Our last event....

 

Betty at the Breakfast at The Boulevard 24 Oct 07
 

...this event was judged as a wonderful success.

"It was an inspiration. I really enjoyed it." Rita

"Dear Betty, I truly had a great time. The speakers were fabulous, and your organisational and compering skills are amazing....Thanks again" Angela

"A huge congratulations on hosting such a wonderful VIP Event for Mums. It was so very well done and professional...congratulations again and thanks for a lovely morning." Fiona

 

Copyright 2004 Betty Chetcuti

Being a Mother Workshop

The Being a Mother workshop shows you the key to managing strong emotions and being happier every single day.

    The Being a Mother workshop is tailored for mums - you feel happier, more confident, and more deeply satisfied.  It helps you to get  the most out of Being a Mother.

The Being a Mother workshop is based on the following ideas:

1. The clue to calming ourselves down and feeling better is to change our thinking and self talk. Albert Ellis, Psychologist and Founder of REBT

2. Parents who learn different ways of thinking about themselves and their children have lower levels of anger and guilt. Marie Joyce, Psychologist

3. Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed unless it is faced. James Baldwin

The Being a Mother workshop is for those who want to enjoy more of the day-to-day experiences with children, family and others, and better manage those challenging life events!

"I never thought it would be like this!"

Have you ever wondered "This is so hard - is this just me or is it really like this?" or "Why do I wake up promising a better day and end up having a miserable day?"

This workshop focuses on the experiences of being a mother. The numerous and complex issues that mothers face in their day to day life are discussed in dynamic, interactive, process orientated and practical sessions. This program has received widespread support and enthusiasm.

As seen in The Melbourne Weekly October 20, 2002
 

Listen to this radio interview about the Being a Mother Workshop

2008 Dates

February - Saturday 23rd, 9:30 - 5:30 NORTH SYDNEY

March - Sunday 2nd, 9:30 - 5:30 TOWNSVILLE

March-  Saturday 8th, 9:00 - 5:00 MELBOURNE

March-  Saturday 15th, 9:00 - 5:00 MELBOURNE

April - Saturday 19th, 9:00 - 5:00 MELBOURNE

May - Sunday 18th, 9:00 - 5:00 MELBOURNE - Closed

May - Saturday 31st, 9:00 - 5:00 MELBOURNE

May - Sunday 25th, 9:00 - 5:00 SYDNEY

June -  Sunday 22nd, 9:00 - 5:00 MELBOURNE

NB The workshop is 8 hours and the above is a selection of different workshop dates.

To register your interest please click here.

 

Fees

Contact Betty for more details.

Private psychology appointments are also available via email.

Development

The Being a Mother workshop was developed during the early months of 2001 by Betty. She identified the lack of any program like this, and researched past and current literature, plus using her own experience as a mother to develop the framework.

The Being a Mother workshop was pilot tested with a small group of mothers, and is constantly being evaluated to maintain it's high standard.

The first Melbourne  workshop was held in August 2001. Being a Mother workshops are also available interstate, with the first held in Sydney in June 2002.

Aims

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1. To discuss and examine mother's experiences

2. To discuss the contributing factors to the experience of being a mother

3. To demonstrate a model for change to manage the negative feelings associated with being a mother, and increase satisfaction and joy within the lives of mothers.

4. To create ongoing success and "a sense of community for mothers" through participation in follow-up sessions.

The workshop's main focus is to acknowledge and transform the experiences of mothers. However, additionally, the workshop has been designed with a long term vision of making a huge impact on how mothering is perceived and supported. In the future, Betty plans to conduct PhD research, write a book, produce a video, develop a radio talk back program and develop online workshops.

Features and Benefits

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click here to enrol

The Being a Mother workshop has a range of unique features and benefits. It is not offered anywhere else, and there is no other program like it.

Everyday mother

• The facilitator is a real life example of how to derive greater pleasure and satisfaction from life with your children. Betty is a mother of three young children, and so, is totally able to relate to the experiences of mums.

• One of the key reasons for developing this workshop now, versus 'later when there was more time', was that Betty was very clear about the importance of being able to accurately talk from personal experience, and not regard other people's experiences from an academic or theoretical perspective only. Betty shares many of her experiences and successes based on the change model.

Trained psychologist

• Psychologists' expertise is about human behaviour and experiences. Betty is a trained psychologist at the Masters level with a range of experiences from facilitating personal development workshops for large corporations to working with clients in her private practice. All these life skills are constantly drawn upon to enhance the workshop experience.

Betty recognised her skills in her general psychological practice could be of great benefit to ordinary mothers, who are unrecognised as performing the most important job in the world - raising children.

