Families
Are you having the same exasperated conversations with your child day after day?
Do sibling conflicts make you feel like the constant referee?
Is the ongoing challenge of parenting teens or getting your child to open up about their feelings starting to dishearten you?
Restorative Practices can help transform your family dynamics. Drawing on the discipline definition at its root—to teach or to learn—a restorative approach shifts discipline away from enforcing obedience through punishment and toward nurturing true self-discipline through connection. When discipline is understood as learning, not penalizing, we open the door to stronger family relationships and responsive, compassionate ways of guiding our children. This relational approach offers meaningful, practical alternatives to punitive parenting and creates space for everyone in the family to grow.
Scroll down to learn more about our offerings.
Parenting Classes
P2RC offers parenting skills training that is informative, experiential, and interactive. Parents, guardians and caregivers begin by learning the philosophy and values underpinning restorative Practices. Participants participate in restorative circles, listening skills activities, affective statements exercises, and role-plays using restorative questions among other activities. We provide time and space to explore and discuss the parent child relationship, the role of logical consequences for kids, and the most effective ways to build strong relationships in your family. Once the class is finished you will have a community of support. Our parenting classes include opportunities to participate in on-going circles for those who wish to continue to strengthen their restorative practices skills and support each other as they continue to raise their children.
Family Coaching
Some people prefer a parent coaching session to parenting classes or want more practice and mentoring after completing a restorative parenting class. We offer in person and virtual coaching to help families in ways that align with their unique needs. Our 1:1 coaching is fully customized to the goals and context of each family. We can help with family communication, avoiding bad parenting advice, and building your own authoritative parenting style.
Restorative Circles for Families
Invite P2RC to step into your home to resolve family conflict with a restorative circle. Sometimes it is helpful and more effective to have an outside party provide facilitation. Bringing us in can be a powerful and positive parenting solution. The process allows family members to address issues in a supported and authentic way leading to healing and deeper connection. We work with you to address conflict, repair harm, and help you move forward. Our conflict resolution style differs from mediation services you may be familiar with: We use a series of pre-interviews in order to understand the issues and perspectives at play. We then design a restorative process to address the specific issues that have arisen, facilitating conversations that encourage connection, honest sharing, and movement toward solutions.
“Taking this workshop with my husband was a great opportunity to reflect on our parenting practices and recommit to resolving conflicts in our family in a way that honors each of us and our needs. It’s hard work, but worth the continuing effort.”
— Parent, participant in Caregivers Workshop