Understanding Today’s Teenagers

The title of Dr. Wooding’s best-selling book, “Rage, Rebellion and Rudeness”, accurately describes the behavior of most teenagers at some time during their adolescent years. In this talk, Dr. Wooding describes how these behaviors are rooted in the hormonal changes of puberty and the simultaneous redevelopment of the teenage brain, and are not the result of some diabolical plot on the part of the teenagers themselves. By understanding the origins of these frustrating aspects of teenage behavior, parents and professionals can eliminate the fear, anger and frustration that is often directed at the teens and can then cope with the behaviors more effectively using strategies that Dr Wooding will outline.

Did That Grunt Mean ‘Yes’ or ‘No’: Communicating with Teenagers

One of the great myths about raising teenagers is that they don’t want to talk to their parents and teachers. The one-word answers, long silences and frequent rudeness are baffling to adults, leaving them with the impression that teens only want to talk to their friends. Nothing could be further from the truth. Teens really do want to communicate with adults, but they just aren’t very good at it. This presentation focuses on how to develop a foolproof communication system that will ultimately result in a closer relationship between teenagers and their parents and teachers.

The Parenting Crisis

Today children of all ages are under more stress than ever before. This stress manifests itself as temper tantrums, bullying, aggression and violence, or emerges in the form of obesity and drug, tobacco and alcohol abuse. These high stress levels, and the undesirable behavior that they bring, are the result of changes in our society that have affected the way that adults are now parenting. In this discussion, which is based on his latest book, Dr. Wooding outlines these changes and clearly shows what parents and professionals need to do to reduce the stress levels of their children, so that they grow up happier and healthier.

The Bullying Boom

Despite the flurry of anti-bullying programs that have developed dince the Columbine massacre in 1999, bullying is actually on the rise. In this presentation Dr Wooding describes the trends in society that have created this “bullying boom”, the nature of bullies, the makeup of the victims and the steps necessary to reduce the incidence of bullying in today’s society.

Parenting Through Separation and Divorce

There are few parenting challenges as difficult as dealing with the effects of separation and divorce on children. The initial break up, single parenting and the eventual incorporation of a new partner into the family all present ever-increasing obstacles to raising emotionally stable and confident children. In this presentation Dr. Wooding discusses the effects separation and divorce can have on children, describes why these effects can occur and then presents clear and effective ways to prevent as many of these effects as possible.