Colorado State University Seminars Focuses On Issues Related To Parenting

The Center for Family and Couple Therapy is offering a number of adult seminars and children’s workshops to help enhance family relationships.

RELATE, or Relationship Enhancement for Adults and Children, is a monthly program that addresses topics important to family life. Raising a family can be challenging, and through these three seminars, the center can equip families with the tools necessary to meet some of these challenges.  

"Last fall, our adult program focused on couple relationship enhancement, and this spring our adult seminars focus on issues related to parenting such as strengthening emotional connections with kids and talking with kids about sexuality and safety," said Ashley Harvey, adjunct faculty member in Human Development and Family Studies. "Our children’s workshops this spring also address some key topics that many parents are concerned about, such as teaching children the many different forms family can take, how to keep themselves safe, and turning kids on to the satisfaction of helping others."

Children’s programs are geared toward children 3-and-a-half to 8 years old. The programs are offered concurrently for adults and children, and people can come to either or both each month.

The costs for the programs are $10 per adult, $15 per couple and $20 per child and $10 for each additional sibling. Discounts are available for adult-child combinations and multi-evening packages.

The center is part of in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies in the College of Applied Human Sciences.

The schedule of the workshops follows.

February 18

Adult Seminar: Connect With Your Kids, 6-7 p.m., Gifford 101.

Jenn Matheson, assistant professor and family therapist, will share special techniques to help you and your children feel more connected and experience less conflict around everyday issues.

Children’s Workshop: Celebrating our Families and Understanding Other Families, 5:45-7:15 p.m., Gifford 132.

HDFS faculty and graduate students will teach children how to feel pride in their own families as well as accept differences in others.

March 25

Adult Seminar: How to Talk to Your Kids about Sexuality and Safety, 6-7 p.m., Gifford 101.

Research shows that an open dialogue about sexuality strengthens parent-child relationships, promotes sexual responsibility and helps keep younger children and teens safe. Jen Krafchick, certified family life educator, family therapist and adjunct faculty member, will teach participants how to use developmentally appropriate strategies to share personal values and how to be "ask-able" parents who can identify teachable moments about sexuality in everyday interactions.

Children’s Workshop: Keeping Myself Safe, 5:45-7:15 p.m., Gifford 132.

Knowing how to stay safe is a critical skill for children to learn at a young age. This workshop will help children learn important ways to keep themselves safe on the internet, on the playground, in the neighborhood, at friend’s houses, with strangers and in many other situations.  

April 15

Adult Seminar: How to Increase Emotional Availability with Children, 6-7 p.m., Gifford 101.

Zeynep Biringen, professor and internationally recognized expert on the concept of emotional availability, will share research-based strategies to increase emotional availability for both parents and child care professionals, even when children are being challenging. She will also discuss emotional availability skills in adult-adult relationships.

Children’s Workshop: Becoming a Good Helper in My Home and My Community, 5:45-7:15 p.m., Gifford 132.

This workshop will teach children the importance of contributing to their families and society.  During this workshop, children will participate in an activity that will benefit a local charity.  This activity will be used to teach the importance of helping others no matter how young or old you are.  

For more information or to register, contact Ashley Harvey at (970) 491-3011 or e-mail Ashley.Harvey@colostate.edu.

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