BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Springshare//LibCal//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/New_York X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT15M BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART:20260304T220000Z DTEND:20260304T233000Z DTSTAMP:20260304T000000Z SUMMARY:Parenting Workshop: Navigating Friendships and Understanding Bullying DESCRIPTION:On Wednesday\, March 4 from 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. in the library's Howard Room\, join us for a parenting workshop on navigating friendships and understanding bullying with Tara McKernan and Andrea Howell from Echo Consulting.\n\nParenting in today’s world can feel overwhelming—especially when it comes to helping children navigate the complexities of friendships and social pressures. This interactive workshop is designed to equip parents and caregivers with practical tools and insights to better understand their children’s peer relationships\, identify signs of healthy and unhealthy dynamics\, and effectively address bullying situations.\n\nThroughout the session\, participants will learn about the stages of childhood friendship development\, how to foster empathy and resilience\, and what constitutes bullying versus normal conflict. With guidance from experienced educators and counselors\, parents will explore proactive strategies for open communication\, building emotional intelligence\, and setting clear boundaries. They’ll also discover how to collaborate with teachers\, school administrators\, and other professionals to ensure their child’s physical and emotional well-being.\n\nBy the end of the workshop\, parents will feel more confident in supporting their children as they form meaningful friendships\, cope with social challenges\, and grow into compassionate\, self-assured individuals.\n\nThis program is free and cosponsored by the library and Echo Consulting. Childcare will be provided for this event for children in Pre-K and up who are potty-trained-- registration is required. Register for this event using the library’s interactive calendar or by calling 374-5515. For more information\, contact Claire at claire.malina@bhpl.net.\n\n\nAndrea Howell\, M.Ed.\, is an experienced educator who has specialized in working with children and families for over 30 years. She brings together her knowledge and expertise in the areas of child development\, positive parenting and social-emotional development to support parents in creating a sense of calm\, confidence and connection within themselves and their families. A resident of Mount Desert Island\, Maine for the last 21 years\, Andrea specializes in positive behavior supports\, conflict resolution\, and encouraging developmentally appropriate independence. Her business website can be found at www.andreawilsonhowell.com.\n\nTara McKernan\, M.Ed\, LCPC is a local therapist who runs a private practice at The Counseling Collaborative. Prior to her work as a counselor\, Tara worked for 24 years as a school counselor and special education teacher. Currently\, she is also teaching a class on child development at The College of the Atlantic. Her clinical work has a strong focus on anxiety\, ADHD\, depression and trauma. With a deep background in social-emotional learning\, Tara also works closely with children and families to help strengthen those skills. Tara and her family live and work on MDI and have loved calling it home for the past 25 years. Additional information on Tara can be found at: www.taramckernancounseling.com LOCATION:Howard Room ORGANIZER;CN="Claire Malina":MAILTO:claire.malina@bhpl.net CATEGORIES:Lecture/Presentation, Workshop CONTACT;CN="Claire Malina":MAILTO:claire.malina@bhpl.net STATUS:CONFIRMED UID:LibCal-15581566 URL:https://bhpl.libcal.com/event/15581566 X-MICROSOFT-CDO-BUSYSTATUS:BUSY BEGIN:VALARM TRIGGER:-PT15M ACTION:DISPLAY DESCRIPTION:Reminder END:VALARM END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR