Beyond the Sessions is answering YOUR parenting questions! In this episode Dr. Emily Upshur and I talk about...

• Why cleanup time can be surprisingly hard for young children.
• What's really happening in your toddler's brain and body when they are resisting transitions.
• Is repeating yourself over and over again a normal part of parenting young kids? And how do you know when it's part of the learning process versus something that needs a different approach?
• How motor planning, executive functioning, and task initiation can make something like "clean up your toys" feel overwhelming to a child.
• Why you might still be doing 90% of the cleanup work at this age (and why that can actually be part of the learning process.)
• Practical strategies to make cleanup easier, including breaking tasks into smaller steps, planning ahead for transitions, and using cues like songs and routines.
• How to shift your expectations so you can stay calm and connected instead of getting pulled into power struggles.

If you find yourself repeating the same requests over and over while trying to stay patient and regulated, this episode will help you understand what's developmentally normal for young children and give you practical tools to make cleanup time and transitions feel more manageable for both you and your child.

REFERENCES AND RELATED RESOURCES:

👉 Want extra support in your parenting journey? Upshur Bren Psychology Group offers therapy and coaching to give parents the tools to feel more grounded and confident as they navigate parenthood and learn how to most effectively support their child. Visit upshurbren.com to explore our services and schedule a free 30-minute consultation call to find the support that's right for your family.

💥 Tired of constant battles with your child? Watch my ✨FREE✨ workshop, Overcoming Power Struggles, where I'll teach you the exact strategies I use in my clinical practice to help parents break free from the cycle of yelling, threats, and negotiations—and instead foster cooperation, connection, and calm. Just visit drsarahbren.com/powerstruggles to get instant access to this workshop.

ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE:

🎧 94. Toddler sleep: Why it's different than infant sleep and how to use the attachment relationship to help them fall asleep, with Eileen Henry

🎧 90. Seeing the world through your toddler's eyes: Helping your child feel seen, understood, and validated with the co-authors of the Terrific Toddlers series

🎧 209. How can I get my toddler to share and play nicely with other kids?

🎧231. BTS: How can I build my toddler's assertiveness skills?

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU:

Go to https://drsarahbren.com/question to send us a question or a topic you want to hear us answer on Securely Attached - Beyond the Sessions!

Dr. Jett Stone, clinical psychologist and author of Quiet Your Mind: A Men's Guide, joins me to talk about paternal mental health and the invisible emotional load modern fathers are carrying, many without language, models, or permission to talk about it.

Together we explore:

• Why millennial dads often feel like they're parenting without a blueprint.
• How intergenerational patterns and "boyhood rules" shape the way men show up as fathers.
• Why so many dads feel like the "secondary parent" and how mothers can invite fathers in without diminishing their own needs or experiencing resentment.
• The tension between wanting authority and wanting connection with your child (and how to hold both).
• Why secure attachment with dads doesn't have to look exactly like secure attachment with moms.
• How doing your own reflective work as a parent can transform the entire family system.

This conversation will help you understand the emotional lives of fathers with more compassion and clarity. Because when dads feel supported, included, and emotionally resourced, the whole family benefits.

Whether you're a parent, a partner, or a therapist working with families, this episode will expand the way you think about modern fatherhood.

LEARN MORE ABOUT MY GUEST:

🔗Dr. Jett Stone

📚Quiet Your Mind: A Men's Guide: Practical Techniques to Stop Overthinking and Take Charge of Your Life

💻 Psychology Today

🎧 No Man's an Island podcast

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM:

📱@drjettstone

📱@drsarahbren

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:

👉 Looking for extra support in your parenting journey? Upshur Bren Psychology Group offers therapy and parent coaching for moms, dads, and families who want to feel more grounded and confident as they navigate parenthood and support their child's development. Visit upshurbren.com to explore our services or schedule a free 30-minute consultation to find the right support for your family.

CHECK OUT ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE:

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about fostering deep and meaningful relationships with Dr. Rick Hanson

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about what it means to be a father with Kendall Smith

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about becoming a team with your partner-in-parenting with Lauren A. Tetenbaum

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about fostering a secure attachment relationship

Beyond the Sessions is answering YOUR parenting questions! In this episode Dr. Emily Upshur and I talk about...

