Centering Kids: Advice from the experts at The Florida Center for Early Childhood

In Season 2, Episode 3 of Centering Kids: Advice from the Experts at The Florida Center for Early Childhood, host Merab Favorite, filling in for Kristen Theisen, interviews Occupational Therapist Melissa Cox and Mental Health Therapist Lisa Klein. The three early childhood professionals discuss the causes of autism, its signs, and symptoms, and how we as a society can be more inclusive of those living with the disorder.

Show notes:
Autism Speaks explanation of World Autism Month & World Autism Day
The Florida Center Giving Challenge Page

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In Season 2, Episode 2, host Merab Favorite, (filling in for Kristen Theisen) interviews Dr. Johnna Brynn, a mental health professional, and director of training and professional development of The Florida Center for Early Childhood. They discuss Flip-It, a strategy developed by a preschool teacher who created it to help deal with a little girl in her class that exhibited very challenging behaviors that impeded the learning of her peers.  The process is simple, when one wants to change the behavior of a child they should acknowledge the child's feelings (F), set positive limits (L), inquire about what they're going through (I), and prompt (P) them with a solution.

Show Notes:
Flip It: Transforming Challenging Behavior
Jewish Family and Children's Services website
The Florida Center Training Institute
Video: Far from the Tree Disney Short Trailer 

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In Season 2 Episode 1 of Centering Kids: Advice from the Experts at The Florida Center for Early Childhood, host Kristen Theisen consults mental health therapist Jeanie DeLa about peripartum depression, also known as postpartum depression. The two discuss signs, symptoms, and treatment for this mood disorder that's more common than you might think.

Show Notes:
Jeanie recommended the website Postpartum Support International or PSI for updated information about pregnancy-related mood disorders.

To register for Jeanie's training on Peripartum Depression on Monday, April 4, 2022, click here. 

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In Season 1, Episode 13, host Kristen Theisen and The Florida Center CEO Dr. Kristie Skoglund,  interview  Dr. Harleen Hutchinson, president of the Florida Association for Infant Mental Health, or FAIMH, and Dr. Christine Hughes Pontier, who is also involved with the organization.
In this podcast, the guests discuss the importance of infant mental health and how they are promoting Celebrate Babies Week (October 18-22).

Show Notes:
For more resources for Celebrating Babies Week, visit www.FAIMH.org
 

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October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month which has been amplified, especially in Sarasota County Fla., as a result of the high-profile Gabby Petito case. As the story unfolds, our host, Kristen Theisen, uses the opportunity to discuss the warning signs and effects of domestic violence on families, particularly young children. In Season 1, Episode 12, Theisen interviews mental health therapist, Jeanie DeLa, who specializes in helping high-risk families through potentially violent situations. The two talk about warning signs, coping strategies, and the chance for change.
 
Show Notes:

Child-Parent Psychotherapy resource: https://childparentpsychotherapy.com/resources/roster/

The CPP Roster is maintained and housed by the Child Trauma Research Program, which is the development site for Child-Parent Psychotherapy.

Abuse Hotline: Call 1-800-799-SAFE,  text START to 88788, chat at https://www.thehotline.org

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In season 1, episode 11, our host Kristen Theisen explores fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, or FASD, an often invisible disease that affects 1 in 20 children. Theisen interviews Tamra Cajo, Director of the FASD Diagnostic Clinic at The Florida Center for Early Childhood, and Jen Werden, a mother turned advocate whose adopted child was diagnosed with FASD. The women discuss general causes of the disorder, difficulty when it comes to educating FASD children, and resources where parents can find help.

"It's hard to walk this journey and it's even harder to walk it alone. I did not want one more parent to have to do that," Werner said on becoming an FASD advocate. 

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In this episode of Centering Kids, host Kristen Theisen kicks of Fetal Alchohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) awareness month by interviewing author and activist Lucas Boyce.

Boyce, who now serves as the Assistant to the County Administrator of Orange County, one of the largest counties in Florida, discusses growing up in foster care, overcoming countless obstacles including early childhood in foster care, living with FASD, and navigating the world as a black man. In addition, Boyce discusses how he managed to accomplish his childhood dream of flying on Airforce One and working for the National Basketball Association.

Show notes:
You can find a copy of Boyce's book  here "Living Proof: From Foster Care to the Whitehouse and MBA"

For more information about wearing red shoes on September 9, 2021, and other ways to bring awareness to FASD, visit www.redshoesrock.com

Click here to learn more information about the FASD Respect Act. 

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Besides a basic list of school supplies, it’s important for parents to mentally and emotionally prepare children to go back to school or face other new beginnings. In this episode, host Kristen Theisen interviews school-based mental health therapist Tia Nagel on how parents can create a mental health checklist to help ease any anxiety their child might face when navigating new beginnings.
 
 Show Notes:
 Read Nagel's blog, How to Mentally and Emotionally Prepare Your Child for Back-to-School 

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Team parenting seems like an obvious endeavor for adults, but more often than not, parents and caregivers can disagree on parenting philosophies, especially when their romantic relationship has ended. In this episode of Centering Kids, host Merab Favorite discusses parenting and caregiving as a team with mental health therapists Michele Duss and Stephanie Essex. 

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In this episode, our host Kristen Theisen, of The Florida Center, interviews Amy Weinberger, founder of the Lean On Me Project, a non-profit organization that focuses on 'healing' education my providing students and educators with tools that bridge education and mental health. Amy discusses the need for sleep, nourishment and overall kindness when it comes to students, teachers and parents.

Episode notes:
Click the links to learn more about the organizations National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and First Step of Sarasota, which were both mentioned in this episode.

Click here to purchase a copy of the book The Power of Presence: Be a Voice in Your Child's Ear Even When You're Not With Them by Joy Thomas Moore.

Background music for this podcast comes from SoundDotCom

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