Radio & Television Interviews

Articles (PDF Format)

To book Barry for a parent presentation contact info@mentoringboys.com




Barry MacDonald’s teacher presentations are jam-packed with practical information and techniques that can be used immediately to enhance student motivation and achievement. He carefully guides teachers through the corridors of boyhood and schooling and offers wise observations about their needs so that they can lead boys to success.

No matter what the event, Barry's playful humour and creative group facilitation turn any speaking engagement or workshop session into a fun, laughter filled, and practically applicable experience.

To book Barry for a teacher presentation contact info@mentoringboys.com




Barry MacDonald will inspire your audience with wit, wisdom and common sense.

He has encouraged thousands of people to cultivate reflective practice, honour individual capacities, respond to roadblocks and envision vibrant communities from the inside out.

With Barry on board as your keynote speaker you can relax knowing that your audience will be engaged, energized and inspired.

To book Barry for a keynote address contact info@mentoringboys.com




Barry MacDonald is a Registered Clinical Counsellor, skilled coach, and an effective parent consultant who assists people to strengthen their relationships as they transform problems to opportunities and gradually into joyful blessings.

Barry is a highly effective mentor who encourages boys and men to attain their optimum state of wellbeing. He coaches them to mindfully tune into emotions and thoughts rather than being tricked by emotions and outdated thinking patterns that lead to discouragement. As they learn to close the gap between their current experience and their true desires, they gradually feel more optimistic and step-by-step move toward achieving their life goals. They assume full responsibility by choosing their life path, rather than blaming or being controlled by past or current circumstances or people. Barry believes that it is our response to life that makes the difference.

Barry works in private practice with his wife, Therese MacDonald, who also practices as a Registered Clinical Counsellor, a Registered Nurse, and specializes in health and wellness. The combination of her counselling and nursing background provide her with a deep understanding of how the body participates and is influenced by stress. Therese’s practical approach incorporates teaching effective coping skills to address life stressors, developing transformative insight into behaviours, and assisting people to shift their gaze toward creating the experiences they desire in life.

Together, Barry and Therese are a powerful team, assisting individuals, couples, and families to build stronger and more vibrant relationships. They work in the Surrey - White Rock area
of British Columbia and are available for consultation by telephone or in person.

As many people are covered by extended health or insurance programs for professional counselling please note that both Therese & Barry MacDonald are Registered Clinical Counsellors with BC Association of Clinical Counsellors (the largest group of mental health providers in BC). Please check with your provider to ensure coverage before making an appointment.

Click here to read more about Barry and Therese's
consultation services.

Barry MacDonald Challenges Parents & Teachers to Get on Boys' Wavelengths
Edmonton Journal, October 3, 2010

When it comes to boys and literacy, says educator Barry MacDonald, it's time to "shake things up a bit."

Statistics show that boys tend to take longer to learn how to read than girls, are more likely to be nonreaders than girls and are more likely to drop out of school than girls. But it's what these statistics don't show, says MacDonald, that's even more important.

"There are many ways to express intelligence; literacy is not a single thing," says MacDonald. "Parents and teachers need to be wary of over-generalizing about the complex relationship between gender and literacy development."

MacDonald does a lot of work with parents and teachers. He says many of them have dated notions about literacy and still insist on practising traditional classroom learning in the belief that one teaching style fits all. It doesn't.

"The truth is, a lot of boys read widely -- just not the books we ask them to read," he says. "I also think we have a bias in schools that children should write things down to show what they know. True, it's easier to grade papers, and at one point in time that worked and reflected what was going on. But not today."

Today, MacDonald says, technology is entrenched in our culture and constantly evolving. It makes sense to use it to engage children when it comes to literacy, especially boys. Studies indicate boys are visual learners. They also make up the majority of video-game players. He acknowledges the controversy around video games, both in the content and the time boys spend playing them. Still, the other side of that suggests they're learning skills that extend far beyond hand-eye co-ordination -- complex problem-solving, perseverance, hypothesis-testing, pattern recognition, logistics.

