Training program ‘a great how-to manual for any parent’
Natalie Hamilton

By providing his six-month-old with frequent, short bursts of encouragement, Hemant Kulkarni happily observed his daughter play independently in her exersaucer for a longer period of time.

It was a technique he learned recently while attending the Triple-P Positive Parenting Program (Triple P) training sessions offered by posAbilities in the Lower Mainland.  

Hemant essentially reacted to his daughter’s calls for attention with positive reinforcement every few minutes at first and was then able to stretch out the duration between interactions as the technique took hold.

“It was pretty interesting,” says Hemant, acting team leader at posAbilities, about the impact he witnessed at home.

The training “is a great how-to manual for any parent. The language is non-clinical and presented in an accessible way,” Hemant adds.

PosAbilities invested in the program with the ultimate goal of empowering parents and caregivers so they can effectively resolve behaviour challenges that surface while raising children. The association’s 20 behaviour consultants took five days of training Feb. 21-25 in Stepping Stones Triple P, an intervention program to help them support parents of children who have a disability.

Triple P is a scientifically-proven family support strategy for parents and caregivers of children and youth. Developed by professor Matt Sanders and colleagues from The University of Queensland in Australia, the program aims to give parents the resources to address common social, emotional and behavioural problems.

PosAbilities behaviour consultant Kavita Kamat describes the training as “a wonderful experience.”

“What I liked the most is that it is an evidence-based, family-centred approach with the overarching goal to empower families,” Kavita says.

The training focuses on moving from an expert model to a collaborative model, which appeals to her as a behaviour consultant. For instance, each session ends with the parent conducting a self-evaluation. “This is a key feature that will facilitate empowerment. You’re getting them to engage in the approach at a higher level.”

The approach comes with a number of new resources and tools such as workbooks and videos that are structured around specific goals and objectives. “It will help us be more efficient and consistent,” Kavita adds.

Consultants work with parents on an individual basis to help equip them with the skills and techniques to independently handle issues as they arise.

PosAbilities will also be holding group workshops for parents and caregivers in the coming months.

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