Parenting Classes & Education

Supporting excellence in education through innovative programs and dedicated service.

Veronica Ephraim, M.S., Caring Connections Counselor
Office: (858) 668-4084
Fax: (858) 679-2729
13626 Twin Peaks Rd, Bldg #300, Poway, CA 92064

Caring Connections Counseling Center and Poway Adult School are collaborating and enhancing our Parent Education services to our community. We have a new payment method through Poway Adult School. Pay for your class(es) online through Poway Adult School using Visa, Mastercard, or American Express. Register today at Poway Adult School Online Registration.

TK-5th Grade Parent Education & 6th-12th Parent Education

Only as parents do we expect that love will be enough. Often it just isn't. Parents also need skills.

Sign up for our fun, highly acclaimed parent workshops. No boring lectures and not just theory—these sessions focus on fun, interactive learning with results you can see right away.

Parenting is the hardest job we do, with little to no training. Your kids are worth it.

Feeling frustrated as a parent? Do you long for a better relationship with your teen? We can help.

Enjoy an evening out while refreshing your skills and improving communication in your family. Isn't it worth your time? Of course it is. Sign up online today.

Scholarships and Registration

Scholarships are available upon request. Please contact the Caring Connections Counseling Center:

Phone: (858) 668-4084
Email: [email protected]

Questions about registration?

Please email [email protected] for assistance.

Couple Registration

For couple registration, please contact Poway Adult School at (858) 668-4024.

NEW

Motivating Unmotivated Kids: Practical Strategies for Responsibility, Cooperation, and Independence - NEW

TK-12^thGrade Parent Education

Does your child seem unmotivated, resistant to chores, reluctant to complete homework, or constantly drawn to screens? Learn practical, evidence-based strategies to increase cooperation, responsibility, and independence while reducing daily power struggles. Participants will learn why children and teens may avoid tasks, how motivation develops, and strategies to encourage follow-through without constant reminders, nagging, or conflict. Topics include effective communication, reinforcement, building routines, managing screen-related challenges, teaching responsibility, and helping children develop lifelong self-management skills. Parents will leave with actionable tools they can begin using immediately at home!

Date: Wednesday, 9/9/26

Time: 6:00pm to 8:00pm

Location: Online via Zoom

Class Code: 16588

Instructor: Jason Omoto
Tuition: $35.00/individual or $40.00/couple

Date: Monday, 10/5/26

Time: 6:00pm to 8:00pm

Location: Abraxas High School

Class Code: 16651

Instructor: Jason Omoto
Tuition: $35.00/individual or $40.00/couple

For couple enrollment please contact Poway Adult School (858) 668-4024

NEW

My Kid Isn’t Bad: Understanding What Your Teen is Really Saying

6^th – 12^th Grade Parent Education

Your kid isn’t bad. Their behavior is communication. And what it’s usually saying is: I need you - just differently than before. Parents of teenagers often arrive at this stage feeling like they’re failing - their child is refusing school, pushing back on everything, and shutting down every conversation. This workshop reframes the whole picture. Drawing on the work of Lisa Damour, John Gottman, Brené Brown, and Mel Robbins, it gives parents the developmental context, the emotional tools, and the practical skills to stop fighting their teenager and start understanding them.

Date: Monday, 9/14/26

Time: 6:00pm to 8:00pm

Location: Online via Zoom

Class Code: 16649

Instructor: Laura Lorber
Tuition: $35.00/individual or $40.00/couple

Date: Monday, 11/2/26

Time: 6:00pm to 8:00pm

Location: Abraxas High School

Class Code: 16587

Instructor: Laurie Lorber
Tuition: $35.00/individual or $40.00/couple

For couple enrollment please contact Poway Adult School (858) 668-4024

Raising Pre-Teens in Immigrant and Multicultural Families

5^th – 8^th Grade Parent Education

This interactive two-day workshop is designed for parents raising pre-teens in immigrant, multicultural, and multiracial families. As children enter adolescence, they often face questions about identity, belonging, independence, and navigating multiple cultural expectations. At the same time, parents may struggle to maintain family traditions while helping their children succeed in a new cultural environment. Participants will explore the unique challenges and strengths of raising children between cultures, including communication across generations, cultural identity development, peer influences, and maintaining strong family connections during the pre-teen years. The workshop will provide practical strategies that parents can immediately apply at home.

