She does keynote presentations as well as workshops and retreats for half day, full day, two or more days for teacher/staff development, board development and parent enrichment. Her presentations are tailored to meet your organizations specific needs.

Dr. Jim McFarland brings over 30 years of professional background in the field of Interpersonal and Group Communication and has taught Effective Parenting Workshops with Sonnie for 15 years. He is available to work with Sonnie on Community Building and Effective Parenting topics.

Following are some of the topics Sonnie and/or Jim can offer your program:

Peaceful Living Skills for Young Children - This presentation can take several forms depending on the group being addressed. Participants will learn how to present practical, concrete activities that help children manage their body, mind and emotions so they can stay centered in their essential nature or spirit of love. These activities are found in Sonnie's newest book, Honoring the Light of the Child - Activities to Nurture Peaceful Living Skills in Young Children. Using these activities will make a difference in the lives of the children who experience them. The activities are appropriate for public and private schools, home schools, church schools, and families.

Community Building - Creating a sense of community in the family, the school, the board room or the office is vital to the effective functioning of an organization. This intriguing, experiential workshop is framed in an original community development model created by Dr. Jim and Sonnie McFarland. The model is called CPIR - A Model for Community Development. It includes the elements of Climate - Process - Identity - Relationship as the keys to creating an effective community. People attending a workshop on this topic not only learn specific ideas to strengthen community, but also experience community in the workshop setting.

Transformation of the Adult - This topic is universal in its application and scope. It focuses on the importance of adults becoming more fully-functioning people. Honoring and appreciating who we are is a key to this exploration of self discovery. Next, comes a clearer understanding of the relationship between body, mind, emotion and spirit. With this knowledge participants are able to take responsibility for themselves and develop self management skills that allow them to more consistently stay in touch with their light within - their greatest potential. Many of these activities are found in Sonnie's handbook, Shining Through - A Teacher's Handbook on Transformation.

Effective Parenting - Parents and principle care givers are the primary messengers that model to the children how to feel about themselves. Every interaction with a child carries two messages: it not only says something to the child but it also says something about the child. An effective communicative relationship between parent and child creates a strong bond of love and respect that fosters high self esteem, cooperative behavior and self discipline. This positive relationship empowers the child to make choices in life that are productive and satisfying. This topic will include how to foster a spirit of community and cooperation in the home, communication skills, problem solving, logical and natural consequences, family responsibilities plus more.