Children Amsterdam 2007 Therese Steiner, MD Switzerland

Assumptions about parents Parents want to: Be proud of their child Hear good news about their child Have a positive impact on their child Have a good relationship with their child Give their child a good education Give their child a good chance at success Be hopeful about their child See theirs child’s future better or at least as good as theirs

Consequences in the work with parents Report the child‘s strength to the parents Give the credit for success to the parents Discover the parent‘s wish and goal behind the presented complain Create hope by finding exceptions Help shape the parent‘s expectation Focus parents on small steps in order to make success more likely

It is important how we share observations Make use of the magic word and! Remember. The word ‘but’ is the entrance to arguments, the word ‘why’ to justifications.

What is important for children: Move around Play with other kids Hide somewhere and have a secret Feel secure Hear important other’s voice from some distance without being seen Be involved in an important task Create something Touch things

Tell me and I will forget Show me and I will not remember Involve me and I will understand Red Indian Wisdom

Assumptions about children Children want to: Have their parents be proud of them Please their parents and adults Be accepted and be part of the social group they live in Learn new things, add new skills Be active and be involved Be surprised and surprise others Voice their opinion when asked in an appropriate manner Make choices when given an opportunity

Consequences in the work with children Take time to explore the child‘s idea Give the child as many choices as possible: where to sit, what to start with… Let goals, progress, scales come alive Involve the child in different activities Help the child surprise important adults Trust that the child can take over responsibility

Discover the strength based on questions What is important for the child? Who is important for the child? What does the child know well how to do? What is the child willing to do?

Hand puppets What animal shoes best the skill you should learn? Ask the child to choose the animal Start to talk with the hand puppet: What is your name?( eagle) What are you good at? Who learnt you the skill? How did you learn it? What helped to learn it? Eagle are you ready to be the child’s helper?

Cartoon Picture 1: the problem Picture 2: the helper (animal, comic figure) Picture 3: gift to offer to the problem Picture 4: Situation after the problem has accepted the present. Picture 5: where and when is it useful to have the helper around. Picture 6: little sign of thanks

EARS Make progress come alive: Have the child jump along a spread out scale Build up the success tower with wooden blocks Visualize the improvement with a balloon Hand over little magnets