Date: Tuesdays, 9/15/26 and 9/22/26

Time: 6:30pm to 8:30pm

Location: Poway Adult School

Class Code: 16585

Instructor: Dr. Roudi Roy
Tuition: $39.00/individual or $45.00/couple

Date: Wednesdays, 11/4/26 and 11/18/26

Time: 6:30pm to 8:30pm

Location: Online Via Zoom

Class Code: 15598

Instructor: Dr. Roudi Roy
Tuition: $39.00/individual or $45.00/couple

NEW

The Life Skills Behind Learning and Success

Before children can focus, solve problems, communicate effectively, or become independent learners, they need a strong foundation of self-awareness and emotional regulation. Learn how stress and emotions impact the brain, why behavior is often a form of communication, and how to teach the essential life skills that support learning, resilience, and healthy relationships. Parents will gain practical strategies to intentionally build these skills in everyday moments and help children develop the tools they need to navigate challenges, strengthen relationships, and thrive both in and out of the classroom.

TK-5^th Grade Parent Education

Date: Tuesday, 9/15/26

Time: 6:00pm to 8:00pm

Location: Abraxas High School

Class Code: 16589

Instructor: Amy Sage
Tuition: $35.00/individual or $40.00/couple

6^th-12^th Grade Parent Education

Date: Thursday, 10/15/26

Time: 6:00pm to 8:00pm

Location: Abraxas High School

Class Code: 16590

Instructor: Amy Sage
Tuition: $35.00/individual or $40.00/couple

Connection Before Correction: Supporting Teens with Anxiety, Stress, and Behavior

6^th-12^th Grade Parent Education

Are you exhausted by power struggles, emotional outbursts, or worrying about your child’s anxiety? Many parents today are trying to support kids who feel overwhelmed, anxious, or emotionally reactive; often without tools that actually help in the moment. Most of us were never taught how to calm ourselves, only how to correct behavior. Yet when anxiety or big emotions take over, correction alone doesn’t work. Learn how to understand what’s happening underneath behavior; in both their child and themselves. Using neuroscience and real-life examples, Dr. Colette Coiner teaches parents how to calm the nervous system, respond instead of react, and build connection first so learning, cooperation, and emotional regulation can occur.

Date: Wednesday, 9/16/26

Time: 6:30pm to 8:00pm

Location: Online via Zoom

Class Code: 16581

Instructor: Dr. Colette Coiner
Tuition: $35.00/individual or $40.00/couple

Date: Wednesday, 10/7/26

Time: 6:30pm to 8:00pm

Location: Poway Adult School

Class Code: 16647

Instructor: Dr. Colette Coiner
Tuition: $35.00/individual or $40.00/couple

NEW

The Parent Behind the Parenting: Understanding Yourself and Parent with Confidence

TK-12^th Grade Parent Education

This interactive two-hour workshop helps parents better understand how their own experiences, beliefs, and upbringing shape the way they parent. Many parenting challenges are influenced not only by children’s behavior but also by parents’ stress, emotional triggers, expectations, and family experiences. Through guided reflection and discussion, participants will explore common parenting patterns, sources of stress, emotional reactions, and strategies for greater self-awareness and self-care. The workshop is designed to help parents become more intentional, confident, and effective in their parenting.

Date: Wednesday, 9/16/26

Time: 6:30pm to 8:30pm

Location: Online via Zoom

Class Code: 16584

Instructor: Dr. Roudi Roy
Tuition: $35.00/individual or $40.00/couple

Date: Tuesday, 10/13/26

Time: 6:30pm to 8:30pm

Location: Poway Adult School

Class Code: 16654

Instructor: Dr. Roudi Roy
Tuition: $35.00/individual or $40.00/couple

Parenting Preteens: Growing Confidence and Connection

5^th-7^th Grade Parent Education

Parenting during the preteen years can be exciting, confusing, and sometimes overwhelming. As children grow more independent and start to push limits, parents often wonder how to stay connected while still setting boundaries. This engaging, research informed workshop helps parents and caregivers understand what’s happening developmentally and emotionally for their children while identifying strategies that align with their own family values and boundaries. Rather than offering one-size-fits-all answers, the session provides space for reflection, discussion, and learning—so each family can make confident, informed decisions that strengthen connection during these important years of change.

