6th Annual Northwest Get-Together A Success

Online, May 26, 2011 (Newswire.com) - This year's Northwest Get-Together, hosted by Woodbury Reports Inc. of Bonners Ferry Idaho, on Friday May 20, 2011 at the Naples Inn in Naples, Idaho, was "Another Success" according to Independent Educational Consultant Lon Woodbury, President of Woodbury Reports.

The function was attended by not only program people from around north Idaho, but also included attendees from several other western states including Utah and New Mexico.

"These Get-Togethers are designed to provide cutting edge information in a relaxed atmosphere with ample time for relaxed networking in a unique rural scenic location" stated Woodbury. "The success of this event was shown by the thanks from the participants," concluded Woodbury, "and by everybody lingering after the official end of the function to visit, arrange future contacts and exchange business cards" concluded Woodbury.

The function was kicked off by Kristie Campbell, Asst. Director of Woodbury Reports, with a presentation titled "Making the Cut." Explaining the general difficulty of determining which schools and programs are safe, effective and of good quality, Ms. Campbell explained the great lengths she goes through of dual surveys and collating the mass of data to determine which schools, programs, educational consultants and transport agencies have the best reputations. Those with an overall positive consensus of their peers are the ones that are included in the annual edition of the Parent Empowerment Handbook. Also included in the Handbook are essays designed to help parents understand what is necessary to help their struggling teens, and Visit Reports by Woodbury Reports Affiliate Independent Educational Consultants of their observations while visiting the schools and programs included in the Handbook.

Laura Morton continued with a presentation titled "Re-Fueling The Fire." Observing that working with difficult young people can create career burn-out, Ms. Morton pointed out the importance of staff taking time for themselves to give them relief from the negativity they will inevitably pick up from working with teens with behavioral and emotional problems. Ms. Morton had been a team leader for the CEDU schools for a number of years, and led two emotional growth experiential exercises child care workers can use for their own emotional well-being. Both were explained and experienced by the participants thoroughly, and included "Walking in another's shoes," and "News and Goods." Both of these were staples of CEDU's Emotional Growth curriculum and helped everybody gain insights to both themselves and others.

The last presentation was titled "Connecting With The Future," and discussed the issue of what might happen to the network of private residential schools and programs for struggling teens in the next few years. The panel consisted of Lon Woodbury, Kimball DeLamare of Interchange and Brandi Elliott with Northwest Academy. Woodbury started the discussion by outlining seven trends in our society that will have an impact on working with teens with problems, including the trend of parents and consumers of all types to take control of the interventions to help their children (Parent Empowerment), and the tendency for governments to increasingly regulate children programs.

Elliott continued the discussion by breaking it down into two questions relating to the child care business: Who's in charge? (Parents, kids, regulators), and How treatment and intervention is moving away from known aspects of children's developmental process.

DeLemare then discussed the changing demographics of the youth population where the teen population bulge moves into young adults and the tendency for children and young adults to be more damaged. One result, DeLemare observed, contributed to by the growing therapeutic knowledge, is for the development of more niche programs, or specialized treatments, to treat specific problems such as those youth that are digitally impacted and socially impaired, or addictive behavior. In addition, there is a trend to emphasize treating family systems and the use of community based services.

The day was wrapped up by Woodbury thanking all the participants and asking for suggestions for the event next year.

Woodbury Reports was founded in November 1989, by Lon Woodbury, MA, IECA, CEP, as an Independent Educational Consulting firm to help parents of teens making poor decisions select a private, parent choice program that would help return the family to normalcy. Through interviews with parents, communication with professionals who know your child well, and then thoroughly researching viable options, we can help parents make the right choices that will help your child get back on the right path. For more information visit www.strugglingteens.com.