There are four free webinars left from the Parents as Partners series the district is providing for our parents and staff. A link to sign up is located above each description. 

In the next two months, Educational Consultant and Trainer Jennifer Bashant, Ph.D., LMSW, MA will tackle the topics of behavioral challenges, depression, developing social skills to make meaningful connections, and managing social media.

Each live webinar will be presented from 6:30-7:30 p.m. If you aren’t available to watch the webinar live, we encourage you to register because you will automatically receive the link to the recording after the live event. Access to the recordings will be available, for those who sign up, for 30 days after each webinar.

January 11

Depression and Suicide: Warning Signs and What You Can Do to Help

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The teenage years are defined by changes, sometimes dramatic changes, in behavior. These are often difficult years for families, even when mental health challenges are not present. So, how do you know what are considered normal changes, and when the changes in mood, isolating behavior and loss of interest in certain activities is clinical depression? This is not an easy question to answer, but we will tackle it during this webinar. We will look at the symptoms of depression and warning signs for suicide, and you will learn ways that you can support your child and get them professional help if needed. It can be overwhelming and difficult to find a therapist who is also accepting new patients, so we will look at tips for finding a therapist who will be a good fit for your child.

January 23

Managing Social Media in Our Lives

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One of the biggest challenges of parenting today is moderating our kids’ use of technology. It can be a daily struggle over how much time is spent on phones, computers and video games. The explosion of social media and the overload of information is creating a sense of loneliness and negatively affecting our children’s mental health. As parents and caregivers, we know too much technology is detrimental, but how much is too much, and what can we do to protect our children from the harmful effects?

February 8

Avoiding Power Struggles, Angry Outbursts, and Other Challenging Behaviors

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Collaboration can be a powerful tool to overcome defiance and reduce the fighting and behavioral challenges in your household. In this webinar, participants will learn how to:

● Identify and address the root cause of challenging behavior, while allowing your positive relationship with your child to serve as the foundation for change.

● Teach your child how to recognize the physical warning signs and know how to regulate the body and manage strong emotions such as anger, guilt, sadness and even elation.

● Use mindfulness, art, soothing music and physical activity to help your child develop a toolbox of strategies that help them feel calm

February 27

Making Friends and Keeping Them: 10 Social Skills to Teach Your Child

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Loneliness is an epidemic in this country, and one which puts people at risk for depression, anxiety and even a shortened lifespan. Making friends comes fairly naturally for some children, while others need more support in developing social skills. The ability to have empathy, or identify with the feelings of another, is an important skill for making and keeping friends, but it can be difficult to know exactly how to develop this trait in another person. During this webinar, participants will learn how to model and teach empathy and nine other crucial social skills that will make it easier to connect with others in a meaningful way.