1 ima parnergher. atatse f erenasi ere yet A fish seat NEWS photo Paut McGrath WEST VANCOUVER registered nurse and clinical counsellor Jan Spilman is offering a workshop for adults who lost out on their childhood. 0 . Van workshop brings ut the chil A WEST Vancouver counsellor is offering help to adults who grew up too fast. By Surj Rattan News Reporter + Jan Spilman’s ‘‘crash course in childhood"’ will consist of an in- troductory workshop and _ classes for people who have arrived at adulthood too quickly. The classes, said Spilman, are for people who have problems de- veloping: and maintaining inter- personal relationships. “Is for people who have grown up in families where the parents’ attention was in a dif- ferent place,’’ said Spilinan. She has been offering counsel- ling sessions on the North Shore for the past five years. Spilman, who works as a there- pist and mental health educator with a private practice on the North Shore, said courses to ad- dress problems associated with lost childhood were not available to the public in the past. “People are more willing to say they missed out on something in their childhood. “Adults can look very confident in the world in whatever their job AGFA XRG 24 + 3 exp. 100 1SO AGFA XRG 24 + 3 exp. 200 ISO in everyone rig] 46 People are more willing to say they missed out on something in their childhood. 99 —West Van counsellor Jan Spilman is, such as meeting deadlines if you're a reporter or doing brain surgery if you’re a doctor. ‘They may, be 50 years old, but when it comes to personal rela- tionships, they act like a five- year-old,’’ said Spilman. Her 34-week ‘‘psychoeduca- tional group’’ uses mini lectures, weekly homework exercises and a supportive group discussion to assist individuals in developing interpersonal skills. Spilman said the group is designed for those who have al- ready completed a significant por- tion of their therapy for childhood issues. She added that many people become adults by way of a childhood that taught them few skills for developing and main- taining close interpersonal rela- tionships. “They come from _ families where parents focused on chemical Using Your Bank Card to Pay for Groceries... W'ssoeasy! Handcasher * a yout Bank Card for scanning. ae Proceed to the keyert “PIN” (s) pad. Prass which account you ‘wanl yout purchase ta be taken out of, ey on you! Specie! Code and watch for your approval. That's d It's so con- venient! Most major tank cards are conipatible with the interac System 100 1SO dependency, poverty, immigration stress, chronic illness, unresolved grief, workaholisrn, cultural dif- ference or other issues at the ex- pense of children’s needs, “These children grow up too quickly, without the nurturing and support needed to develop basic relationship skills,” said Spilman. She added that ‘‘people prob- lems” create stress and tension at their work, in their friendships and marriages, and in their paren- ting roles. - Spilman said her course teaches people who suffer from the ‘adult child paradox’? the skills they missed in childhood. Spilman will hold an iatroduc- tory workshop on Saturday, Sept. 18, Thursday night classes will be held from 6:45 to 8:15 p.m. from Sept. 30 to Dec. 8, Jan. 6 to March 17 and April 7 to June 16. For more information, call 926-0609, fi AGFA © 2 rolls 24 +3 exp.