Monday, February 28, 2011

Free Cards Winner ~ Parent Effectiveness Training by Dr. Thomas Gordon ~ Sending You Off To Dr. Gordon's Blog

I have reached the portion of Dr. Gordon's book discussing how we talk to our children. I am slowly taking it in, reading and re-reading, and realizing (and re-realizing!) that I won't be able to share it all with you due to its fullness! So, I am incorporating information from Dr. Gordon's blog here, and then, YOU can head over to this blog and have a heyday filling your own brain up :)



NOTE: There is such a wealth of information within the book and on Dr. Gordon's blog, and I share only a bit here, so that if it appeals to you, you can go get some more info.



Excerpts From Dr. Gordon's blog:


Many people think that they can get rid of their feelings by suppressing them, forgetting them, or thinking about something else. Actually, people free themselves of trouble-some feelings when they are encouraged to express them openly. Active Listening fosters this kind of catharsis.


When To Use Active Listening
Active Listening requires certain conditions and attitudes to be present before it is an appropriate response to your child's troubled communication. You should Active Listen only when:

~You get verbal or non-verbal cues that your child may have a problem or an unmet need.
~You genuinely want to help and the time and place are convenient.
~You feel accepting of your child; your child's behavior does not cause you a problem.
~You feel separate enough from your child's problem that his solution to the problem, whatever it is, will be acceptable to you.
~You are able to attend closely to your child. None of your concerns are so pressing that they will interfere with your concentration on your child's communication.

When NOT To Use Active Listening
There are clearly times when Active Listening should not be used without risking the creation of more problems. These times include when:

~You get no cues and clues that the child is experiencing a problem. (Don't create them!)
~You don't want to help in this case. You don't care, you're rushed, you're busy.
~Your child's behavior is unacceptable to you. You are irritated or hurt by it.
~You are invested in having your child reach the "right" solution to her problem. (Your Active Listening will then tend to be contaminated by hints in the "right" direction.)
~Your own problems are too upsetting and immediate to allow you to be intently focused on your child's concerns.
~Your child simply needs information which you have and he doesn't.
~Your child states the problem or feelings so clearly and specifically that an attempt to feedback would feel redundant and patronizing. (Silence or acknowledgment is better in such cases.)


READ MORE: Dr. Thomas Gordon's blog


ACTIVE LISTENING LEAD-INS
It is helpful to use a variety of expressions when you Active Listen. Repetition of one phrase such as "Sounds like..." or "You feel..." rapidly becomes irritating to your child and comes across as a technique rather than a genuine, natural and empathic response.

Practice using different words as you Active Listening. One way to develop your Active Listening is to think about starting with only one part. This can be either listening to "Facts", thoughts, ideas, information, or listening only to "Feelings".
Some examples are:

ACTIVE LISTENING TO FACTS (especially good in the No Problem Area)
The fact is...
You think...
The idea you have is...
What you are saying is...
Your view is...
You believe...

ACTIVE LISTENING TO FEELINGS
~You feel...
~It's really...
~So you feel...
~Looks like...
~Sounds like you are...
~Seems like your feeling...

Relax, make your Active Listening as natural as possible. Using analogies that are age and interest appropriate are also good ways to develop a more natural variety of Active Listening responses.

ACTIVE LISTENING TO FACTS AND FEELINGS
~You feel...about...
~Its...when...
~You can't...and that's...
~You're really...because...
~The way you see it is..and that's...
~When...you're really...
~You are...that...

In it's complete form Active Listening includes both the "Facts" (content) and the Feelings.

~It's like being hit by a truck
~You feel your teacher really nailed you to the wall
~You got hung out to dry
~She really shot you down (military or video gaming)
~So it's like you really struck out (sports)

READ MORE: Dr. Thomas Gordon's blog




The Free Cards Winner for last week is Rose! Thank you all for playing :)



Love & Sincerely ~ Katie

Friday, February 25, 2011

Free Cards Friday ~ Brand New Glass Pendants













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Glass Pendants
sized 1" by 2"
glass and image within a vintage bronze tray with 5mm loop
includes a black wire memory cord with magnetic clasp
$24

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These are the ones I have currently completed:


Music To Dance To


Deep As A River




You & Us




Lost Together




Happy Hour





Drawn To You





Elemental






These will begin becoming available in the Online shop tonite ~ let me know if you are interested in one of the above Pendants. New pieces are being designed, as we speak :)



Thank you so much!








It's Free Cards Friday!
Add your note to this blog post (I'd love to hear your feedback/thoughts on the new Pendants) (here at the blog or on the Facebook page) throughout the weekend and be in the running to win some cards ~ I'll choose the winner on Monday.





Love & Sincerely ~ Katie

Friday, February 18, 2011

Free Cards (& Free Book!) Friday

It's Free Cards Friday! Add your note to this blog post (here at the blog or on the Facebook page) throughout the weekend and be in the running to win some cards ~ I'll choose the winner on Monday.



This week, I'd also like to give away my copy of Louise Hay's "You Can Heal Your Life" ~ a book that is more than lovely ~ in message and aesthetic quality.





Here is the Amazon review for this book:

If you haven't seen Hay House's Lifestyles series of gorgeous gift books, there is no better way to acquaint yourself than with publisher/author Louise Hay's You Can Heal Your Life. A bestseller for many years, You Can Heal Your Life has been republished with bright, beautiful illustrations in full, living color and exquisite typography--each and every page is a work of art by artist Joan Perrin Falquet.


The timeless message of the book is that we are each responsible for our own reality and "dis-ease." Hay believes we make ourselves ill by having thoughts of self-hatred. She includes a directory of ailments and emotional causes for each with a corresponding affirmation to help overcome the illness. For example, the probable cause of multiple sclerosis is "mental hardness, hard-heartedness, iron will, and inflexibility." The healing "thought pattern" would be: "By choosing loving, joyous thoughts, I created a loving joyous world. I am safe and free."
--P. Randall Cohan


This gift edition is a beautiful book complete with four-color illustrations throughout. "An excellent book for restructuring one's life and finding self- esteem and self-love."

Comment and let me know if you are interested ~ to be in the running. Thanks!

Love & Sincerely, Katie

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Reminder ~ I'm Gone but the Shop is Open ~ :)

IMPORTANT NOTE:
The Katie m. Berggren studio and office will be closed from January 29 through February 7 ~ but the ONLINE SHOP IS OPEN! The physical me will be back to business on Tuesday, February 8 ~ All items purchased in the Online Etsy shop during this time period will ship on February 8 ~ thank you!

I will be choosing a Free Cards Friday Winner when I return ~ so you have all week to make your comment on the previous blog post :)





Talk with you soon!


Above image: Feed My Soul

Love & Sincerely ~ Katie