Parent Link Centre hosting Triple P workshops

The Innisfail Parent Link Centre will be hosting its first local workshop this month for the globally renowned Triple P Positive Parenting Program.

The eight-week program, which includes five two-hour classroom workshops followed by three 30- to 45-minute telephone discussions, will begin on Jan. 18, from 6 to 8 p.m. at McMan Youth, Family and Community Services. There is no charge for participating parents.

The Triple P program, created at the University of Queensland in Australia, is a comprehensive parenting intervention model with an overall goal to enhance the knowledge, skills and confidence of parents to prevent behavioural, emotional and developmental problems in their children.

Tracy Davis-McMillan, coordinator at the local Parent Link Centre, said the Innisfail sessions will be the agency's first Triple P workshop held in town and second for the region. Workshops were held in Elnora last fall. The agency's trained facilitators will host the Innisfail workshops.

"We will be hosting more. We try to host one every quarter," said Davis-McMillan.

She noted the program will offer parents up to 17 Triple P strategies to deal with children's problematic behaviours, including spending quality time with their children, giving attention, setting a good example, using incidental attention and using descriptive praise.

"They (parents) are already good parents, but they can even be better if they use these strategies," said Davis-McMillan. "They (strategies) remind us of the things they are already doing and they take them back to the beginning and takes the stress off of parenting."

In the meantime, the workshop is now fully booked with 12 participating parents, half of them men. Childcare is being offered to the participating parents during the five weeks of classroom workshops.

For more information on the Triple P program and future workshops contact Davis-McMillan at 587-679-5861, or email [email protected]