Parenting or child rearing promotes and supports the physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood. Therefore, it is the duty of the parents to be aware of their children’s emotional and physical needs and respond to them appropriately and consistently.
The Department of Psychiatry, along with the Human Resource and Development Subcommittee of the Faculty of Medicine, conducted a one-day workshop on ‘Sensible Parenting’ for the supportive staff of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Jaffna, on the 8th and 9th of June 2023. The support staff members were divided into two groups in order to avoid interruption of their regular work and to have an optimum number in each group.
This workshop was resourced by Dr. S. Sivathas, a senior consultant psychiatrist at Teaching Hospital Jaffna, and a visiting lecturer at the Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Sivathas has a special interest in the mental wellbeing of children and adolescents. He is well known for his training skills, and his passion for promoting sensible parenting.
This workshop facilitated the participants understanding of the basics of sensible parenting and helped them support their children do better in school, have fewer behavioral issues, and develop better mental health.
In the feedback, the participants reflected that the workshop was very useful for their personal lives, and they were all satisfied with having the opportunity to listen to the resource person and share their personal experiences.
