Janice Solem

         By Beth Johnson  

   Janice was born and raised in the United States.  After she earned her Bachelor of Science degree, she worked as a nurse in South Dakota, New Hampshire, and New Jersey.  Then after completing additional studies, she worked as a public health nurse in Minnesota.

 She married Robert Solem, and they moved to Saskatoon “for a year.”  That was 44 years ago.  They obviously decided that they liked Saskatoon!  Jan spent ten years as a Mom at home helping to raise their two daughters and one son and doing volunteer work.  When her youngest daughter was in kindergarten, Jan decided to go back to school part time and eventually found herself in the Educational Psychology Department of the University of Saskatchewan.  At the completion of her course work, she became an elementary school counselor.  As the second such person to be hired by the Saskatoon Public School Board at that time, she and one other counselor served all the elementary schools in Saskatoon (over 20 each).

 On top of working and studying, Jan says she was the typical “Super Mom,” doing everything and organizing everything for everyone in her family and becoming stressed out.  In 1975 Jan had an “epiphany” when she attended a parenting class taught by Ethel Quiring.  She remembers going home and saying to her family, “We’re going to pitch in and do things differently from now on.”  They began sharing chores and responsibilities; Jan and Bob began to find alternatives to punishing the children, and Jan began to find a more encouraging life.

 The following year she and Ethel co-led a parenting group at Holliston School, and parenting education became a passion for her.  She also became part of the small group of people who formed a Steering Committee which did the groundwork to create the Saskatoon Society for Individual Psychology and prepare it for incorporation under the Societies Act in December of 1976. (It eventually became the Saskatoon Adlerian Society.)  At the first Annual General Meeting, Jan shared a book display of Adlerian publications, and thus began a tradition of the sharing of Adlerian printed materials.

 Jan integrated her work experience, her family experience, and her education.  In 1979 she graduated with a Master of Education and received the Biennial Award of the Canadian Guidance and Counselling Association for Outstanding Master’s Thesis – the topic: Adlerian-Dreikurs Parent Study Groups and Behavioral Change in Participants and Their Children.

 Back at her job in the elementary schools, Jan shared Adlerian ideas with a multitude of people in a multitude of ways.  She believed that you couldn’t effectively change the behavior of a child until you changed how parents and teachers responded to the child.  Hence she counselled parents and teachers along with the children, frequently visiting the homes.  This approach often brought positive changes to the lives of all involved and was the most satisfying part of her career.  She led parenting groups regularly and often gave presentations at events for the Saskatchewan Guidance and Counselling Association, the Saskatoon Board of Education, surrounding school divisions, the Sask. Teacher’s Federation, Preschool Information Registry and Service, Sask. Early Childhood Education Council, and SAS.

  Always a meticulous researcher and writer, Jan has written countless articles and book reviews.  She is just completing the work of coediting the new Respectful, Responsible Parenting: a Facilitator’s Guide, Revised Edition.  “Writing and editing,” she says, “is now my third love, after family and friends.”

 Now in retirement, Jan is still sharing her time generously with SAS as well as with her church, the Saskatoon Association for Loss and Grief Education and Support, and the Board of LutherCare Communities. She does find some time for her fourth love – bird watching. 

 So the perfectionistic “Super Mom” who changed her life is still on the journey of putting encouragement into practice.

       Janice Solem