The Parenting Challenges and Counselor Concerns That Affect You

Dr. O'Connor's presentations help you address the parenting challenges that concern you or your clients. Her presentations also provide training for counselors and assist with child problems. Dr. O’Connor consults and presents to organizations and professional groups on a wide range of topics.

Her work includes a particular focus on helping children of alcoholics and drug addicted parents. This focus includes an emphasis on the parenting challenges parents face when addiction is a problem for a parent, or other family member. Parents of these children often confront considerable parenting stress, and welcome support to address the parenting challenges they face.

Counselors also face specific challenges in their work with these children. In addition, counselors seek resources and support for clients who face the parenting challenges that occur when addiction is a problem in their families. There are few resources or training supports to guide counselors who work with children of alcoholics or their parents.

Dr. O'Connor's presentations help to fill this gap.

Dr. O'Connor is also the author of "I CAN BE ME" -- a helping book for children of alcoholic and drug addicted parents. This book shows parents and counselors how to address the needs of children of alcoholics or drug addicted parents. I Can Be Me can help with the parenting challenges that affect families when parental addiction is a problem.

In addition, Dr. O'Connor has developed a support group and counseling program for children of alcoholic parents. This program assists the child psychologist or other counselors who want to help children of alcoholics and drug abusers.

Dr. O'Connor's program revolves around "I CAN BE ME". It includes a training manual or guide to help the child psychologist and other counselors develop their own helping programs for children of alcoholics and drug addicted parents.

Dr. O'Connor also consults and presents on topics related to a range of the parenting challenges that counselors and their clients face, including childhood stress. In addition, her presentations address a variety of other child problems. These include social, emotional and learning problems, as well as concerns about child behavior. Dr. O'Connor tailors her presentations to meet the needs of the organization or professional or parenting group.

A representative sample of the organizations she has presented to, and the topics addressed, are listed below.

• Alcohol & Drug Concerns - Preventive Education and Support for Children of Alcoholics.

• Addiction Research Foundation: School of Addiction Studies - Helping Children of Alcoholics.

• Association for Children of Alcoholics – Models for Helping COAS in the Schools.

• Drug Education Co-ordinating Council - Its Never Too Early to Start: Drug Education in the Primary Grades.

• Canadian Association for Children of Alcoholics- Drug Education for the Child 4 to 8 years.

• Scarborough Board of Education: Guidance Counsellors - The Role of the Guidance Counsellor in Providing Support to Children of Alcoholics.

• Peel Family Services - Understanding & Helping Children of the Chemically Dependent.

• Addiction Research Foundation-Pre-Teen Aged Children of Alcoholics.

• Toronto Metropolitan Separate School Board - Helping Children of the Chemically Dependent.

• Health Communications Conference -“ I Can Be Me”: Promoting Healthy Ongoing Change in the Young COAS Life.

• Student Assistance Conference -“ I Can Be Me”: Promoting Healthy Ongoing Change in a Child’s Life.

• North York Board of Education-“ I Can Be Me”: Understanding and Helping Children of the Chemically Dependent Parents.

• Bellwood Treatment Centre - Training Session for Counsellors Working with Children of the Chemically Dependent.

• New Directions – Kids Have Stress Too: Understanding and Helping Children to Cope with Childhood Stress.

• The University of Toronto-Faculty of Education - What is a Psychological Assessment and How Can It Help?

To Arrange a Presentation or Find Out More, click here.

Dr. O'Connor runs her practice, Assessment Based Solutions, in Toronto (Yonge & St.Clair) and the Hamilton/Niagara region (403 & Rousseau Rd.)

She can be reached at 416-592-0838.

You can also contact Dr. O'Connor by email.