Holding the event in a local venue like the school enabled Centacare to reach the local community. Parents who have children attending the school as well as parents from other public and Catholic schools in the district were invited to attend.

The seminar was presented by Lyn Worsley, a clinical psychologist with a background in nursing and early childhood education. Lyn has developed a very helpful model for developing resilience in children based on an understanding of research that has been conducted in this area. Common factors have been identified in the lives of individuals who are able to bungee jump through the pitfalls of life, bounce back and keep thriving.
These are:

• The Parent Factor: characteristics of strong and effective parenting.
• The Skill Factor: evidence of self-competence.
• The Family and Identity Factor: where family identity and connectedness is evident.
• The Education Factor: experience of connections and relationships during the learning process.
• The Peer Factor: where social and moral development is enhanced through interactions with peers.
• The Community Factor: where the morals and values of the local community are transferred and the young person is supported.
• The Money Factor: where the young person develops the ability to give as well as take from society through employment and purposeful spending.

Lyn presented each of these factors with much humour and great story-telling. Parents were encouraged to choose the three that are strongest for their children and to focus their energies on these strengths in their children.

Parents who attended found the evening to be very informative and practical. It is satisfying to imagine the impact of the seminar going beyond the parents who were there to build resilient future generations.

Centacare has booked Lyn for another seminar - click here for details, or contact Ros at Centacare Broken Bay on 9488 2531.