• Whether letting your anxious child sleep in your bed reinforces anxiety or supports emotional security.
• The difference between attachment needs and anxiety accommodations.
• Why distress tolerance and secure attachment are not competing goals.
• How SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) approaches sleep struggles.
• What it actually means to "stop an accommodation" — and why sleep isn't always the first place to start.
• How to know if your child can't sleep alone or simply prefers not to.
• Why bedtime feels so loaded for parents and how to zoom out and look at the bigger picture.
• The research on attachment (including why you don't have to get it right 100% of the time).
• How to reduce anxiety without damaging your relationship with your child.

If your child struggles with separation anxiety at night, frequently climbs into your bed, or says he's too scared to sleep alone, this episode will help you step back from the all-or-nothing messaging and make a thoughtful, individualized decision that fits your family.

REFERENCES AND RELATED RESOURCES:

👉 Want extra support in your parenting journey? Upshur Bren Psychology Group offers therapy and coaching to give parents the tools to feel more grounded and confident as they navigate parenthood and learn how to most effectively support their child. Visit upshurbren.com to explore our services and schedule a free 30-minute consultation call to find the support that's right for your family.

😴 Struggling with toddler bedtime battles? Download my ✨FREE✨ Toddler Sleep Guide with 7 concrete strategies backed by peer-reviewed research and anecdotally tested in my own practice, that you can implement with your children today to turn your bedtime struggles into solutions.

CHECK OUT ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE:

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode with practical solutions for getting your child to stay in their own bed with Eileen Henry

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode to help you understand the basics of attachment theory and fostering your child's secure attachment bond

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about toddler sleep strategies

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) with Dr. Eli Lebowitz

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU:

Go to https://drsarahbren.com/question to send us a question or a topic you want to hear us answer on Securely Attached - Beyond the Sessions!

Michaeleen Doucleff, science journalist and author of Dopamine Kids, joins me to talk about what's really happening in our children's brains when it comes to screens, social media, and ultra-processed foods and why so many kids (and adults) feel stuck in cycles of constant wanting without real satisfaction.

Together we explore:

• What dopamine actually does in the brain and why it's not simply the "pleasure chemical."
• How screens and ultra-processed foods are engineered to tap into our children's seeking systems.
• Why today's kids may be experiencing more craving and less true gratification.
• Why simply taking screens away often backfires and what to replace them with instead.
• How small, sustainable environmental shifts (not massive overhauls) can recalibrate your child's motivation system.
• Practical ways to reduce screen use in the evenings, during transitions, and "on the go."
• How involving your child in the process can increase autonomy, buy-in, and long-term success.

This conversation isn't about fear, shame, or unrealistic detoxes. It's about understanding the science of motivation so we can make thoughtful changes that bring more color, pleasure, and peace back into our homes.

LEARN MORE ABOUT MY GUEST:

🔗Michaeleen Doucleff

📚Dopamine Kids: A Science-Based Plan to Rewire Your Child's Brain and Take Back Your Family in the Age of Screens and Ultraprocessed Foods

LEARN MORE ABOUT MY ME:

🔗 Dr. Sarah Bren

📱@drsarahbren

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:

🔗 Dr. Kent Berridge

🔗 Dr. Wolfram Schultz

📚 Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything by BJ Fogg, PhD

📄 From Tobacco to Ultraprocessed Food: How Industry Engineering Fuels the Epidemic of Preventable Disease

🔗 Read Montague, Ph.D.

📄 Sign‐tracking modulates reward‐related neural activation to reward cues, but not reward feedback

🔗​​ Brick

👉 Whether it's screens, power struggles, reactivity, or habits that are hard to shift, it can be incredibly difficult to see and change these cycles on your own. Upshur Bren Psychology Group offers in-person and virtual therapy and parent coaching to help you create meaningful, lasting change. Visit upshurbren.com to explore our services or schedule a free 30-minute consultation to find the right support for your family.

