Jackson County Memorial Hospital Counseling Center is offering its popular STEP parenting classes beginning Monday, Sept. 8. The classes will meet each Monday through Oct. 13 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the JCMH HomeCare and Hospice conference room at 1204 East Tamarack Road.

Registration is limited; call the JCMH Counseling Center at 580-482-4095 to register for the six-week class. The cost is $50, which covers the parent workbook.

Veronica Damron, LCSW-P, counselor at JCMH Counseling Center, is the facilitator for the six-week class and uses the STEP curriculum. Improving parent-child relationships and raising non-violent children is the basis of STEP, Systematic Training for Effective Parenting.

Parents today face a different set of challenges: the internet, computers, video games, cell phones, MP-3 players, and the list goes on. Many children today would rather text message or chat online than carry on a personal conversation.

In spite of the lure of technology, the basics of parenting remain the same: teaching self-discipline, respect and responsibility while providing children a sense of safety and security.

STEP encourages mutual respect between parent and child, increased cooperation, effective communication and a more responsible, self-reliant attitude among children.

The Jackson County Memorial Hospital Counseling Center is located at 1200 East Tamarack Road on the JCMH North Campus. The counseling center's staff are licensed clinical therapists and provide a variety of counseling services for all ages.

To learn more about the STEP program and to enroll in the parenting classes, call the JCMH Counseling Center at 482-4095. Participants are encouraged to register early; this popular class is likely to fill up quickly.