Date: Wednesday, 9/23/26

Time: 6:30pm to 8:00pm

Location: Online via Zoom

Class Code: 16592

Instructor: Dr. Roudi Roy
Tuition: $35.00/individual or $40.00/couple

Date: Thursday, 10/22/26

Time: 6:30pm to 8:00pm

Location: Poway Adult School

Class Code: 16652

Instructor: Dr. Roudi Roy
Tuition: $35.00/individual or $40.00/couple

NEW

Personal Stress and Anxiety

TK -12^th Grade Parent Education

Anxiety isn’t a thinking problem. It’s a body that doesn’t know how to turn off. Most of us try to manage stress and anxiety in our minds — analyzing it, reasoning with it, willing it away. It doesn’t work. What’s actually happening is that your fight-or-flight response has been triggered, flooding your body with stress hormones that have nowhere to go. This workshop gives them somewhere to go. Through guided movement, breathwork, and simple daily practices, participants will experience — not just learn about — what it feels like when the nervous system finally gets to release. You are not alone in this. And you are not broken. Your body is doing exactly what it was designed to do. We’re just going to help it finish the job.

Date: Monday, 9/28/26

Time: 6:00pm to 8:00pm

Location: Abraxas High School

Class Code: 16586

Instructor: Laura Lorber
Tuition: $35.00/individual or $40.00/couple

Date: Monday, 10/12/26

Time: 6:00pm to 8:00pm

Location: Online via Zoom

Class Code: 16650

Instructor: Laura Lorber
Tuition: $35.00/individual or $40.00/couple

NEW

Calm in the Chaos: Helping Parents Stay Regulated During Challenging Moments

4^th-12^th Grade Parent Education

Parenting children and teens during emotional moments can feel exhausting, overwhelming, and unpredictable. Many parents find themselves reacting out of frustration, walking on eggshells, or getting pulled into constant power struggles, especially when anxiety, emotional

shutdown, anger, or defiance show up at home. Learn why emotional escalation happens so quickly between parents and children, and how to respond in ways that create safety, connection, and cooperation instead of more conflict. This class is compassionate, practical, and designed

for parents of children and teens who want fewer emotional battles, less stress at home, and stronger relationships.

Date: Wednesday, 10/21/26

Time: 6:30pm to 8:00pm

Location: Online via Zoom

Class Code: 16582

Instructor: Dr. Colette Coiner
Tuition: $35.00/individual or $40.00/couple

Date: Wednesday, 11/4/26

Time: 6:30pm to 8:00pm

Location: Poway Adult School

Class Code: 16646

Instructor: Dr. Colette Coiner
Tuition: $35.00/individual or $40.00/couple

NEW

Triggers, Tensions, and Teenagers: Helping Parents Navigate Big Emotions

4^th-12^th Grade Parent Education

Parenting pre-teens and teens can bring up intense emotions in ways many parents do not expect. Moments of disrespect, withdrawal, anxiety, attitude, or conflict can quickly trigger frustration, fear, helplessness, or anger - leaving parents reacting in ways they later regret. Learn why parenting can feel so emotionally activating, what happens inside the brain and nervous system during stressful interactions, and how personal triggers often shape parenting responses more than parents realize. The course explores how a parent’s own stress, upbringing, fears, and emotional experiences can impact the parent-teen relationship - and what to do instead.

Date: Wednesday, 12/2/26

Time: 6:30pm to 8:00pm

Location: Online via Zoom

Class Code: 16583

Instructor: Dr. Colette Coiner
Tuition: $35.00/individual or $40.00/couple