The Sweeney Agency

About Alyson Schafer - Expert on Parenting and Communication:

Alyson Schafer is a psychotherapist and one of Canada’s leading parenting experts. She is the Ask An Expert columnist for Today’s Parent Magazine and sits on the Health Advisory Board for Chatelaine Magazine. Alyson is a re-occurring guest expert on The Marilyn Denis show and was the host of The Parenting Show.

The best selling author of Breaking The Good Mom Myth, and Honey, I Wrecked the Kids, Alyson's latest book Ain’t Misbehavin' is receiving rave reviews and endorsements from other celebrated parenting experts in Canada and the USA.

Well known for her social media connections, Alyson was a panelist for The Social Family at the Social Media Week conference, and presented at the inaugural TEDxKids in Brussels. She frequents many tweet-ups and has an active blog as well as guest blogs for Yummymummy.ca, Savvymom.ca and others.

Alyson is consulting and participating in the Bank of Montreal SmartSteps for Parents program, an online portal dedicated to helping parents teach financial literacy to their children. She has also hosted the McCain Foods Pantry Summit held at the launch of their new line of family friendly products to ease meal times and improve family health.

The media recognizes Alyson as their go-to person for parenting. She has appeared on CTV news, CBC radio, Canada AM, Montel Williams, Steven and Chris, Breakfast Television, Save US From Our House, Planet Parent and more. In print you can find Alyson quoted in Canadian Family, Oh Baby, Reader’s Digest, Cosmopolitan, The Globe and Mail, The Star and others.

What Alyson Schafer Talks About:

Alyson is a popular public speaker who brings the age-old topic of parenting to a twenty-first century audience of educated, enlightened and motivated parents. Her style is fast and witty, her information grounded in theory and research. Whether speaking to an audience of parents, presenting workshops to caregivers, or giving a keynote address, Alyson educates, inspires and entertains.

If you need a seasoned speaker who can engage an audience as well as answer the tough how-to questions of discipline, Alyson delivers real value in an edu-tainment format that will leave your audience raving.

Topics:

Democratic Parenting 101
This talk addresses why parenting is so difficult today. Alyson offers a new way to think about our roles as parents, highlighting the fundamental dos and don'ts of parenting and offering some sound advice on issues that parents can apply immediately.

Why Do My Children Keep Doing That?
This session is very interactive in style. Using different types of hats as metaphors for the reasons children misbehave, parents and teachers are taught how to crack the code of their children’s misbehavior and come to an understanding of:

• the child’s hidden motivation
• the child’s true belief that is being expressed
• the way parents and teachers unknowingly react in ways that maintain or worsen the misbehavior

This workshop is always popular as parents and teachers see children in a much more positive and encouraging manner. Time is spent offering solutions that can be implemented immediately both at home and school.

Dealing with Sibling Rivalry
This presentation will discuss the special relationship that siblings have and the underlying dynamics that can fuel the fights between them. Parents will learn ways to diminish rather than intensify competition and rivalry and move towards more harmonious and loving relationships within the family.

Power Struggles: Who is in charge here anyway?
A presentation that will shed light on why parents and children lock horns in power struggles! Parents will learn ways to move from a win / loose conflict situation to one of cooperation and problem solving. Specific skills will be introduced.

Other Topics Include:

• Briefcase, Bibs and Booties
• Honey, I Wrecked The Kids
• Raising The Responsible Child
• Breaking The Good Mom Myth