About Us
Barbara Sheppard Williams
Barbara is a consultant, psychotherapist with children and creator of the Kids’ Workshop™. She offers seminars, training programs and workshops on effective communication with children both nationally and internationally. She has been a staff member and Co-Director of Communication Training Seminars for the Person Centered Approach Institute in Rome, Italy since 1994 and in France since 2003.
After studying with both Carl Rogers and Virginia Satir, Barbara extended their ideas, creating a unique and effective series of workshops for children of different ages. The Kids' Workshop has been approved by the Italian Minister of Education. Barbara is a member of the California State Violence Prevention Program. Her innovative work is praised in Carl Rogers' book, A Way of Being.
Barbara has lived and worked abroad; her interest in cultural diversity informs her work. She has also worked with the Native American people in the Navajo Nation.
Carl Rogers and Virginia Satir developed new paths of prevention and cure in the mental health field. At the same time, it was their firm conviction that others could be taught to employ these methods effectively. It is Barbara's belief that the techniques of working with children that she has developed over the past two decades, relying on the views of Satir and Rogers, can be efficiently passed on to parents, teachers, and other professionals in close contact with children, so that the revolution begun by Satir and Rogers will not remain in the hands of a comparatively few specialists.
Since presenting the first workshop she has had the opportunity to meet with many of the children enrolled in those early years. They still retain the essential lessons and values expressed in the workshops and remember the exercises in detail. This indicates that what the workshop provides is needed by children and strikes a deep chord. Barbara and Heather have also published a book, Wisdom of Children.
Heather Williams and Barbara have worked together to further develop the Kids' Workshops and the Training Programs. They present many programs as a team. Heather's specialty is using video and photography as learning resources. She has received national recognition in the field of photography. Heather has traveled throughout the world and has deep interest and ability to work with other cultures. She also has had experience in working with adolescents and homeless people.Heather is a facilitator of kids workshops internationally. She is also on the staff of the person centered approach Institute in Italy and France. Heather's background is in Social Work, Person Centered Studies and work with Carl Rogers and Virginia Satir. She is a Certified Facilitator for the Kids' Workshop in Italy, France and America.
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