Mothers of Sons:  Helping Mother’s Navigate a Complex Relationship

Instructor: Emmy Rainwalker, LICSW

Date: August 6, 2010, 9:00 am to 4:45 pm

Cost: $135.00, $125 early registration, $110 groups of two or more (see below for details)

Location: 51 Kondazian Street, Watertown, MA 02472

Mothers love their sons and care passionately about them but are often baffled about how to raise them. Some common worries are about boy’s behaviors and emotions, including fears that they are too aggressive or overly sensitive. Many women worry about how our own unresolved feelings towards men might hurt our sons. Helping mothers of sons find their way through the conflicts and disappointments of raising males is important work. The goal of this workshop is to empoweru mothers to stay close to their sons, to trust the ongoing importance of a mother's influence on them and to grow from the task. Therapists who work with mothers and therapists who are mothers of sons themselves will gather to address the complexities, joys, and struggles of raising the next generation of males. Regardless of the ages of sons, or the stages of the relationships, this workshop will open the door to deeper communication and collaboration between mothers and boys/men and to the development of a broader repertoire of skills and understanding.

 In this workshop we will explore:

  

• skills that help women to communicate more effectively with males and  take leadership in the family
  
• culturally assigned gender roles, including male patterns of aggression and violence and female patterns of passivity, and how these patterns affect intimacy.
• How to help mothers strengthen their confidence in playing and how to use play to work through tough spots with boys.
   
• how to effectively set limits with boys’ troublesome behaviors while staying connected to them.
  
• how to encourage mothers to develop support networks which validate open sharing about these challenging issues.   

Emmy Rainwalker, LICSW, is a social worker with private practices in Watertown and Ashburnham, Mass. She sees individuals, couples and families and teaches parenting skills and peer counseling. Emmy is the mother of two adult sons. Her insightful and playful presentations have been received well in many places in the U.S. and Europe and have been characterized as captivating, relaxed, humorous and filled with helpful material. More information about Emmy's work can be found at www.emmyrainwalker.com.

---

Register for this Workshop:

For early or group registration please mail in the registration form

1. Register and pay by mail: download form »
2. OR register and pay online
   

Registration Information and Workshop Policies:

• Fees:  The Early registration rate is $125 per day, payment must be received 21 days prior to the workshop. The Regular Registration rate is $135 per day (received within 3 weeks of the event). The Online registration rate is $135 per day .  
• Group Registration rates: We encourage you attend with your friends/colleagues! Groups of two or more will be charged $110 per person per day.  Please mail together or indicate the person/people with whom you are attending.
• Early and group discount registration must be submitted by mail and paid by check.
• Mail checks made out to Liz Brenner with completed registration form to:
  51 Kondazian Street, Watertown, MA 02472
• Breakfast and afternoon snacks will be served; lunch on your own.  Unless otherwise specified, the day begins at 9 am and ends at 4:45 pm.
• Participants MUST attend 100% of the program to earn 6 CEUs per day requested for  MSW's, MHC's and MFT's. CEU certificates will be given at the end of the day after you are fully paid and have completed the workshop evaluation form.
• Enrollment will be limited to 30 participants. Please call or email if you are registering within the last week to make sure there is still room to attend.
• No refunds are available unless a written request is received 21 days before the program. A $50 administrative fee will be deducted from all refunds. No cancellations, including no shows, will be honored beyond this time frame.
• Only email acknowledgments will be sent to confirm receipt of your registration.
• If you require special accommodations, please submit a written statement at least 30 days prior to the program to see if we can meet your needs.
• Workshops may be cancelled by the presenter(s) if minimum enrollment requirements are not met. In this case, full fees will be refunded. 
• Weather cancellations are consistent with the decision of the Watertown, MA school system.  If Watertown is cancelled or delayed, the workshop will be as well.
• Participants MUST attend 100% of the program to earn 6 CEUs applied for from the NASW Collaborative. CEU certificates will be given at the end of the day after you are fully paid and have completed the workshop evaluation form.
• Grievance policy is to submit a written complaint.  If the complaint can not be resolved by Liz Brenner, she will consult with another faculty member for a second opinion to resolve the problem.