parented?’, also stimulate group discussion.
This class focuses on three aspects of parenting:
- Dealing with Children’s Emotions
- Setting Limits on Children’s Behavior
- Problem Solving
Details:
1) I teach parents reflective listening skills so that they can deal
with children’s difficult emotions in a way that calms their
child down, promotes emotional intelligence and creates a strong parent-child
bond.
These include:
i) Reflecting what you think a child is feeling.
ii) Reflecting what you think a child is trying to say.
iii) Reflecting a child’s ambivalence.
2) I teach parents limit setting skills that allow the parent/child
bond to stay in tact. These include:
i) Praising Positive Characteristics
ii) Engaging Cooperation
iii) Giving Choices
iv) Alternatives to Punishment
3) This class is set up to teach parents how to be their child’s
emotional and life skills coach. Therefore, I teach parents how to
guide their children through the problem solving process.
Parents help children:
i) Identify Goals
ii) Think of Possible Solutions
iii) Evaluate Proposed Solutions
iv) Choose a Solution
I teach a similar process that parents can use for solving parent-child
problems.
This class is taken from the work of:
-
John Gottman. Author of Raising An Emotionally Intelligent
Child, based on twenty years of longitudinal research with
parents and children.
-
Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish. Long time Parent Educators and
authors of How To Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids
Will Talk and Siblings Without Rivalry.
-
Jim Fay & Foster Cline. Parent Educators and authors of Parenting
with Love & Logic.
-
Terri Kirwan, MA. I use my experience as an individual and couples
counselor and education in Self Psychology, Object Relations Theory,
& Motivational Interviewing. I hold a masters degree in Counseling
Psychology, 1988. I also have 3 years of post-graduate training
in developmental theories.
Testimonials from parenting classes at Whittier Elementary 2002/2003
school year:
"The techniques that we learned in
Terri’ class were immediately applicable in parenting my son.
We have an easier time with issues that were previously challenging.
This works!" - John Bein,
(3 year old)
"Great class, highly recommend ...
class techniques and skills definitely help you control your emotions
and frustrations and problem solve without yelling!" -
Nick P. (12, 7 & &7 year olds)
"In Terri’s class, I learned
not only how to reflect (my daughter’s) thoughts and feelings
with genuine empathy. I also recognized that by establishing my
own values, I was able to set healthy limits for her and me."
- Cha La Blanca (3 year old)
"This workshop gave me very practical
insights into coping with the long and short term emotional challenges
of parenting. Focusing on positive and empowering tools and techniques
of parent-child interactions left me inspired and feeling much better
about parenting as an opportunity for personal and family growth."
- John Hopkins (10 year old)