CHECK OUT ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE:

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about the neuroscience of raising emotionally resilient kids with Dr. Kristen Lindquist

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about navigating tantrums, big feelings, screen time and more with Dr. Laura Markham

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about reclaiming your focus and navigating distractions and screen time to become more present with Nir Eyal

🎧Listen to my podcast episode about stress, screens, shifting hormones, and early puberty with Dr. Sheryl Ziegler

Beyond the Sessions is answering YOUR parenting questions! In this episode Dr. Emily Upshur and I talk about...

• What "kindergarten readiness" actually means (and what it doesn't).
• Dr. Upshur and Dr. Bren share their personal experiences - with one choosing to send her child to kindergarten and the other deciding to hold her son back - and why.
• The pros and cons of redshirting, and whether being one of the youngest in the class really leads to long-term struggles.
• Why social-emotional readiness may matter less than you think.
• How family logistics, finances, community norms, local school culture, and sibling dynamics can influence your decision.
• What research says about long-term academic and life outcomes.
• How to take the pressure off yourself so you can make a thoughtful, "good enough" choice.

If you're going back and forth about whether to send your child to kindergarten or wait another year, wondering if they're too sensitive or overwhelmed to start, or worried about making the "wrong" decision, this episode will help you zoom out, gather the right information, and move forward with more clarity and confidence.

REFERENCES AND RELATED RESOURCES:

👉 Want extra support in your parenting journey? Upshur Bren Psychology Group offers therapy and coaching to give parents the tools to feel more grounded and confident as they navigate parenthood and learn how to most effectively support their child. Visit upshurbren.com to explore our services and schedule a free 30-minute consultation call to find the support that's right for your family.

CHECK OUT ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE:

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about helping kids cope with stress and become self-driven with Dr. William Stixrud

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about helping your child success in preschool with Meredith Gary

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about helping your toddler learn to share

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU:

Go to https://drsarahbren.com/question to send us a question or a topic you want to hear us answer on Securely Attached - Beyond the Sessions!

Devon Kuntzman, toddler expert and author of Transforming Toddlerhood, joins me to explain why the toddler years feel so intense and how understanding development can change everything.

Together we explore:

• How toddlerhood is defined by contradictory needs for independence and attachment and why this creates so much emotional volatility.
• How rapid cognitive, motor, and language development can leave toddlers feeling disoriented and overwhelmed.
• How to slow down power struggles using developmentally informed tools like asking "What's your plan?" and turning "no" into "not yet."
• Why helping toddlers organize their thinking supports regulation, impulse control, and cooperation.
• How parents can stay flexible, grounded, and confident while navigating a stage that naturally pushes everyone's limits.
• How to grab your free spot in Devon's 9th Annual Transforming Toddlerhood Conference being held live virtually from March 11th-15th.

This episode is designed to help parents make sense of toddler behavior through a developmental lens, reduce self-blame, and walk away with practical strategies for setting limits while still supporting independence, emotional growth, and secure attachment.

LEARN MORE ABOUT MY GUEST:

🔗 Transforming Toddlerhood

🔗 Reserve your FREE spot in the Transforming Toddlerhood Conference

🎧Listen to Devon's first Securely Attached podcast episode about how to effectively set limits, stay calm, and parent with confidence in toddlerhood

📚 Transforming Toddlerhood: How to Handle Tantrums, End Power Struggles, and Raise Resilient Kids—Without Losing Your Mind

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM:

📱@transformingtoddlerhood

📱@drsarahbren

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:

💥 Tired of constant battles with your child? Watch my ✨FREE✨ workshop, Overcoming Power Struggles, where I'll teach you the exact strategies I use in my clinical practice to help parents break free from the cycle of yelling, threats, and negotiations—and instead foster cooperation, connection, and calm. Just visit drsarahbren.com/powerstruggles to get instant access to this workshop.

CHECK OUT ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE:

🎧 94. Toddler sleep: Why it's different than infant sleep and how to use the attachment relationship to help them fall asleep, with Eileen Henry

🎧 90. Seeing the world through your toddler's eyes: Helping your child feel seen, understood, and validated with the co-authors of the Terrific Toddlers series

🎧 209. How can I get my toddler to share and play nicely with other kids?

🎧231. BTS: How can I build my toddler's assertiveness skills?

Beyond the Sessions is answering YOUR parenting questions! In this episode Dr. Emily Upshur, and I talk about...

