Lying is a complex, layered behavior that involves both the person telling the lie and the perception of the person receiving it, as well as each person’s history and development. Surprised it’s not so black and white? This training will take you through understanding what lying is, why it happens and how to support the truth.

“Why Children Lie” addresses lying on several levels. You will look at your own attitude about lying and how your values and beliefs affect that perception. The course will cover what lying looks like in different stages of development and what the motivating factors may be for a child. You will also talk about the societal norms around lying and how to support a child telling the truth. You will learn how to set a child up for being truthful through positive communication, and how to make changes to your own behavior and responses.

The impact of trauma is a big part of this training, too, as trauma and other diagnoses impact the ability to be truthful. You will talk about how lying can be a trauma response and what you can do to change the pattern.

When you leave the class, you will have a deeper understanding of how to respond to children when they lie and how to prevent lying.