Siblings may fight, and kids can throw tantrums, but when the power struggles spin out of control, it’s easy to feel helpless. Yet, with the right tools, parents can turn unruly behavior issues into positive parent-and-child interactions. To help, Children’s Specialized Hospital, part of the Children’s Health Network at RWJBarnabas Health is offering a lifeline to stressed parents and caregivers with their virtual workshop, Managing Your Child’s Behavior. Developed by child psychologists Shoshana Isenberg and Charles Borgen at Children’s Specialized Hospital, this seven-part series is designed to help parents understand and deal with challenging behavior issues, causes, and interactive strategies. Read on for more information about the workshop and if it’s right for your family. (featured photo credit: istock/erikreis)

How The Managing Your Child’s Behavior Virtual Workshop Can Help Families

Managing Your Child's Behavior with RWJBarnabas Health — *One of the concepts covered in the Managing Your Child’s Behavior Virtual Workshop. Photo Credit: RWJBarnabas Health*

The first step in making a change

If you feel that your child’s behavior is extreme, and you’re constantly giving time outs or taking away privileges, there is help to navigate through the challenges. Developed for parents of kids ages 2-10, the Managing Your Child’s Behavior Virtual Workshop offers parents real solutions to behavioral issues like tantrums, power struggles, and sibling conflicts. Taught by Children’s Specialized Hospital Psychologists Charles Borgen and Shoshana Isenberg, the workshops take a deep dive into what’s causing the misbehavior and implement behavior systems while helping parents manage stress, take care of themselves, and find support. “We want to help parents improve confidence, the parent-child relationship, cooperation with daily routines, and decrease power struggles,” says Isenberg, also the program’s event coordinator.

Know the signs of a behavior problem

Not sure if the course is right for your family? Isenberg suggests that parents and caregivers keep an eye out for warning signs in their child’s behavior. “These warning signs are frequent tantrums, feeling overwhelmed, engaging in power struggles, and experiencing difficulty with daily routines.” Parents who are experiencing any of these signs can benefit from the workshop under the guidance of experts who are with you every step of the way. And if taking the time to complete a seven-part series seems overwhelming, it can be worth the effort in the long run. “For busy families, attending this virtual workshop once a week, which you can do from home after work, is hopefully an investment in reducing the amount of time spent in parent-child conflicts,” she adds.

Finding strategies for peaceful parenting

For parents and caregivers, each session can be a roadmap to understanding where the behaviors are coming from and offer strategies to implement systems that get results. “We’ve made the workshop based on research-based concepts, including functions of behavior, tools from therapies for Applied Behavioral Analysis and ADHD, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy tools, to help parents better manage their stress and frustration, which so often interferes in maintaining any behavioral strategies,” shares Isenberg. The workshop runs for six consecutive weeks, with the seventh session as a booster to reinforce the systems and help parents maintain the positive changes they’ve made. What’s more, the support doesn’t end with the last session. “I always tell families at the end of the workshop that if they are still struggling, they can connect with me by email, and I can provide more support or refer them for further services if needed,” says Isenberg.

What to know about the virtual workshop

Ready to make a positive change for your family? The next cycle of the Managing Your Child’s Behavior Virtual Workshop is October 28 through December 9, 2024. To get the most benefit, parents should attend all classes within the cycle. The cost is $99, and this fee may be covered by the CSH Benefit Fund. Registration and prepayment are required at least 24 hours before the first session.

Learn more about Managing Your Child’s Behavior and RWJBarnabas Health.