Youth Leadership Initiative
Parenting Classes

MHASCK Parenting Classes

Parenting For A New Generation

Mental Health Association, 555 N. Woodlawn, Ste. 3105, Wichita, KS. Mondays 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. (Doors open at 5:15 pm and lock at 5:30 pm) Classes may be provided during the day by appointment only.  Court approved parenting class requires eight sessions. 

Fee: $10 per session. (completion certificates provided if all fees are paid and there is no outstanding balance) Fees are waived for people who are receiving MHA or COMCARE services. Childcare provided.

Early Stages of Childhood Development:  This session will give you a brief overview of the developmental stages of childhood and helpful hints on parenting and educating your child.

Breaking the Cycle: This session will provide you with the tools to stop the abuse and neglect cycle that you may be caught in from past generations.  The session will provoke thoughts that will begin the path to breaking cycles that hinder our positive parenting abilities. 

Communication: Positive communication is not the easiest to achieve, especially with our children.  Learn how to get children to talk and how to be a good listener.  You will learn when and where are the best times to get children and teens to communicate and how to accomplish this.

Parenting Wisely: "Parenting Wisely" approach by Don Gordon Ph.D.  This program will teach methods for improving family relationships by building respect among family members by reducing the number of fights and arguments.  This workbook illustrates seven typical family situations (problems) and common solutions tried by parents.  The second half of the workbook provides: I Statements, Setting Consequences, Assertive Discipline and Active Listening.

Alternative Parenting Techniques: This session teaches parenting techniques using the Love and Logic model which take the heat out of arguments and increases compliance. 

Budgeting and Community Resources: Learn how to create a budget that works for you from start to finish.  Attendees will learn tips on how to earn extra money to help stretch the budget.  Parents will also learn how to find additional resources offered  in the community.

Protective Parenting by Wichita Area Sexual Assault Center (WASAC): Sometimes adults and parents do not know how to approach the topic of child sexual abuse and personal safety with children. This session focuses on information about incest and child sexual abuse, ways to approach personal safety with various ages of children, strategies for responding if a child discloses abuse, and how to report child abuse.

Stress and Time Management: This session focuses on learning how to manage your time and stress level through relaxation and time management techniques.

Exploring ADHD: This class will provide the basic diagnostic information about Attention Deficit Disorder and the effects that it may have on a child. Class will help parents learn to understand how deficit problems affect a child and the challenge it creates for learning such as processing information, information recall, impulse control, and behavior management. Class will explore the correlation between attention problems and behavior problems and will provide useful tips for parents to help their child succeed and manage impulsivity. This class would be beneficial for parents of a child diagnosed with ADHD, impulse control disorders, or that struggles with concentration.

Affective Communication & Family Resiliency: This class will explore basic communication patterns/styles and the role each family member plays that contributes to the overall family functioning level. Class will explore correlation between communication styles and behavioral responses and will provide suggestions on how to keep critical communication doors open between parent and child.

Stress Reduction & Management (2 hrs): This class will explore the effects of stress on the body and how stress can negatively impact behavioral responses and affect relationships with others. Class will examine how adults and children internalize and handle stress and will provide techniques on how to manage stress through relaxation techniques, time management, and coping strategies. The first hour of the class will be provided by a representative from EMPAC focused on how adults can set priorities to help manage stress.  Last hour of this class will focus on coping strategies for children and will teach parents things they can do with their child to help them deal with stressful feelings and anxiety through hands on activities. This class would be beneficial for parents of a child diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.
(Spanish version will be a condensed class which will be focused on both adult and child stress management techniques with hands on activities, but no presentation by EMPAC will be provided)

Bully Awareness: This class will teach how to recognize signs of abuse/bullying in a child. Parents will learn how to teach children to learn to defend themselves verbally and mentally, feels safer and more confident and less likely to be targeted by a bully. Class will also discuss different forms of bully/harassment.

Behavior Management Techniques for Parents: This class will focus on helping parents recognize their child’s behavioral triggers and learn ways to provide early intervention such as the use of rewards systems, setting boundaries, and positive discipline to prevent meltdowns and rages in a child. Class will teach parents basic de-escalation techniques to avoid an unnecessary crisis and will provide tips on how parents can teach acceptable behaviors to their child such as the technique of “arguing respectfully”. This group would be beneficial for parents of a child diagnosed with conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, mood disorder, or simply struggles with behavior control..

Raising A Healthy Family: This class will look at family roles and family interactional patterns. Participants will explore and define family roles, their family circle, boundaries, core family issues, and external stressors. Participants will examine core issues such as commitment, empowerment, control of self, credibility and consistency, and will be introduced to the Family-Directed Structural Assessment Tool.

Understanding Special Education (2 hrs): Class will be conducted by Families Together. This class will focus on teaching parents the laws and regulations of special education and how to best navigate the educational system to meet your child’s’ individualized needs. Facilitator will provide information on IEP, 504 and educational/school behavioral plans. (This class would be beneficial for anyone interested in becoming an educational advocate)

Anger Management for Everyone: Class will help participants learn to identify, understand, express, and cope with angry feelings. Facilitator will teach specific anger control techniques that can be used on self as well as techniques that can be used with a child to help reduce anger.  Class will share various problems solving strategies that are both child and adult friendly to help manage conflict and avoid hostile interactions.

Exploring Community Resources & Supplemental Benefits: This class will be conducted in two parts. The first part of the class will be conducted by a benefits counselor/payee specialist providing information on obtaining benefits, maintaining benefits, and will address the myths and facts about how receiving benefits can and cannot be impacted by such things as working, receiving another income source, etc. Class will also discuss services offered for children through community based mental health services, and will address the roles of various services provisions and what each providers roles are as part of the treatment team and how it is designed to meet the child’s needs. 

Recognizing Risk Taking Behaviors (2 hrs): This class will be broken down into 2 different sections. One hour will be provided by WASAC on how to talk to your child about risk taking behaviors, setting healthy boundaries with peers and being proactive about sexual health/education as parents.  One hour will be provided by a police officer who will address signs of risk taking behaviors in youths, such as signs of drug use and will educate parents on current drug awareness facts, and other laws and safety issues that pertain to juveniles and how parents can be held accountable for their child’s illegal actions.

For more information please contact Stephanie Cline 316-685-1821, ext 294 or Shalan Field at 316-685-1821, ext. 239.