MSU Extension Ottawa County

Building healthy relationships & safe settings for Michigan’s young people, families & communities.

Social and emotional health and well-being is critical to all aspects of health and involves the social, mental, psychological and inner strengths of a person’s life across the lifespan. This includes forming and maintaining satisfying and healthy relationships, taking another’s perspective, resolving interpersonal conflict, feeling capable and whole, expressing emotions, navigating stress, having supportive relationships, and having a positive sense of self – including developing a healthy sense of identity around aspects related to race and ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and abilities/disabilities.

Education Provided in Allegan, Kent and Ottawa Counties

Community-Based Nurturing Parenting—This series is designed to help parents and caregivers of adolescents strengthen and build parenting skills that foster positive family relationships. 6-week series.

Alternatives to Anger: RELAX— This program is designed to help adults, parents and caregivers increase their knowledge about anger issues and put anger management and healthy relationship skills into practice. 4-week series.

Alternatives to Anger: RELAX for Parents and Teens—This program is designed to help adults and their teens (11-17), learn together to increase their knowledge about anger issues and put anger management and healthy relationship skills into practice. 4-week series.

Alternatives to Anger: RELAX Train the Trainer Workshop—This workshop is for agency personnel who wish to deliver the Alternatives to Anger Series with their clientele. This one day workshop provides hands-on training on facilitating the 4-week series, and curriculum materials. 1-day workshop. Fee: $100 (includes lunch & materials)

ABCs of Bullying Prevention—During this workshop participants will share perspectives on the prevalence and types of bullying behaviors affecting their communities – and explore how these perspectives connect with recent research. Examine bullying, bias and harassment through the lens of differences. Explore key strategies for addressing these complex issues at the personal, interpersonal, institutional and cultural levels. 3-hour workshop.

Building Strong Adolescents – A Michigan State University (MSU) Extension authored program for parents and guardians of teenagers.  The program focuses on the external and internal assets teens need to succeed, along with integrating issues related to the prevention of aggression and violence.  Parents will learn methods to incorporate positive growth skills into their adolescents.  Topics include:  The need for teens to develop internal and external assets and strategies to promote growth, setting limits, applying consequences, fostering independence, promoting self-esteem and school success, encouraging positive friendships (including dating), discussing substance abuse and sex with your teen and helping your teen prepare for the future.  At program end, parents and guardians will be knowledgeable of methods to surround teens with positive relationships and opportunities that are important for a successful future.  Through communication and understanding, parents and caregivers will be able to enhance their family relationships.

For more information go to: MSU Extension’s “Family” educational programming webpage (Aging, Bullying, Caregiving, Early Childhood Development, Managing Relationships and Violence Prevention) and you can contact Educator, Holly Tiret, tiret@msu.edu (616) 632-7893.