Communicating effectively with children is a key skill for any parent. This theme will provide you with a variety of tools you can use to make your communications more effective, particularly during sensitive conversations with the child you have adopted. We will focus on communicating with empathy and in an empowering way, using age-appropriate communications, and regulating your emotions and your body language and tone.

• Aware of strategies to discuss difficult/sensitive issues with children in a supportive manner.
• Know strategies to convey empathy.
• Aware of the components of effective communication, including both verbal and non-verbal language.
• Identify empowering and inclusive language.
• Able to describe what effective listening skills are for parents.

• Believe it is important to communicate with children about sensitive topics even when I am uncomfortable.
• Feel it is important to be open to learning about ways to be a better communicator with children.

• Demonstrate ability to talk with children about difficult and/or sensitive issues in an empathetic and empowering manner.