What are the learning objectives of this Webinar?

The learning objectives are:

• For parents to find strategies to navigate parenting in 2023.

• To consider parenting approaches that maintain boundaries and maintain connection and what this looks like in practice.

• To understand the ‘Iceberg model’ and how children can experience a style that is helpful and constructive.

How is this relevant, and how will this help me?

We believe this webinar is relevant in a number of ways:

• Our society faces many challenges and complex issues.  We have just come out of Covid, and there are implications of this for children.  There is rapid change happening in the world and this can feel overwhelming.  Children have been through much anxiety. Yet, we believe there are some core principles that can guide parents and provide them with hope and confidence for the future.

• We believe that a common theme of all parenting programs and parenting theory is that parents maintain a balance of boundaries and connection.  In this webinar we will look at how we tend to lean towards one or the other, and how we can continue to move towards this balance.  

• One of the practical ways we illustrate this is with the “Behaviour Iceberg”.  The “Behaviour Iceberg” emphasises that behaviour, feelings and needs are all important.   Often, we have a tendency to focus on or two to the exclusion of the others.  We talk about why this might be the case, and how we can have an outlook that focuses on all three. We talk about how children benefit from this.

What will happen at the webinar?

• Russell and Melanie will offer what a balance of connection and boundaries looks like in the modern context.

• You will see a presentation on the ‘Iceberg Model’ and two role plays that illustrate how it might be applied.

• Hope-filled ways forward to parent in 2023.

• You will be sent a reflective booklet post session, along with other resources, that can assist you to apply this in practice and to help your children with a healthy pathway.

Tell us how the Webinar will work in practice

Once you select a booking date button on the webinar page, we will send you a Zoom Webinar invitation.  This will provide relevant login details to the webinar.  You will then be reminded of the webinar both one day before and one hour before the webinar.

Once you arrive in the webinar you won’t be visible to anyone else.  You can make comments in the chat.  The comments will be acknowledged by Russell or Melanie as presenters, and yet we won’t name you to protect your privacy. Your chat comments won’t be visible to others.

Is this type of Webinar effective?

Our experience says yes, it is.  Parents have the freedom to engage with the presentation. As they start to make comments, they often discover that they are more engaged than they realise.  The privacy is also appreciated, especially as the other people may be strangers to them.

Is this just another Parenting Course?

No it is not a Parenting Course.  Our approach is consistent with many great Parenting Courses, such as “Tuning into Kids” and “Tuning into Teens”.  This is a one-off webinar with a free follow up workbook.  Best Life Counselling are working on some low-cost resources that parents could follow through with if that would be helpful.  Please let us know if you wish to be notified when this resource becomes available.

How will this benefit me and my/our children?

There are many potential ways that this webinar can benefit you and your children.  These include:

• Gaining perspective on what our aspirations are as parents, and our children as they experience responsiveness.

• Having confidence about parenting principles to adjust either when circumstances change or as our children get older.

• To reflect on our own parenting approaches and factors as to why we may to go to one approach or the other, and then find pathways as to what to do about it.

• To see in action what the Behaviour Iceberg looks like in the role plays and see how we might apply these principles.

• To have the opportunity to engage in the reflective exercises post session and to discuss this with the other parent or others.

I see that you offer a lot of resources on Post Separation parenting, is this only helpful for those who are separated?

These principles apply for parents who are together, parents who are separated or carers.  It is common for parents to have different views about parenting (whether they are together or not).

Russell has worked in Family Dispute Resolution (mediation) for many years and parents often hold different aspects of the Behaviour Iceberg.  One parent might focus on behaviour and the other parent focuses on feelings and needs.  The challenge is to bring this together.  Russell has experience in couples counselling, and the issues are very similar.

Melanie has worked with families in crisis at an acute hospital for many years.   She has seen the impact of medical and other crisis first hand. 

Both Russell and Melanie are well trained in reflective work and have been practicing this for many years.