Seminars for Parents and Caregivers of Teens
The parent/caregiver seminars listed below can last from between 40 and 90 minutes, can be a stand-alone event or incorporated into other parent evenings (eg subject information nights etc)
Calm and Confident Teens: Helping adolescents manage stress, worry, anxiety and difficult times.
This seminar is designed to give parents/caregivers of teenagers confidence and skills in dealing with teenagers experiencing stress, worry and difficult times. Specific topics covered include:
Understanding the common causes of emotional health concerns, stress and anxiety in teens
Options for how to help teens to communicate more effectively
Options for how we might build resiliency in young people (and try to gradually reduce their dependence on us as parents)
Possible strategies to help young people learn to stay calm and reassure themselves
Info about this presentation for schools: Examples are provided throughout especially in relation to anxiety about school attendance, perfectionism, homework completion, anxiety about how they are perceived by others. Examples are provided which relate to the 12/13 to 17 year old age groups.
Supporting Students in Senior Secondary School: What parents/caregivers can do
This seminar is designed to help parents/caregivers of teenagers think about how they might support their student in Years 10, 11 and 12 (note, there is a specific variant of this seminar for parents/caregivers of Year 7 students starting secondary school) to assist with their well-being and academic achievement. Specific topics covered include:
Understanding the factors usually (although noting individual differences) associated with higher well-being and academic achievement of students in secondary school. For example, these include:
What is the research related to attendance at school, non-distracted study time and the management of distractions (including technology) during homework time?
What is the research related to links between sleep, exercise and nutrition - and well-being/academic performance
What is the research related to extra-curricular activites, part time jobs and well-being/academic performance.
Supporting parents to think about practical options (which might suit their family) for supporting older teens in ways which support their autonomy and grow their independence - what have other families done and tried which have helped in this area?
Supporting parents to have practical options about how to think about challenges with their young person in ways which reduce their own stress as much as possible - what have other families done and tried which have helped in this area?
Supporting parents to have practical options for how to use problem solving/collaborative conversations (including sentences which can be helpful) with young people which may help in reducing conflict or stress - what have other families done and tried which have helped in this area?
Supporting parents to have practical options for ‘connection strategies’ to use with their young person (in ways which suit their family needs) - what have other families done and tried which have helped in this area?
A strong focus in this seminar is the individual differences in the needs that young people have, and the provision of options for practical strategies - which parents/caregivers can consider and choose from in ways that suit their own family needs - and acknowledgement throughout that none of this is easy!
Seminars for Parents and Caregivers of Primary aged children
Calm and Confident Kids
This seminar is designed to help parents/caregivers of primary aged children know how to support children aged 5-12 with a tendency towards worry or anxiety - or who are dealing with difficult life situations. Research tells us that what parents do can really help children feel calmer and less anxious over time.
In this seminar parents/caregivers learn practical strategies including:
What causes of anxiety and stress in children
What to say and not say when children are worried, stressed or anxious
What parenting behaviours help anxious children - and which accidentally make them worse
How to help children take steps to act more confidently
How to “de-escalate” situations when children are extremely anxious or experiencing panic
How to help children talk more confidently to themselves rather than rely on parent reassurance
Info about this presentation for schools: Examples are provided throughout especially in relation to anxiety about school attendance, perfectionism, homework completion, separation from parents/caregivers, anxiety about how they are perceived by others. Examples are provided which relate to the 4/5 to 11 year old age groups.
This seminar is also part of the parents of primary aged children package, for information about this package click here
Calm and Connected Kids
This seminar is designed to help parents/caregivers of primary aged/early middle school young people know how to support them to develop positive friendships and manage the normal peer difficulties which arise in this age and stage of development.
In this seminar parents/caregivers learn information and practical strategies including:
Why friendships and positive relationships matter for children and young people
The type and frequency of normal peer difficulties which occur for both boys and girls
How to coach children/young people to confidently, kindly and assertively manage friendship difficulties
When and how to intervene in more serious or ongoing conflict/exclusion situations with friends
How to work together with other adults/organisations (including schools) to support children to manage peer difficulties
Info about this presentation for schools: Examples are provided throughout especially in relation to social issues related to parents concerns about children experiencing social exclusion (online or in real life), children having difficulty initiating conversations and friendships and children finding social skills difficult. Examples focus on calm normalisation of social difficulties with practical ideas about how parents can support social development and respond calmly (but with empathy) and constructively. Examples are provided which relate to the 4/5 to 11/12 year old age groups.
This seminar is also part of the parents of the Child wellbeing series, for information about this package click here
Calm and Co-operative Kids
This seminar is designed to help parents/caregivers of primary aged children know how to support children aged 5-12 with a tendency towards frustration, difficulties managing impulses - or who find it harder to feel co-operative. Research tells us that parents/caregivers can help children gradually act more calmly, feel more co-operative and find it easier to manage big feelings and impulsivity.
In this seminar, parents/caregivers learn practical strategies including:
What causes some children to experience more frustration (“big feelings”) than others - why it’s not “bad behaviour”
What to say and not say when children get frustrated
What parenting behaviours help children learn to feel more co-operative - and which accidentally make them worse
How to implement rules, routines and consequences in fair, empathic and connected ways
How to help children act more co-operatively independently rather than rely on parent “nagging”
Info about this presentation for schools: Examples are provided throughout especially in relation to social issues related to parents concerns about children not following instructions, having big emotional reactions to disappointment and frustration. Examples are provided which relate to the 4/5 to 11/12 year old age groups.
This seminar is also part of the parents of the Child wellbeing series, for information about this package click here
All of the parent/caregiver seminars above run for 70-90 minutes as "stand alone" events, but shortened versions can also be conducted if the presentation is part of an existing school evening.
“The parents and staff of our schools found the seminar to be very beneficial and insightful. The information was easy to understand, coupled with practical strategies which helped parents to feel more equipped in helping their families. I would highly recommend the seminars from Developing Minds Psychology as a fantastic resource.”
Combined age groups
Please note that we can provide seminars only for either parents of primary aged children OR secondary age young people - as the content needs to be tailored for each group. Apologies!
Guarantee
We do not invoice for our seminars until after the seminar has been conducted. If you believe we have not connected with our audience, nor provided high quality content - then please simply call us after the seminar to say you were not 100% satisfied - and we will NOT invoice you. We are absolutely committed to providing excellent and extremely useful sessions, and therefore offer this guarantee without reservation.
To Book a Seminar...
Call our admin team on (08) 8357 1711 or email Amy at amy@developingminds.net.au
