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| About Helen |
| TemperamentTools.com Helen Fowler Neville, B.S., R.N. |
Like many other parents, I found that being the full time
mom of two small children was more challenging than I’d
ever imagined. That was back in the old days when all
the parenting books were written by male doctors and
psychologists. I decided to collect and write down the
wisdom of women caring for their children. (No Fault
Parenting, 1984, with Mona Halaby, MA.)
When our youngsters were 2 and 4, I returned to work
as a Registered Nurse at Kaiser Permanente Hospital
in Oakland, CA. For the next 20 years, as a Pediatric
Advice Nurse, I talked with thousands of parents about
health and behavior concerns. Simultaneously, I taught
classes in parent education and stress management.
Stress management spoke to my interest in the mind-
body connection.
In 1992, I attended a lecture on “inborn temperament.”
Here was another essential piece of parenting! I was
also excited by this further connection between biology
and behavior. I began to study temperament with Dr.
James Cameron of "The Preventive Ounce," and for 10
years coordinated the Inborn Temperament Project at
Kaiser Permanente in Oakland. Our goal was to help
parents adapt their parenting strategies to their child’s
inborn temperament.
Since 1993, I've regularly taught a 6-week series for
parents of "Spirited Children," co-sponsored by Kaiser
Permanente and Bananas, Inc.
Temperament work led to two publications. The first
was Temperament Based Parenting Classes (with
Kaiser co-workers, Jan Kristal, MA and Rona Renner,
RN, through the Kaiser Permanente Regional Health
Education Department). The second was
Temperament Tools: Working with Your Child’s
Inborn Traits (with Diane Clark Johnson, Parenting
Press, Seattle, WA).
Over the years, I've facilitated an array of parent
support groups and workshops for parents, teachers,
couples, county childcare workers, medical providers,
and others (time frame from 1 hour to 2 days).
In working with busy parents regarding temperament
issues, I've found that parent expectations and
strategies often don't reflect a clear understanding of
child development. Thus evolved further collaboration
with Parenting Press for the upcoming publication of
Is This a Phase? Child Development and Parent
Strategies, Birth to 6 Years. It’s due off the
press in late 2007.
I was born in British Columbia, Canada, lived on three
continents before completing high school, attended the
University of California at Berkeley, and graduated with
a BS, RN from the University of California in San
Francisco. I currently work at Kaiser Permanente
Department of Research in Oakland. I live with my
family in Oakland, CA.
mom of two small children was more challenging than I’d
ever imagined. That was back in the old days when all
the parenting books were written by male doctors and
psychologists. I decided to collect and write down the
wisdom of women caring for their children. (No Fault
Parenting, 1984, with Mona Halaby, MA.)
When our youngsters were 2 and 4, I returned to work
as a Registered Nurse at Kaiser Permanente Hospital
in Oakland, CA. For the next 20 years, as a Pediatric
Advice Nurse, I talked with thousands of parents about
health and behavior concerns. Simultaneously, I taught
classes in parent education and stress management.
Stress management spoke to my interest in the mind-
body connection.
In 1992, I attended a lecture on “inborn temperament.”
Here was another essential piece of parenting! I was
also excited by this further connection between biology
and behavior. I began to study temperament with Dr.
James Cameron of "The Preventive Ounce," and for 10
years coordinated the Inborn Temperament Project at
Kaiser Permanente in Oakland. Our goal was to help
parents adapt their parenting strategies to their child’s
inborn temperament.
Since 1993, I've regularly taught a 6-week series for
parents of "Spirited Children," co-sponsored by Kaiser
Permanente and Bananas, Inc.
Temperament work led to two publications. The first
was Temperament Based Parenting Classes (with
Kaiser co-workers, Jan Kristal, MA and Rona Renner,
RN, through the Kaiser Permanente Regional Health
Education Department). The second was
Temperament Tools: Working with Your Child’s
Inborn Traits (with Diane Clark Johnson, Parenting
Press, Seattle, WA).
Over the years, I've facilitated an array of parent
support groups and workshops for parents, teachers,
couples, county childcare workers, medical providers,
and others (time frame from 1 hour to 2 days).
In working with busy parents regarding temperament
issues, I've found that parent expectations and
strategies often don't reflect a clear understanding of
child development. Thus evolved further collaboration
with Parenting Press for the upcoming publication of
Is This a Phase? Child Development and Parent
Strategies, Birth to 6 Years. It’s due off the
press in late 2007.
I was born in British Columbia, Canada, lived on three
continents before completing high school, attended the
University of California at Berkeley, and graduated with
a BS, RN from the University of California in San
Francisco. I currently work at Kaiser Permanente
Department of Research in Oakland. I live with my
family in Oakland, CA.
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| Exploring with granddaughter |