March 26, 2014
A parenting skills trainer has won the Triple P International Presenter Of The Year award because of what she learned in Cherbourg over the past two years.
Michell Forster has hosted more than 60 local residents in Triple P (Positive Parenting Program) workshops since 2012 and learned it was better to discuss options and do lots of role-playing to get the most out of the program.
“People seem to learn a lot more when you make things interactive, rather than just having me talk,” she said.
“In Cherbourg, we found it was best to let people tell their stories about their home situations.
“We then do what I term ‘the good the bad and the ugly’.
“We role-play what’s happening now and the strategies being used to cope; what might be a better way using the Triple P tips we just looked at; and then what that looks like in the future for us and our children’s healthy growth into adulthood.”
The feedback from the Cherbourg Triple P workshops Michell has run has been very positive, and she received her International Presenter of the Year award in Sydney earlier this month.
The newly refunded Barambah PaCE program is now looking to bring Michell back in May if enough people are interested.
It’s been suggested the usual Cherbourg format of two four-hour sessions run over a Monday and Tuesday will now include a Wednesday morning as well.
“There just hasn’t been enough time to allow everybody to have their say, digest the information and get further ideas on how to put the parenting tips in place,” Michell said.
Barambah PaCE coordinator Marcus Priaulx is now asking people to let him know if they want to come to a workshop run by Michell.
“From personal experience. I think Michell is brilliant and I’ve learned a lot from her,” he said.
“I don’t sit in the workshops but get advice from her when she comes. It has definitely made my life and family relationships a lot happier.”
Michell stressed the workshops helped everybody – there was no such thing as a perfect parent.
She had great difficulty raising her own family until she did the Triple P course herself.
She then put its tips in place at home and her life became happier.
“It wasn’t always like that,” she said
Anybody wanting to take part in or refresh their Triple P Positive Parenting skills can phone Barambah PaCE on (07) 4168-2330 or 0403-002-306.