- Whether it's okay to have different rules for different kids under the same roof in a blended family.

- How developmental differences and co-parenting agreements can shape household expectations.

- What to do when step-siblings notice (and protest) differences in discipline.

- How to align parenting styles in a blended family without creating resentment.

- Why transparency and age-appropriate conversations can actually strengthen family trust.

- How to approach your spouse when you feel protective, defensive, or out of sync.

If you're navigating parenting post-divorce in a blended family with different parenting plans and complex co-parenting relationships, struggling with fairness between step-siblings, or feeling unsure how to handle different rules in the same house, this episode offers clarity, nuance, and practical next steps.

REFERENCES AND RELATED RESOURCES:

👉🏻 Navigating separation or divorce? Upshur Bren Psychology Group offers specialized support at every stage of the process, including therapy and coaching, parenting and co-parenting support, family therapy, and weekly divorce groups for women and children. Whether you're in the middle of a split or adjusting to a new family structure, our team is here to help you and your children feel steady and supported. Visit upshurbren.com to learn more or schedule a free 30-minute consultation call to find the right support for your family.

ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE:

CHECK OUT ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE:

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about the best way to approach introducing your kids to your new significant other after a divorce

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode answering a mom who wondered if there was something she can do to strengthen her child's relationship with her ex

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about getting on the same page with your partner in parenthood

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU:

Go to https://drsarahbren.com/question to send us a question or a topic you want to hear us answer on Securely Attached - Beyond the Sessions!

Imran Ahmed, founder and CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, joins me to talk about how social media platforms, algorithms, and AI systems are designed and what that means for our children's mental health and safety.

Together we explore:

• How social media algorithms are built to maximize attention, and why emotionally extreme content is often amplified.
• What research reveals about how quickly self-harm and eating disorder content can be served to young users.
• How AI platforms can respond dangerously to vulnerable teens when guardrails are not properly in place.
• Why this is not just a "screen time" issue, but a systemic design and accountability issue.
• The difference between pulling the "emergency brake" and creating meaningful long-term change.
• What parents can realistically do at home to build digital resilience, foster trust, and partner with their children in navigating online spaces.

This episode isn't meant to create more fear, but to offer greater clarity. My hope is that parents walk away feeling informed, empowered, and better equipped to both advocate for safer systems and strengthen the relationship that ultimately protects kids most: the one they have with you.

LEARN MORE ABOUT MY GUEST:

🔗Center for Countering Digital Hate

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

📱IG: @counterhate FB: Center for Countering Digital Hate Youtube: @CCDHate

📱IG: @drsarahbren Youtube: Securely Attached

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:

💻 Protecting Kids Online - Download the guide for parents

🔗 Deadly by Design: TikTok pushes harmful content promoting eating disorders and self-harm into young users' feeds

🔗 Fake Friend: How ChatGPT betrays vulnerable teens by encouraging dangerous behavior

🔗 Resist and unsubscribe - Scott Galloway

👉 Parenting in the age of AI, algorithms, and constant connectivity can feel like a lot. If you're feeling unsure, reactive, or overwhelmed, Upshur Bren Psychology Group offers therapy and parent coaching to help you feel grounded, clear, and confident as you support your child and manage your own stress. Schedule a free 30-minute consultation or go to upshurbren.com to learn more and find the right support for your family.

CHECK OUT ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE:

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about secure attachment vs. social media with Dr. Miriam Steele

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about the do's and don'ts for introducing screens to your toddler

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about teaching kids healthy tech habits free of guilt or power struggles with Ash Brandin

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about the hidden dangers of EdTech with Andy Liddell

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about rewiring the way our kids interact with screens with Alé Duarte

Beyond the Sessions is answering YOUR parenting questions! In this episode, Dr. Rebecca Hershberg and I talk about...

• First things first, why are schools still sending out candy grams in this current climate with a loneliness epidemic on the rise?
• Cliques and posses that form in middle school are often rife with envy, jealousy, gossip, and temptation - how to help our kids navigate this.
• What advice to give your child when they are left out in a friend group.
• How to help a child who tends to avoid conflict in their interpersonal relationships build a greater tolerance for joining in and addressing things directly.
• "There is a difference between a kid who says 'I am going to let this go' vs. 'I am going to hold this in.'"
• Understanding "social currency" and how that impacts children, especially as they move into the stage of development where their attention begins to move away from their parents and much more heavily toward their peers.

