Conference for Dealing with Teen and Parent Conflicts

Conference for Dealing with Teen and Parent Conflicts Hosted on Jan. 29

“Sex, Drugs and Rap…What every teen and their parents need to know about themselves and each other” is the program theme for a community conference, which will be hosted at Columbia College on Saturday, Jan. 29 from 9am to 4:30pm. The general public is invited to attend and there is no cost to participate. Opening session will meet from 9 to 10:15am in Cedar 1 on the college campus with a continental breakfast, lunch and child care provided. Several community service agencies are presenting the program, including Columbia College Foster and Kinship Care Education, Tuolumne County Probation Department, Raising Healthy Families, Tuolumne County Department of Social Services/Child Welfare Services, and Mountain Women´s Resource Center. “The concept came from a foster parent, who desperately needed help with her teen,” said Adrienne Webster, the college´s Foster and Kinship Care Program manager. “This whole program was developed in response to her request. It´s an opportunity for youth and parents to learn lots about themselves.”

“ We´ll deal with a range of tough topics for the teen years, like drugs, alcohol, sex and sexually transmitted diseases. Of course, we´ll also discuss having healthy relationships and how to prepare teens to live on their own,” said Webster. Separate strands, one for parents and another for teens, will be conducted during the three sessions throughout the day:

Session 1: 10:30-11:45 am.

Parents

● Respectful Confrontation: How to Communicate with your Teen

● The Struggling Adolescent: Understanding and Handling Self-destructive Behaviors in Teens

Teens

●You Just Don´t Understand Me

●What You Need to Know to Live on Your Own

Session 2: 1-2:15 pm.

Parents

● Teens and Sex/Sexuality

●What Parents Need to Know about Drug and Alcohol Use

Teens

● Healthy Relationships

• Depression, Suicide, Self-destructive Behavior, Eating Disorders

Session 3: 2:30-3:45 pm.

Parents

● Get Out of My Face: Fair, Firm and Friendly Discipline

● Preparing Teens to Live on Their Own

Teens

● Drugs, Alcohol and the Legal System

● Everything You Need to Know about Sex and STDs

Local businesses, who donated gifts for participants, include Pak-n- Save, Papa Murphy´s, Perko´s, Sonora Sports and Fitness Center, Wal-Mart, and others. Seats for the conference are limited and early registrations are encouraged. Final deadline for receipt of registrations is Jan. 21. For more program information or registration materials, contact Marty Olson at the college at 588-5382.

Reprinted with permission from Sierra Mountain Times