Developing Dialogue Around Women’s
Health Issues
(for parents of adolescent girls)
This workshop, designed for parents of high school age girls, aims to increase parents'
awareness of issues related to their daughter's health and help them develop a safe
channel of communication with their daughter about these issues, with the ultimate goal of
maximizing healthy behavior and reducing risks. The presentation first explores parents'
concerns, then reviews the range of behaviors and attitudes (from healthy to unhealthy) on
the topics of nutrition and eating habits, body image, substance use, sexuality and dating
relationships, and peer relationships. It then reviews strategies for developing
communication and identifying windows of opportunity to address concerns, without
alienating children or discouraging them from expressing their thoughts and feelings. This
presentation lasts 1-1.5 hours, and can be delivered on-site at schools or other selected
locations.
Participants of this workshop say…
"I thought your presentation was wonderful. I especially loved the examples you
gave, not only because they were good examples, but because you provided some modeling of
what the parent's response should be in those situations. Several parents told me
afterwards how much they liked it. I really liked the handouts, and am going to share
them. It was obvious to me you had spent hours preparing for the talk, and it showed! I'm
so glad to know you and to have you as a resource! -Kathy de Blois, M.A. Academic
Counselor, Marymount High School
"I really liked your open problem solving approach, and the handouts were excellent.
I would change nothing-excellent presentation." -Holly Hardgrove, Ph.D., LCSW, and
mother of two teenage girls.
"I really liked your sense of humor and ease of presentation."-Sheila Benko
"I really liked how you talked about information on the slides, but didn't just
read them." -Nancy Hill
