Help offered for parents of troubled teens

Raising adolescents these days is not easy and experiencing some amount of difficulty is normal.
But for parents of students who seem to be constantly in trouble, the Morgan Hill Police Department is offering welcome relief in the form of a widely praised course to increase parent effectiveness.
The Parent Project is a parent training program developed in direct response to the questions and challenges parents say they are facing with their strong-willed teenagers. The class will meet from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays from Dec. 3 to March 4.
Included in the registration fee is a valuable interactive workbook, “Changing Destructive Adolescent Behavior” and a meal during each class session. Officer Mike Nelsen, the department’s School Resource Officer, will teach the class. In addition to his experience working with Morgan Hill students, Nelson has been certified to teach the course after passing a 40-hour facilitator training.
Created by a psychologist, an educator, a police officer, and ordinary parents, The Parent Project is a program with proven results for parents dealing with troubled teens. Participants will learn specific, concrete strategies to:
*Sidestep arguments and conflicts at home
*Improve school attendance and grades
*Recognize, prevent, or intervene in alcohol/drug use and/or gang activity
*Address threats of violence or running away
*Out-will a strong-willed child.
The class also gives parents a better understanding of their own legal rights as they pertain to minors.
Participants work together in small groups. As they develop trust, this relationship allows them to support each other in analyzing and responding to negative behavior of their children.
The Parent Project is a nationwide program with more than 150,000 graduates, presented by schools, police and probation departments, mental health agencies, and other community-based organizations. In Santa Clara County it is sponsored by the District Attorney’s Office.
Community Solutions, the Discovery Counseling Center, and the Morgan Hill Unified School District support the Morgan Hill program, while a class for Spanish-speaking families that is operated by the Santa Clara Country Office of Education is held in San Martin.
To learn more about The Parent Project or to register contact Officer Mike Nelsen at

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