"The only way we can lead children is to understand both sides. My work is to help parents and teachers bring balance to this dialogue. I encourage parents to engage in their son's electronic world. It is one of the few worlds where children can be teachers when adults take the time to participate. And as they become more comfortable and more confident in this realm, they're more able to discuss reasonable limits with their children."


Celebrate Differences!
Richmond News, January 18, 2008
Click to read

Effective Strategies for
Parenting Boys
Comox Valley Echo, April 20, 2007
Click to read

Hot off the Press in September 2007
Boy Smarts Action Study Guide
“A great strength of this book is that it will challenge you to clarify your biases, while prompting you to develop a realistic action plan respecting the varied needs of boys. Indeed, this guide challenges us all to courageously find solutions rather than accentuate problems.”

Linda Albert, PhD
Author, Cooperative Discipline

To read Linda Albert’s Foreword to the book click here





“In organizations, real power and energy is generated through relationships. The patterns of relationships and the capacities to form them are more important than tasks, functions, roles, and positions."

Margaret Wheatley
Author, Leadership and the New Science



"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

Margaret Mead






"Using a first-class combination of humour, research, data, personal experience and dialogue with participants, Barry engaged the parents of our community throughout his day-long workshop on parenting boys. The feedback I received from parents confirmed the value and practicality of the information shared and the new perspectives gained in understanding the strengths and needs of our boys."

Brenda O'Brien, Social Worker, Canmore Family and Community Social Services






Barry MacDonald is a superb trainer. He brings to his work with parents and teachers real life examples, plenty of humor, a gift for spontaneity, and a determination to make the world a better place for one child, one person, one family, one school, and one community at a time. He is one of the few trainers that I would pay money to see over and over again. When it comes to knowing how to work with children and families nobody does it better. This is a man whose work is not to be missed.

Dr. James Robert Bitter
Professor of Counseling, Human Development & Learning, East Tennessee State University







“Today I learned from Barry so many powerful and amazing lessons about teaching boys, raising my own son and understanding my husband. I learned:

• how to respond to male emotion – give it space and talk less to encourage it’s expression

• that yelling at boys when they don’t appear to be listening only drives their confusion, anger and resentment deeper

• that a number scale helps males to express their feelings without making them shut down – sometimes boys just need to bring their emotions to the surface and it is not necessary for me to plunge into their feelings

• that the typical boy develops so differently than the typical girl. Even from pre-birth! – and that their brains have different strengths. This helps me to understand channel surfing, my husband’s driving and the male obsession with computers

• that when kids misbehave I first need to ask myself “What’s the task?” because sometimes it is the structure that creates the problem and boys misbehave because they have unmet needs

• that when I make my little boys in class sit on the black circle after waiting so long to get to the gym it drives them crazy – they need to move and be more active in their learning.

Barry teaches with his whole heart. He has a way of leading a group of people to get real so they can remember what’s really important in teaching and parenting.

Today I remembered why I became a teacher and a mom. I know that I am a better person. Thank you Barry!”

Shauna Sideritsch
Kindergarten Teacher, Camrose











“Are you Raising a Boy?
You MUST See Barry MacDonald Speak or Read His Book.

Barry is a fabulous speaker. For years I have been telling parents about his Boy Smarts book, his website and monthly newsletter. Everyone can benefit from his incredible message.”

Alyson Schafer, Toronto

Author of "Breaking the Good Mom Myth" and the new "Honey I Wrecked The Kids". Her popular TV call-in show The Parenting Show is now in its sixth season.

Alyson has been interviewed by Cosmopolitan, Readers' Digest, Canadian Living, Today's Parents, and Canadian Families and on TV shows like CBC's The National, TVO's Agenda, and Montel Williams.

Visit Alyson Schafer's website at
Alyson.ca