Hello Dr. Magen,
Thank you for all that you are doing to support families. Words are not sufficient to express my personal gratitude, and that of our PTA community, for the time you spent with us Saturday morning. Your presentation and dialogue reached far beyond the topic and positively impacted many in the audience. I have received an abundance of positive feedback.
So many of our children and families are hurting and struggling. You provided a forum where they were able to learn, share, ask questions, and understand that they are not alone. You provided tools and the hope parents need, especially now. I am not only grateful for your willingness to share knowledge and expertise in presentations and newsletter articles. I am overwhelmed by the genuine warmth and compassion that was so obvious in your offer to chat offline with a few parents who may need more support.
You are truly appreciated and have made a difference. I really hope that you will return to our community and share more of your presentations with us.
Warmly,
Lisa
Lisa Gross, Ph.D.
President, San Ramon Valley Council of PTAs
It it really free? How can it be free?
Yes, it’s really free. I consider this to be my life’s work, and am in the fortunate position of being to set aside a few hours every week to dedicate to this work without requiring compensation. I usually mention other activities parents can register for (like the Parenting Foundations Class), but there is always the option of registering at no cost, in order to ensure that financial ability is never a barrier to better relationships.
How long are sessions? What’s the structure?
Sessions are usually 1 hour long. The first 20 minutes are didactic, about whatever topic we agree on, and the remainder of the time is dedicated to questions and answers (which may or may not be related to the topic I introduced during the first part of the session).
I encourage people to have their video on, so parents can see their community and feel more connected. During Q&A, I occasionally invite people to unmute, so we can think together about whatever they brought up.
Parents often use the chat to offer each other support, encouragement, and resources. I also invite parents to submit questions through the chat, which we can all discuss during the Q&A.
What will we need to do?
- Pick a topic for the session (see the list below).
- Advertise the event to the parents in your community (I will provide you with a description of the event).
- Manage registrations.
- Host the session on your Zoom account.
- Provide a facilitator who can moderate during the Q&A period (picking questions to discuss from the ones that parents submit via the chat), and who can also answer parents’ questions about school resources (for example, if they want to know who to ask if they’re worried about their child’s mental health).
What are possible topics for sessions?
Here is a menu of workshop topics. If there is another topic that would be especially relevant, please tell me, and I will see if I can create a workshop around it.
- Building goodwill with your child
- Supporting your upset child (example recording)
- More cooperation, less conflict
- How to be your child’s favorite conversation partner (example recording)
- Giving feedback that inspires
- How to give advice your child will (possibly) listen to (example recording)
- Helping your child build good habits (example recording)
- Self-care for parents
How do I schedule a workshop?
Let’s talk – please use this link to schedule a time for us to meet.