Children do not come with an Instruction Manual. Admitting that you need help is always difficult as a parent. When confronted with parent-child conflict, your first reaction may be to think “this is just a phase.” However, as the days of recurrent conflict turn into months or even years, you may begin to feel guilty or inadequate.

All parents need help from time to time. This is especially true when your child has a challenging temperamental style. Children with language delays, AD/HD or learning disabilities often need a customized approach to child-rearing. Childhood behavioral difficulties can begin at an early age and include non-compliance, defiance, and aggression. By the time children turn into teenagers, communication becomes an issue and parents feel they are always in conflict with their child. Everything turns into a fight or an argument, while normal discipline seems ineffective.

Our clinicians offer help to parents who are dealing with the issues listed above. We offer parent training workshops designed to target defiance and communication strategies. We review age appropriate disciplinary strategies, and teach you how to resolve the constant battle by speaking in a language your child can understand. These workshops are based on established and researched curricula, and are tailored to the real issues parents face. Participants in the workshops are grouped by the age of the child, so the materials that are covered will be relevant for you and your family.

For parents of 6 – 12 year old children, we offer The Defiant Child Workshop. This is a 6 session group with a parent’s guide to give you step by step guidelines on how to increase compliance and emotional regulation.

For parents of teens, we offer The Parent-Teen Communication Workshop. This is also a 6 session group with a parent’s guide to help teach your child how to express their feelings calmly, learn to negotiate and reach a compromise. As teens mature, we want to equip them with the communication skills that they will need to negotiate in higher education and the world of work.

These groups are offered by Ben Snyder, Ph.D. If you would like more information on the date and time of the next group, please visit our Contact Us page.

Dr. Smith: Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

Dr. Snyder: Parent Training Groups

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