REFERENCES AND RELATED RESOURCES:

👉 Want extra support in your parenting journey? Upshur Bren Psychology Group offers therapy and coaching to give parents the tools to feel more grounded and confident as they navigate parenthood and learn how to most effectively support their child. Visit upshurbren.com to explore our services and schedule a free 30-minute consultation call to find the support that's right for your family.

ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE:

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about talking with your teen with Elizabeth Bennett

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about respond to your child who you think is bullying other kids

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about social media's impact on your child's attachment security with Dr. Miriam Steele

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU:

Go to https://drsarahbren.com/question to send us a question or a topic you want to hear us answer on Securely Attached - Beyond the Sessions!

Dr. Nancy O'Hara, pediatrician and leading expert in PANS and PANDAS, joins me to unpack why some children experience sudden, dramatic changes in behavior, anxiety, OCD, tics, sleep, or emotional regulation following illness. For many families, these symptoms appear almost overnight and are often misdiagnosed as "just anxiety," behavioral issues, or psychiatric disorders, leaving parents confused, dismissed, and unsure how to help their child.

Together we explore:

• What PANS and PANDAS are, and how infections like strep, viruses, or tick-borne illness can trigger sudden neuropsychiatric symptoms in children.
• What to assess to help you determine if your child has a generalized anxiety disorder or if it may be PANS/PANDAS that is the root cause of their symptoms.
• Why PANS/PANDAS is often missed or misunderstood in both medical and mental health settings.
• The three-pronged approach to treatment: Addressing the trigger, the immune system, and the child's emotional and behavioral symptoms.
• How therapy, both for parents and children, can support recovery, even when symptoms have a medical origin.
• Understanding that there is real hope for healing and that it's never too late to identify and address PANS or PANDAS.

This episode is designed to help parents and clinicians feel more informed, less alone, and more confident in recognizing when a child's behavior may be signaling something deeper. PANS and PANDAS are real, treatable conditions that deserve compassionate, comprehensive care.

LEARN MORE ABOUT MY GUEST:

🔗Dr. Nancy O'Hara

📚Demystifying PANS/PANDAS: A Functional Medicine Desktop Reference on Basal Ganglia Encephalitis

🎧 Demystifying PANS/PANDAS Podcast

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

📱IG: @nhoharamd FB: Nancy O'Hara MD, MPH, FAAP

📱IG: @drsarahbren

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:

👉 Looking for support for a child struggling with anxiety or OCD? If your child is struggling with anxiety or OCD, Upshur Bren Psychology Group offers SPACE-based parent support through both a virtual group and individualized care. Go to upshurbren.com/space to learn more or book a free 30-minute consultation with our care team, who will listen carefully and help you determine the best support for your family.

🔗 Dr. O'Hara's mentor, Sidney M. Baker, MD

🔗 Susan Swedo, MD, who created the acronym and coined the terms of PANS and PANDAS

📚 Super Sam and the Battle Against PANS/PANDAS by Dr. Lindsey Wells

🔗 Practitioner directories and community support: Aspire and Look Foundation

🔗 For practitioners: PANDAS Physicians Network

🔗 A helpful resource you can bring to your pediatrician: The Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry - February 2017

📚 The Comprehensive Physicians' Guide to the Management of PANS and PANDAS: An Evidence-Based Approach to Diagnosis, Testing, and Effective Treatment by Dr. Scott Antoine

🔗 Autism and PANS PANDAS

🔗 The Medical Academy of Pediatrics and Special Needs

🔗 Ilads

🔗 Psychiatry Redefined

CHECK OUT ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE:

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about how mold, Lyme, pesticides, and other toxins may be impacting your child's physical and mental health with integrative pediatrician Dr. Pejman Katiraei

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about how to handle potty regressions in your older child?

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about how Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) can be an effective treatment for childhood anxiety and OCD

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about how to help autistic kids build joy, confidence, and connection with Dr. Peter Vermeulen