Dr. O'Connor Helps with Parenting Problems

Are you experiencing parenting problems? You are not alone. Dr. O’Connor works with busy parents who, in addition to the stress of the work-family juggle, have the added stress of worries about their children and are experiencing parenting problems.

She also consults with organizations and professionals who work with children and their families. This includes legal and medical professionals, mental health professionals and organizations whose clients are experiencing parenting problems. Dr. O’Connor provides services to parents, lawyers, physicians, counselors, educators and mental health professionals.

Her clients are committed to helping children and finding solutions to the child problems that concern them. They want to intervene now and take preventative steps to help children, before child problems escalate and become more difficult to address.

Are You a Busy Parent Who is Experiencing Parenting Problems?

• Are your children exhibiting child problems? Few parents escape worries about their children. As children develop and grow they experience a range of child problems. These include learning and school problems, problems getting along with peers and/or siblings or emotional and behavioral problems like mood swings, tantrums, non-compliance and aggression. Some children may seem sad, anxious and depressed. Other children may exhibit a range of interacting problems and concerns.

• Do you feel stressed out, pressed for time and unsure of where to turn to solve child problems? You are not alone. Parenting stress is on the rise. Many parents are searching for easy to practical, effective solutions to help them with parenting problems.

• Do you lack understanding of child problems and wish you knew more? Parents often lack understanding of child problems and how to address them. Sometimes they are unsure of whether a child problem is just a normal stage of child development or a more serious concern. They wonder if professional support would help but they are unsure of where to turn.

• Do you want to intervene before child problems escalate and become more difficult to manage? Are you spinning your wheels and hoping the child problems that worry you will disappear? Instead nothing changes and things are getting worse. And your parenting problems are only increasing.

• Are you feeling stressed out and worried about a child? Are your parenting problems and the added stress of worries about a child increasing your stress levels? Are you finding it hard to balance your responsibilities at home and at work?

• Are you searching for help to increase your understanding of child problems and how to help? Help for parenting problems can be difficult to find and access. Or you may live in an area where such help is unavailable and travel to another town or area is required. And the parenting books that do exist may not address the child problems that concern you and the multiple, interactive factors that are involved. Child problems rarely fit into one neat package. They usually involve multiple causes and symptoms that are unique to each child and his or her situation.

• Are you looking for practical effective solutions to help with parenting problems? Do you feel you are just spinning your wheels and going nowhere? You have searched the internet, read books and articles and sought the advice of family and friends. But what are the best options for your child and where do you begin to address your parenting problems?. How do you tailor the advice you find to fit the individual needs of your child and your specific parenting problems?

• Do you wonder if there really is a problem? Are the parenting problems you are experiencing just a normal part of raising a child? Maybe things are okay but well meaning friends, family or teachers have expressed concerns about your child. Maybe you are missing something and you need to take steps to help a child. But you just aren’t sure and don’t know where to turn.

Are You a Busy Professional or Do You Represent an Organization Working with Children and their Families?

• Do you wonder where you can find more information about the specific child problems that concern you or the clients you work with? Perhaps you are a family physician or pediatrician looking for a psychologist to assist the families and children you work with.

• Are you a lawyer looking for support to address the family/child issues that pertain to your practice? Lawyers whose practice intersects with issues related to children and their families can benefit from the expertise of a psychologist to provide a range of services, including consultations, assessments and file reviews.

• Are you a busy mental heath or counseling professional who works with children and their families? Do you work with parents who suffer from psychological concerns like addiction, depression and/or anxiety or who are experiencing other concerns like relationship issues, divorce/separation or step and blended family issues or grieving the loss of a loved one? Mental health professionals and counselors are often looking for a psychologist to refer their clients to when child problems worry them. Child problems often co-occur with psychological problems and stress in a parent.

• Are you a teacher, educator or school support professional who wants to know more about child problems and how to help children with learning and behavioral concerns? Teachers, educators and other professionals who work in our schools confront a range of child problems. They are often unsure of how to address them. Many are searching for resources, consultations and advice, or workshops and training sessions to help them learn more about child problems and how to help.

• Do you work for an organization that serves families and/or children? Many mental health and treatment centre staff confront families and children who are experiencing family stress and psychological and living problems. Often these professionals can benefit from the support of a psychologist to provide resources, consultations and advice, or workshops and training sessions to help their clients address their parenting problems.

Below is a list, by type, of the individuals, professionals and organizations that Dr. O’Connor has worked with:

• Parents and Concerned Family Members
• Student Assistant Programs, Guidance and School Counselors
• Addiction Treatment Centers
• Children's Aid Society Workers
• Family Service Organizations
• Parent Resource Centers
• School Boards, Teachers and Other School Based Professionals
• Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Social Workers and Other Counselors
• Hospital Clinics, Physicians, Public Health Nurses and Counselors
• Children's Mental Health Treatment Centers
• Employee Assistance Programs
• School Drug Prevention Programs
• Community Drug Prevention Programs
• Parent and Family Resource Centers
• Youth Workers

Our Ideal Client

The clients who are most likely to find our services of value share many of the following characteristics. If most of them fit you, you are likely to find that Dr. O’Connor’ services can help you learn more about child problems and how to solve them.

• They believe in children and their potential. They are committed to helping children achieve their potential in the major developmental domains, including the social, academic, behavior and emotional domains.

• They believe in the power of parents to make a difference in the lives of their children. They recognize the importance of intervening early before child problems escalate and become more difficult to deal with and solve.

• They recognize the importance of applying practical, effective solutions to address child problems, to build on the child’s strengths and address the child’s needs so that positive change can take place.

• They recognize that there is "no quick fix"and that positive change in a child requires motivation and commitment, as well as understanding of child problems and the persistence and consistency to follow through and apply practical, effective solutions to solve them.

• They are willing to do their part to make the necessary changes in themselves, and their own behaviors and interactions in order to promote positive change in a child’s life.

• They are optimistic and believe they can help solve child problems and promote positive change in a child. They want to take action and apply “the best of what works" to the child problems that concern them.

• They believe in the value of applying psychological knowledge and expertise to child problems. They see themselves as partners who are willing to work with others to increase understanding of child problems and how to solve them.

  Now that you know more about the clients Dr. O’Connor works with and the kind of child problems she helps them solve, learn more about how Dr. O'Connor works, and how she can help you address parenting problems.

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  Copyright 2002 (c) Dianne S. O'Connor, Ed.D.All Rights Reserved.

  Assessment Based Solutions
  447 Blythwood Road
  Toronto.Ontario.M4N 1A8
  Tel: 416.481.0893 Fax: 416.481.1213