Family Dynamics Workshops |
Communicating with Confidence Hemophilia requires communication—with doctors, school staff, and our own families. But the stress of hemophilia can cause our defenses to increase, and our understanding and listening skills to decrease. Stress can also affect the friends, relatives and professionals who support us, causing them to say the wrong things. Why do people sometimes react in unhelpful ways? Why do we feel defensive or hurt? This workshop explores the biological and emotional causes of reactivity and defensiveness, and offers useful skills for regaining emotional control. Participants will learn to express their thoughts and feelings in a productive way. The workshop concludes with concrete methods of opening communication channels. These new skills allow us to express our feelings without being defensive, and without causing irreparable harm to the important relationships that help us cope with hemophilia. Handouts, flipchart, resources for follow-up. Approximate time: 15-60 minutes depending on schedule. How to Discipline a Child With a Bleeding Disorder In this roundtable workshop, participants will discuss the many possible meanings of the word “discipline,” and learn how discipline is defined by child-rearing experts. We’ll examine the pros and cons of several forms of discipline, and answer some key questions: Why are some discipline methods suitable for one age group and not another? Which ones work in the short run and which work in the long run? Which are appropriate for a child with a bleeding disorder? Participants will explore some alternative methods of discipline. Due to the sensitive nature of the topic, participants will be shown, and then asked to use, specific listening behaviors to demonstrate tolerance for many viewpoints and lifestyles. Handouts, flipchart, resources for follow-up. Approximate time: 15-60 minutes depending on schedule. |
Open Workshop |
In this workshop, audience members introduce themselves and share a challenge they currently face. All audience members then vote on two or three topics for the group to discuss. The facilitator moderates the discussion, supplying information and real-life examples when needed; and ensures that everyone has a chance to participate, rights are respected, and the conversation is enlightening and motivating. This has proved to be a popular format for small, intimate family gatherings. Handouts, flipchart, resources for follow-up. Approximate time: 15-60 minutes depending on schedule. |
