Respectful Relationships Consulting, LLC

penny@respectful-relationships.com

Penny Davis, M.A. began her career as a Child Protective Services Social Worker. She then became a parenting educator, teacher trainer and consultant in the field of human development and adult-child relationships. She has been practicing in this field for over 40 years.

Penny has held a number of professional positions in non-profit agencies, schools and community colleges working directly with parents, teachers, children, and early childhood students/staff, as well as foster/adoptive caregivers and social workers. Penny retired from a full time position as the Director of Foster and Kinship Care Education at Riverside City College, in Riverside CA, in 2011. She continues to provide trainings as a Consultant through Respectful Relationships Consulting LLC. She is a Certified Lead Trainer with the Positive Discipline Association, and a Senior Facilitator with Sound Discipline, Inc.

Penny received her B.A in Sociology from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, and her M.A in Human Development from Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena, CA. Her graduate work was focused on attachment, brain development and behavior of children with a focus on those who have experienced chronic trauma (abuse and/or neglect), and the use of Positive Discipline with this population. As a result of this work, she has extensive experience training social service staff, community college staff and caregivers regarding behavior management of children, adolescents and young adults with trauma histories.

Penny lived in southern CA for almost 40 years, before relocating to the Seattle area upon retirement from full-time work.

Mission

Respectful Relationships Consulting, LLC is a company dedicated to helping adults develop and maintain relationships with children that are respectful and encouraging while also teaching important life skills.

This company’s primary work is providing group presentations, workshops, and classes to parents, teachers, and others who live or work with children. The theory behind this work is based on Adlerian principles and uses the tools and strategies encompassed in Positive Discipline by Jane Nelsen, EdD.

Respectful Relationships Consulting LLC also specializes in Trauma-Informed theory, and as such provides presentation and workshops on Attachment, Brain Development and the Impact of Chronic Trauma.

Values

The heart of this work is about reframing parents’ and teachers’ ideology around how to ‘be’ with children. Most first world countries are immersed in the traditional behaviorist theory in which punishment and reward are the tools for motivating children to develop the qualities we want.    Positive Discipline/Adlerian philosophy understands that our basic drive is to feel belonging and significance – that in order for children to DO better, they must FEEL better. 

The heart of our work is around connection and encouragement.

By developing the kinds of relationships between parents/teachers and children, that encourage, model and teach qualities like empathy, self -reflection, resilience, and decision-making, we believe we are moving the world towards peace and equity, one family/one classroom at a time.