Meet the people behind the great programs and services offered at Ometz! Our colleague Carol Liverman discusses Ometz Parlour Groups, an opportunity for parents to meet and share successes and challenges in bringing up children in today’s world.

What is your work position and how long have you been working at Ometz?

I am the Manager of Group Services at Ometz and have been working here for the past 20 years!

Can you describe Ometz Parlour Groups?

For the past 20 years, Ometz has offered the Parlour Group Program to parents in the Montreal community who are interested in sharing their parenting successes and challenges and learning new strategies to deal with their children. Eight to ten parents form a group and monthly meetings are scheduled with an Ometz professional facilitator. Topics for discussion vary depending on the ages of the children and the needs and interests of the parents; for example, bedtimes, conflict resolution, discipline, social media, friendships and more.

The Ometz facilitator brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the discussions. Participants are offered reading material to engage and stimulate conversation and learning.

What can parents expect from Ometz Parlour Groups?

The 300 people who currently participate in Parlour Groups schedule monthly meetings from September to June. Feedback from parents over the past 20 years has told us that they really appreciate the friendships that they form with other parents in a safe and accepting environment, the new parenting strategies they learn and the expertise they have access to as they bring up their children. Due to their effectiveness, we have many groups that have been meeting together for ten years and more.

How will Ometz services for parents evolve in the future?

Ometz is there for parents who are working hard to bring up their children in a complex world. We are always available to start new groups: in multiple languages (English, French, Hebrew, Spanish, Russian, etc.), addressing specific issues (co-parenting, children with special needs, early childhood issues, adolescence, etc.) and at convenient times of the day and week (early morning, lunchtime, evenings, weekends).

In addition, Parlour Groups may be formed at your place of work so that you may meet together with colleagues at lunchtime.

To find out more about Ometz Parlour Groups, click here.