The Archdiocese of San Francisco – Restorative Parenting Workshop aims to empower parents to understand their child’s behavior and the challenges a child may encounter in the world we live in today where violence is prevalent, many feel alienated, and there is an increase in mental health issues in young people.  In addition, the use of digital media by children and young people is decreasing face-to-face interaction and is affecting, in a negative way, the development of social skills and empathy. Children and young people are very vulnerable to the negative values portrayed in many video games, and perhaps above all else, the constant exposure in the media to pornography.

Failure to develop empathy negatively affects children’s ability to make meaningful relationships, successfully to navigate the world of work and career, and undermines their emotional well-being.

Developing a strong parenting model helps to restore this balance. Not only does it seek to prevent harm but to heal and rehabilitate relationships already under stress.

The Restorative Parenting Workshop provides two separate teachings: a restorative practice rooted in relationship to God and recognition of his love for each one of us – parents and children alike. These talks will be scripture based and aim to restore connection to one’s faith community and to foster a greater sense of belonging in that faith community where spiritual life and strong values may be nourished. The second secular focus of the parenting workshop is the development of parenting skills related to concrete daily practices beginning with best practices for the mother during pregnancy: rest, nutrition, medical visits and the development of a support system for when the baby arrives, etc. The teachings aim to promote stability in the daily routine of growing children where their physical, nutritional, and educational needs are satisfied. When the effort is available to meet these needs, children experience greater emotional stability and learn more effectively how to be successful both at school and in their relationships.

The Restorative Parenting Workshop sessions cover a range of reflective concepts, activities and practical resources to take home, encouraging parents to consider the impact of their current parenting styles and behavior and allowing mothers and fathers to develop new skills needed to heal past hurts, prevent harm in the future and build healthy relationships.

The Restorative Parenting Workshop is available virtually to Spanish speaking parents.

Below you can examine one the models we use in the Restorative Parenting Workshop: Four Parenting Styles and Social Discipline Window.

The ADSF – Restorative Justice Ministry vision is to accompany the most vulnerable living within the margins and underserved among us.

The goals of The Restorative Parenting Workshop are to implement prevention strategies, to offer healing ministries that reflect the love of God our Father for each one of us, and to support individual reintegration into society. This is an investment in families and in communities in order to break the cycle of neglect, alienation, crime and incarceration.

The Restorative Justice Workshop offers support to parents from pregnancy through birth and after that it helps foster sound parent practices for raising infants and babies, toddlers, preschoolers, middle students, and all the way to adolescence (early, middle and late stages).