Counselor's Corner
Counselor’s Corner
By: Stacey Young, M.Ed.,CCC
Good communication is an important parenting skill. The column for this month will provide some useful information for parents on how to communicate effectively with their children. Parenting can be more enjoyable when a positive parent-child relationship is established.
Basic Principles of Good Parent/Child Communication:
- Let the child know that you are interested and involved and that you will help when needed.
- Turn off the television or put the newspaper down when your child wants to converse.
- Unless other people are meant to be included, hold conversations in privacy. The best communication between you and the child will occur when others are not around.
- Avoid embarrassing your child or putting him/her on the spot in front of others. This will likely lead to resentment and hostility.
- Don’t tower over your child. Physically get down to the child’s level to talk.
- If you are very angry about a behaviour or an incident, do not attempt to communicate until you regain your cool. It is better to stop, settle down, and talk to your child a little later when you can be more objective.
- Do not ask why, but do ask what happened.
- Listen carefully and politely. Do not interrupt your child when he/she is trying to tell a story.
- Keep adult talking (“You will talk when I’m finished. I know what is best for you. Just do what I say and that will solve the problem.”), preaching and moralizing to a minimum because they are not helpful in getting communication open and keeping it open. You could assist your child in planning some specific steps to the solution.
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Show your child that you accept him/her unconditionally. Reinforce your child for keeping communication open. Do this by accepting and praising your child’s efforts to communicate.
Counselor’s Corner
By: Stacey Young, M.Ed.,CCC
Since this is my first message of the year, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome everyone to Hillel Academy for great year of learning and fun. To those I have not met, my name is Stacey Young and I work at Hillel as the School Counsellor. I have my Masters in Psychology and nine years of work experience in the field. As an employee of Jewish Family Services Ottawa, I provide counseling, consultation and support to Hillel Academy as well as to clients at Jewish Family Services Ottawa.
My office at Hillel Academy is located between the elevator and the chapel on the main level of the building. My office hours are Mondays (9am-2pm) and Thursdays (9am-2pm). Please feel welcome to come by my office if you have any questions or concerns. I can also be reached on my office cell phone (613) 261-2222.
School, of course, means that homework. For many parents homework time can be a frustrating task for a variety of reasons. I thought that it might be helpful to provide some tips on how to help your child with homework.
How to Help Your Child with Homework:
In trying to help your child with homework, try to use the same approach as when you taught your child to tie his/her shoes or ride a bike. Foster your child’s efforts by making concrete assistance available in a relaxed way and with ongoing love and affection. Parents often worry about the extent to which they should supervise and assist their children with homework.
The most effective assistance you can offer your child is to establish a daily work time. It is also important to be available for support and guidance, when needed. If a child asks for help with a homework problem or project, feel free to offer it, secure in the knowledge that the child wants to feel and to be competent. The more that you can respond positively and show your child how to think through and analyze a question, the more effectively your child will manage balancing between sticking with a difficult task and appropriately asking for help.
By: Stacey Young, M.Ed.,CCC
Since this is my first message of the year, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome everyone to Hillel Academy for great year of learning and fun. To those I have not met, my name is Stacey Young and I work at Hillel as the School Counsellor. I have my Masters in Psychology and nine years of work experience in the field. As an employee of Jewish Family Services Ottawa, I provide counseling, consultation and support to Hillel Academy as well as to clients at Jewish Family Services Ottawa.
My office at Hillel Academy is located between the elevator and the chapel on the main level of the building. My office hours are Mondays (9am-2pm) and Thursdays (9am-2pm). Please feel welcome to come by my office if you have any questions or concerns. I can also be reached on my office cell phone (613) 261-2222.
School, of course, means that homework. For many parents homework time can be a frustrating task for a variety of reasons. I thought that it might be helpful to provide some tips on how to help your child with homework.
How to Help Your Child with Homework:
In trying to help your child with homework, try to use the same approach as when you taught your child to tie his/her shoes or ride a bike. Foster your child’s efforts by making concrete assistance available in a relaxed way and with ongoing love and affection. Parents often worry about the extent to which they should supervise and assist their children with homework.
The most effective assistance you can offer your child is to establish a daily work time. It is also important to be available for support and guidance, when needed. If a child asks for help with a homework problem or project, feel free to offer it, secure in the knowledge that the child wants to feel and to be competent. The more that you can respond positively and show your child how to think through and analyze a question, the more effectively your child will manage balancing between sticking with a difficult task and appropriately asking for help.
Counselor’s Corner
By: Stacey Young, M.Ed.,CCC
Since some children have difficulty joining a group, I have listed out some suggestions that you can offer your child if he or she is finding that joining a group is hard at times.
Tips for Joining a Group of Kids
1. Think about which kids are friendly and try to join those kids.
2. Stay close to friends (if you are friends with someone in a group, stay near that person).
3. Approach smaller groups first (it is usually easier than big groups).
4. Show respect to others in the group and wait your turn.
5. If it seems like many games have the required number of players—start your own game. *Bring something that will attract other to play with you. i.e. a ball, a skipping rope, a funny joke, etc.
6. Remember that ‘no’ does not mean ‘never’. It could mean ‘not right now’ or ‘try again later’. So try three different times (not all in the same day) to join a group of kids.
7. Observe the activity you want to join. Try to fit in by imitating what others are doing. Do not try to change what the other children are playing.
8. Always act nicely and use kind words.
9. Be yourself and act honestly with others.
By: Stacey Young, M.Ed.,CCC
Since some children have difficulty joining a group, I have listed out some suggestions that you can offer your child if he or she is finding that joining a group is hard at times.
Tips for Joining a Group of Kids
1. Think about which kids are friendly and try to join those kids.
2. Stay close to friends (if you are friends with someone in a group, stay near that person).
3. Approach smaller groups first (it is usually easier than big groups).
4. Show respect to others in the group and wait your turn.
5. If it seems like many games have the required number of players—start your own game. *Bring something that will attract other to play with you. i.e. a ball, a skipping rope, a funny joke, etc.
6. Remember that ‘no’ does not mean ‘never’. It could mean ‘not right now’ or ‘try again later’. So try three different times (not all in the same day) to join a group of kids.
7. Observe the activity you want to join. Try to fit in by imitating what others are doing. Do not try to change what the other children are playing.
8. Always act nicely and use kind words.
9. Be yourself and act honestly with others.