SENG SMPG Workshop for Parents of Potentially Gifted Children
About Workshop:
SENG SMPG Workshop is one of Miona’s Workshop Room offers for parents of gifted children. In GiftedLab, we offer both discussion & support groups focused on the social-emotional needs of gifted and SENG SMPG Workshop. There is a difference between discussion & support groups focused on the social-emotional needs of gifted (SENG; see more in Miona’s Talk Room) and SENG SMPG Workshop that is a sort of brand name for the Workshop for parents specially created by SENG, an NGO from the USA. SENG stands for Social and Emotional Needs of Gifted (an acronym) and relates to well-known NGO SENG from the USA (sengifted.org); SMPGs stands for SENG Model Parent Groups.
Like their children, parents of gifted children need extra support in order to deal with additional challenges that giftedness can bring.
Parents are invited to prepare in advance for the SENG SMPG workshop. They have readings as homework to do during an 8- or 10-week-long series of workshops, one topic at a time, while on discussion groups people come without any preparation and discuss the given subject. Both workshop and discussion and support groups enhance parenting skills to nurture the self-concept and emotional development of gifted children and their families.
SENG SMPG Workshops are structured to bring together 10-20 interested parents of gifted and talented children to learn and discuss together. The group discussions in the workshop are based on chapters of the book “A Parent’s Guide to Gifted Children”, by James Webb, Janet L. Gore, E. R. Amend, and A. R. DeVries, a book that serves as a manual for this type of workshop.
To buy a manual translated into Serbian, fill in this form, to buy a manual in English, go here.
Topics:
Week 1 ▶ Defining Giftedness, Characteristics of Gifted Children
Week 2 ▶ Communication with Gifted Children
Week 3 ▶ Motivation, Enthusiasm, and Underachievement
Week 4 ▶ Establishing Discipline and teaching Self-Management
Week 5 ▶ Intensity, Perfectionism, and Stress
Week 6 ▶ Idealism, Unhappiness, and Depression
Week 7 ▶ Acquaintances, Friends, and Peers
Week 8 ▶ Family Relationships: Siblings and Only Children
Optional
Week 9 ▶ Complexities of Successful Parenting
Week 10 ▶ Values, Traditions, and Uniqueness
The Role Of Facilitators
The SENG SMPG Workshop is led by two certified SENG facilitators. Though they are knowledgeable about parenting and educating gifted/talented children, they do not attempt to give expert advice to families. Instead, their facilitation provides a non-judgmental and nurturing atmosphere.
The parents of high-ability children are themselves a rich resource of information, and they get fresh ideas from each other. The facilitators have extensive experience in working with families and providing professional development for educators. Using our expertise as trained SENG facilitators, we will help you better understand your child.
The facilitators are Miona Majstorović Lemaître and Ljiljana Brašnić.
Purpose:
- Acquire basic knowledge about the social and emotional characteristics of gifted children
- Share ideas, methods with other parents
- Enhance parenting skills
- Find people similar to you
- Become empowered by others
- Get support from other parents
- Get information and advice from certified SENG SMPG facilitators
Expectations:
- Each workshop is 8 to 10 weeks long and runs 1.5 hours per session
- Sessions will be held online or offline (the last had to be booked in advance)
- Participants will be expected to read sections of the book, “A Parent’s Guide to Gifted Children“ before most of the sessions as this will provide background on our discussion topics
- Discussions will follow group norms and emphasize respect and support for all participants
- Children are not permitted to attend these sessions. Parents will have to find child care during these groups.
Costs:
- 160 € for 8 weeks-long workshop/ 20 € per week
- Pays for our facilitators and administrative costs
- Traveling costs have to be included in case of sessions offline
- The cost of the book is additional to the workshop fee (we can preorder it for you!)
- 60 € for a spouse to attend
- Location: online and offline
- Where: To be determined
- When: To be determined
Steps
Additional information about SENG SMPG Workshop:
+ Many people wonder why gifted children (especially children with visible exceptional ability) would require additional services, care, and support in order to succeed. “If they are so gifted”, the stereotypical thinking goes, “they ought to be able to figure out what is expected of them”. The truth is totally different: these kids need special upbringing and attention.
+While it is helpful to have both parents/caregivers attend the workshop, it is certainly not necessary to have them both all the time. Simply having one attend will usually suffice. They can switch or invite another person who participates in upbringing. We understand that things come up and families have other, often competing, interests, it has never been a problem when one caregiver attends. If you are a single parent, you are also free to register.
+After finishing the first round of sessions you can join the community of other parents who have been gone through SENG SMPG Workshop so that you can continue to share and support each other within the wider community in the Balkans and elsewhere.
Book a workshop
Available Times
Time Zone of workshop: CET- Starting date:
March 10, 2022
Where: Series Nº6 of Online Workshops
When:
To be determined
How many spots available?
15
Enroll - Starting date:
May 5, 2022
Where: Series Nº7 of Online Workshops
When:
To be determined
How many spots available?
15
Enroll - Starting date:
September 22, 2022
Where: Series Nº8 of Online Workshops
When:
To be determined
How many spots available?
15
Enroll
You wouldn't trust us if we said it, so we asked our clients how they felt about it.
Testimonials
The facilitators (Ljiljana Brašnić and Miona Majstorović Lemaître) moderated the workshops well. I especially liked the very relaxed atmosphere and the honest exchange of good and bad experiences of parents in raising children.
xxx
Sweet, full of understanding, they transfer their knowledge specifically through examples.
xxx
Praise for leading and concept of workshops, with the desire to re-participate in such and similar workshops (maintaining continuity). Thank you!
xxx
Thank you for your dedication, your free time. Really nice that someone recognized the gifted and set out to address them and the challenges for their parents!
Source: Anonimous testimony questionnaire, SENG Workshop in cooperation with the Youth Center from Rijeka (Dom mladih Rijeka) in the period from 11/2020 to 12/2020.
It is possible to get the questionnaire for checking out.
The facilitators are great, we relaxed quickly and participated quite actively in all the workshops. The topics are well distributed and cover most of the challenges of parents of gifted children. With the manual and additional materials, as well as tips and small but important suggestions, we got a good foundation to continue working with our children.
xxx
I finally had the opportunity to talk about my children, without feeling bad and without worrying that my interlocutors would think I was bragging.
xxx
I was very confused by the behavior and asynchrony of my child’s development. I didn’t know how to position myself. By just understanding their specific characteristics and accepting them, everything fell into place.
xxx
Source of testimony questionnaire after the end of the workshop according to the SENG method (it is possible to get the questionnaire for checking out).
I understand the child’s needs better and have learned to be more patient with him. I’ve found answers to some questions so it’s getting easier now.
xxx
I personally recognized myself in the text of the book and in the conversations at the workshop. I don’t know if it’s too late for me to correct some things and if it would have been better if my parents had attended this workshop, it certainly would, but it is certain that it will be easier for my children. Some of my own traits, such as hypersensitivity and perfectionism, for example, are constantly observed and pointed out as flaws. It is a great relief to hear and read through such examples, to become aware of those parts of my own personality, and finally, no matter how absurd it may sound, don’t feel ashamed about it.
xxx
Source of testimony questionnaire after the end of the workshop according to the SENG method (it is possible to get the questionnaire for checking out).