Specialist training

Betty was trained in REBT or Rational Emotive Behaviour Theory by Dr. Michael Bernard (www.youcandoiteducation.com), who worked closely with Dr. Albert Ellis, the founder of REBT (www.rebt.org). Dr. Albert Ellis developed REBT (originally referred to as RET) in 1955, with the main premise that 'it is our thinking about an event, and not the event  per se, that gets us upset'. The change model used in the Being a Mother workshop is based on REBT.

As a psychologist, Betty updates her professional psychological skills and knowledge via regular professional development. 

Practical

• The main model used in the Being a Mother workshop is very simple to understand and it works! Betty has used this model to transform relationships within her own life, and to develop the Being a Mother workshop. These cases are further discussed during the workshops.

This workshop focuses on imparting vital knowledge and action oriented strategies so participants can deal with the intense emotions of motherhood. This significantly impacts our effectiveness as parents.

Is cohesive, non-linear, and openly discusses the multi-aspects of mother's experiences. It is more than just a discussion of feelings. It cuts across to the core of how we can transform our experiences in a process-oriented and  practical way.

Research based

• This workshop is more than Betty's ideas on what constitutes an excellent workshop. The ideas and structure of the Being a Mother Workshop are supported by research currently being conducted in the University of Melbourne, La Trobe University, and RMIT. Betty constantly seeks professional alliances with experts to promote the importance of work in this area. Betty is also committed to undertaking research into the Being a Mother workshop and is active in seeking collaborative research projects with researchers from local tertiary institutions.

All mothering experiences

• The Being a Mother workshop focuses on all aspects of being a mother, not only post natal depression. This workshop deals with all of the three main unpleasant emotional states: angry, anxious/guilty and depressed.

  It also focuses on the experience of being a mother which is not acknowledged. This is not another parenting program. The Being a Mother workshop strikes at a more fundamental level, and covers issues such as our expectations and actual experiences of being a mother.

  The workshop encourages the sense of community and sharing that was experienced by mothers of generations ago.

Long term support

• Betty is committed to participants maintaining the benefits realised from the workshop. The follow-up sessions are also designed to be proactive regarding our experiences as mothers and to developing a community of mothers who strive to make a difference in their mothering experiences. 

Additional benefits of the Being a Mother workshop are: 

Sharing of experiences

• Hearing other mother's experiences, in addition to voicing their own, has been immensely helpful to participants in the Being a Mother workshop. Validation of the individual's experiences has been a significant outcome, as mothers do not often share the private (and usually benign) concerns they have about every day events with their friends or other support networks.

Time out

• How often do we, as mothers, get time to sit and think about our most important and challenging role and the numerous issues that confront us in this role? We are even followed to the bathroom…

• In the paid work arena, we have meetings when issues arise. Yet in the world of being a mother, this idea is not even conceptualized. Only a few minutes of focused attention can generate simple and effective solutions to avoid daily problems recurring. During the Being a Mother workshop this benefit is amplified, as mothers have 8 hours of time out, plus the benefit of hearing their own situations raised by other mothers.

• In this workshop, you actually get time to think about and ask the questions that have been blocking your experiences as a mother.

Change your stress response

• Using the change model, participants of the Being a Mother workshop can alter their behaviours by changing their thinking. Participants receive maximum benefit when they are highly motivated and persist in changing their automatic reactions. See Tips and Techniques.

Effective role-modelling for others

• "Children are the benefactors of the work we do on ourselves!" Harriet Lerner, The Mother Dance. Most mothers want to be good role models for their children and are worried about the impact of their frustration on their children. As mothers learn how to change their thinking and behaviours, this will be learned by their children.

Strengthening relationships with your children

• The result of extraordinary role modelling is stronger relationships with our child/ren, and more enjoyment and satisfaction within the family experience. This is achieved when we really attend to our children even when we are busy, when we calm ourselves down from anger, and when we do things with purpose especially when we don't feel like it, eg, getting up to resettle a child at 4 in the morning without being furious about it!

• These children and parents are better equipped to deal with life's negative events. They are also much more likely to succeed in key areas of their life.

Structure

The workshop is 8 hours long and comprises the following main components:

1. Discussion of mother's experiences.

2. Discussion of the contributing factors to your experiences as a mother.

3. Provision of a change model to increase satisfaction and joy, and to decrease being very upset.

The Being a Mother workshop also provides follow-up sessions to refresh your skills and contribute to a sense of community for mothers.

In the news!

As seen in The Melbourne Weekly October 20, 2002

Who attends and what happens?

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Transfers and Refunds

Whilst refunds are generally not permissible (except under reasonable conditions and mutual consent, eg, urgent psychological attention is required), transfers are permitted as per usual for other services, eg, illness, death, or unavailable child-care ( eg husband needing to work interstate).

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Phone: 03 9882 7958 . 0407 819 519

Contact Betty

 

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