Restorative Practices for Caregivers: A mini course

Restorative approaches provide us with practical ways to give the young people in our lives, and ourselves, a chance to be heard, and to be treated with fairness and respect.

Conflict is an inevitable—and sometimes even productive!—reality of human interactions, particularly at the onset of adolescence. Restorative Practices help adults and their tweens/teens alike face conflict head-on and work together to find solutions to problems, leading to improved communication, healthier relationships, and more resilient families.

Participants in this workshop will come away with:

• An understanding of what is means to have a restorative mindset
• An understanding of restorative language and how to use it with your adolescent
• Proactive practices that help your child build skills and strategies for managing strong emotions and communicating their wants and needs effectively
• Techniques around executive functions to set your middle schooler up for success
• Practical knowledge that centers curiosity rather than shame and blame to address concerns with your child
• A mindset that reframes mistakes as opportunities for social-emotional learning (SEL) and growth for your middle schooler
• Strategies for engaging with young adolescents in problem-solving, an essential life skill
• A community of like-minded adults to support and encourage each other

Research has shown that the Restorative Practices approach led to a 43% reduction in overall disputes in homes, schools and families. The same research found that 87% of those who took part in Restorative Practices training reported being better able to deal with conflict in general.

Learn to be the calm your middle schooler needs as they deal with the strong emotions and new challenges they face in adolescence.