Lives Under Construction

Educational and College Counseling for the Intelligent, Curious and Adventurous

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Seminars For Parents of 7th to 10th Graders:

As the first step in a college journey that will eventually cost your family more than $100,000, spending the time and money on “Mentoring Your Teenager” is a wise decision. Position yourself to make informed choices and reduce your family stress.

The main task for middle school and early high school students is to identify where they want to direct their efforts, and to find opportunities to start honing specialized skills. My seminar “Mentoring Your Teenager” is the place for parents to learn how to support this process.

Mentoring Your Teenager ... through college applications and beyond.

"Mentoring Your Teenager" helps parents see the big picture of the high school years. The seminars meet for five sessions of two hours each. We review the college application process to understand the many varieties of "excellent college applicant." We discuss how to make the transition from leading to mentoring as a parent, and we explore how mentoring sets the stage for your child to find other good mentors as they seek to develop areas of expertise.

We practice listening and brainstorming skills. We discuss theories of motivation and how they can be applied to your child's specific situation. You'll learn why colleges seek students with strength of character, and how you can apply research-based techniques to build the resilience that is crucial for your student's future success. Throughout the seminar, I present many examples of how high school students came to their successes, and triumphed through set-backs.

Most of all, the seminar is a safe place to discuss the challenges of parenting, to build a community of peers, and to dispel the stress and false competitiveness that can grow up around raising our children.

This seminar will be offered in January 2013 at two locations in Fairfax County.  Click here to view details.