Parent Facilitators

I have more than 20 years of developing presentations and workshops on the topic of Parent Education. 10 of those years as a front line worker in a Parent Child Centre. I have a passion for helping parents and caregivers develop the architecture for the family life that they long for. With over 25 years in the field, I have a wealth of experience and knowledge to bring to my work as a Parent Educator and presenter. I have 7 years experience as a Trauma Therapist/Counselor and work with the Refugee Population. I also have experience of Hospice work and end of life care. Grief Work, Mourning and Bereavement and loss.

In my Private Practice as a Clinical Social Worker, I have training in Narrative Therapy, Family Therapy, Anxiety Disorders..CBT and Mindfulness, Hypnotherapy, Expressive Arts..Neuroscience.. Drumming . I work with children, artists writers, actors and musicians to help birth the whole self of a creative and inspired life.

Liz has been a parent educator, speaker and consultant since 2007 and founded Liz B. Parenting, a parenting consulting practice, in 2013. She is an Associate Certified Coach (Trained at the Adler School of Professional Studies), a member of the Ontario Society of Adlerian Psychology (ONSAP) and an assistant facilitator at the Adler School in the department of Professional Coaching.

After earning her BA/BSc in Biology and History at Dalhousie University, Liz worked in human resources and marketing for prominent investment banks in both New York and Toronto – but the move to motherhood proved to be transformative.

This shift morphed into a mission; to help families move beyond the yelling, nagging and frustrations sometimes associated with the busy pace of everyday parenting. She now helps parents thrive by helping them discover effective democratic parenting skills and positive disciplinary strategies to create homes and lives filled with mutual respect, cooperation, connection, responsibility and fun.

Liz also works with individuals to help them realize their personal and professional potential through one-on-one Life and Professional Coaching having been certified by the International Coaching Federation (ICF).

Kylah Harrington is both a Parent Facilitator and the Manager of Operations for the Parent Education Network. Her training began when she was first introduced to Adlerian psychology by Canada’s top parenting expert Alyson Schafer in 2010. Since then Kylah has been practicing the Adlerian approach to parenting. She became a certified Parent Facilitator in 2013 and has been giving parenting talks around the GTA at schools and public workshops. Her passion for parent education led her to take on the role of Manager of Operations. As the Manager of Operations, Kylah acts as the nucleus of the organization to promote Parent Education Network’s mission to continue to be an important source of guidance and support to families in the Greater Toronto Area.

Kylah Harrington also spends five mornings a week working as a nursery school teacher at the New Toronto Cooperative Nursery School. She brings her practice of positive child guidance to the school, to the preschoolers and to the program.  She is a busy Mom of three great kids, very active on her children’s school council and volunteers her time in their school frequently. On her free-time she enjoys spending time with her friends, dancing, bike riding and the noise of her children.

Valerie has over 20 years experience as a speaker, presenter and a facilitator of spiritual retreats and educational workshops. She teaches Junior Kindergarten at a private school in Toronto and, as a Parent Coach, assists families wanting peaceful homes.

Valerie earned Psychology and Art Therapy Degrees at the University of Western Ontario. She enjoyed working with troubled youth at a drop-in centre and also as a live-in mentor at a group home for abused teens, assisting them in achieving successful independent living. She is a Certified Happiness Coach (trained by Dr. Robert Holden) and has completed a 3-part training series with Russ Hudson at the Enneagram Institute in New York.

Valerie and her husband have 2 young boys and her youngest has Down syndrome. She enjoys advocating for people with disabilities and is passionate about building community, spreading kindness, and choosing joy.

Leigh Mitchell is a positive parenting facilitator with the Parent Education Network since 2011. Leigh delivers customized workshops to parent and school board audiences. Her area of expertise includes internet safety and mindfulness based parenting techniques focused on growing resilient and connected families. Leigh is a married mom of two boys who loves volunteering in her community with active living based programming. You can find her on a yoga mat or running trails when she isn’t facilitating workshops.

Lorna Blumen brings over 20 years of experience as a children’s and adult workplace bullying prevention specialist. She’s a speaker, educational consultant, and author. Lorna is the lead developer of the Girls’ Respect Groups Program, an after-school program for girls ages 10-18, used in the US, Canada, and over 130 countries. 

Lorna gives keynote addresses and workshops for adult audiences on a wide range of topics, including bullying prevention, respect (the key bullying prevention tool), and stress management. Lorna has appeared on Canadian and US TV & radio, spoken at international conferences, and has contributed to magazines for parents and teachers.

Lorna’s work spans the spectrum from preschools to management leadership institutes. She works with children and the adults who work with children – teachers, parents, school councils, coaches, camp counsellors, mental health professionals, physicians, lawyers, and judges.

Lorna has written 5 books on bullying and girls’ respect and contributed to 2 books on business leadership and mental health, including  I’ve Got Your Back: Help Children Say Hello To Friends & Goodbye To Bullies (2016) and Bullying Epidemic: Not Just Child’s Play (2011).

 More Info: BullyingEpidemic.com, GirlsRespectGroups.com, IGYBBook.com