Learn Together.

Life as a new parent is filled with a mixture of emotions. Joy over the birth of a new baby can also be accompanied by exhaustion, confusion, challenging moods and difficulty bonding with baby. New parents suddenly find themselves adjusting to new family dynamics and a shift in self-identity. There is so much about being a new parent that no one ever talked about. On top of the personal transition into parenthood, parents have questions about how to care for their infant. Meeting topics will focus on life as a new parent and on raising an infant. Parents will have the opportunity to discuss both their own personal journey into parenthood as well as their thoughts and questions about caring for a baby.

Toddlers and preschoolers are learning a whole new set of skills. Once babies, they are now working their way to becoming their own independent people. One of their (and our!) biggest challenges is understanding their ever-changing thoughts and feelings. Because of their developing brains, these little ones don't yet have the skills to manage all of the strong emotions they are showing. Be ready to discuss your toddlers' and preschoolers' developmental stage and abilities as well as how to help your child through their tantrums and strong emotions. During this interactive workshop we will emphasize the importance of understanding and nurturing our children's emotional world while at the same time teaching them skills for developing emotional regulation and kind behavior.

Healthy self-esteem comes in part from the ability to develop a sense of personal power, but how do we balance our teens’ needs for independence and autonomy with their tendency toward novelty seeking and risky behavior in today’s fast paced world? We will use your questions and scenarios from your family dynamics to teach content, making the learning relevant to all. This will create a balance of learning about teens' healthy social-emotional development and discussion between parents about their successes, challenges and questions. Selected topics include The Emotional World of Parenting, Teen Development and Brain Development, The Relationship: Trust, Independence, Parenting Styles, & Boundaries, Raising an Adult: Self-Esteem, Identity Development, & Building Competency, and The Social Life of Teens: Social Pressure, Digital Media, & Risky Behavior.

Challenged by your child’s behavior? Tired of meltdowns, bedtime battles, challenging morning routines, or occasional aggressive behavior? What is it that our children really need from us to move away from these kinds of behaviors and toward something more productive? Selected topics include The Emotional World of Parenting, Child Development: Understanding your children and speaking their language, Challenging Behavior - Where does it come from? Discipline - It means to teach! and Rules, Routines, & Responsibilities.

Just want to talk about anything parenting related? Get a group of friends and have us host a Parent Talk Discussion Group. We discuss the hows and whys of child and adolescent behavior: where does a child or teen’s behavior come from, how does it develop, and what do children and teens need in order to develop into thriving adults. Discussion topics are applicable for parents of all age children – toddler through teen.