Successful Parenting

Sometimes, tragedy or loss occurs unexpectedly, impacting our families and communities. It is often difficult to express our emotions in words, let alone know how to support and respond to our children as they navigate their grief, trying to make sense of it all. Jacqueline and Robin focus this week’s conversation on ways parents can understand and talk to their children about their feelings and reactions. While it may be difficult to control what our children see or hear, as parents, we can help them focus on what is in our control in the hopes of promoting the initial stages of healing. This conversation is never easy, but we hope it brings comfort and guidance.

This episode is dedicated to those we have lost and those who have been touched by tragedy or loss.

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Parents often wonder "how much is too much" when it comes to their children's sibling fights, especially those that involve verbal or physical aggression. Does the old saying 'kids will be kids' apply here? Or should parents intervene? And if so, how and when? The other question that comes up a lot is "Is teaching how to handle conflict essential for children? Guest expert, Dan Blair, shares with listeners the importance of teaching conflict resolution skills to children, as well as parents modeling those skills in the presence of their children. Dan also points out, "We need some conflict in order to get our needs met." Jacqueline and Robin, along with Dan, engage in a worthwhile dialogue regarding all the dos and don'ts of conflict resolution and parenting, as well as touching on those pitfalls that parents often fall into. Remember, as parents we often model for our children how to deal with emotions and communicate those emotions to others. Join this week's conversation, focusing on healthy conflict resolution strategies.

Dan Blair, LMFT, LCPC, NCPC 

Contact Information: [email protected]

Dan has worked for 30 years in social service settings. Dan is experienced as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and is a trained, court-approved divorce mediator, Nationally Certified Parenting Coordinator, and a Certified Anger Management Specialist.

He is a member of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, the Professional Academy of Custody Experts, and the National Anger Management Association. He also serves on the McHenry County Board of Directors for the National Alliance on Mental Illness and supervises clinicians through the Mental Health Board. Dan not only has his children, but he has also been a live-in houseparent, foster parent, a stepparent, a consultant to group homes and foster homes, and a Clinical Director. He enjoys his involvement in marriage and family ministry at church. He earned his B.A. in Psychology at Trinity College and his M.A. in Clinical Psychology at Wheaton College.

Resources:

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This week’s episode is covering a topic that listeners often request. If you are a parent, you have most likely asked yourself, why is my child so defiant? Or where did I go wrong? Dr. Cecelia Horan sits down with Jacqueline and Robin to discuss real and practical strategies that work to reduce and de-escalate those undesired behaviors. All children do display defiant behaviors, some more than others, and these strategies will not only help reduce those undesired behaviors, but also foster connections and closeness between parent and child. Dr. Horan reminds listeners that progress will not be instant, but with consistency, will improve in a matter of weeks. Tune in to learn about these strategies and so much more.

Dr. Cecelia Horan is the Director of the Ascension Health Crystal Lake Child and Adolescent Services and the Perinatal Intensive Outpatient Program at Ascension Illinois Behavioral Health Hospital. She holds a Psy.D. from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology and is the proud mother of a boy.

Dr. Horan is a licensed clinical psychologist practicing in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. She specializes in working with families and individuals in the treatment of mental health problems. As a psychologist, Dr. Horan evaluates and treats patients through various methods, most typically psychotherapy or talk therapy. Patients usually seek out Dr. Horan because they have been experiencing depression, anxiety, stress, or anger for a significant period.

Contact Information: [email protected] For more Successful Parenting information:

What do we want to be different in 2024?

Parents have reached out and told us that they want deeper connections with their children. Others have reached out and noted that they would like to work with their children on increasing confidence and autonomy. As parents, we can be our own harshest critics, so as parents recognize that our children are resilient, and as long as we keep showing up each day, they will continue to grow and develop.

With that said, we all get frustrated or give in at times, especially to “avoid the fight.” During this episode, Jacqueline and Robin look at how changing our responses as parents will ultimately change our children’s behaviors, relationships, feelings, and thoughts. Setting boundaries can be a challenge, but so often, being consistent and doing the hard things in parenting can be a game-changer for our child’s overall development.

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Email: [email protected]

Jacqueline and Robin would like to wish all their listeners an incredibly Happy and Healthy New Year!

A special note from Jacqueline & Robin, “We would like to share our appreciation to all our listeners and guest experts, especially for following along each week, sharing personal stories, and continuing to inspire us to be better. We hope we continue learning from one another in 2024, as it truly takes a village to raise a child. We are also excited for many new topics to come, placing special focus on being kind to ourselves and focusing on ways to raise resilient, confident, and emotionally healthy children and families.

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During this episode, Jacqueline and Robin share laughter and festive cheer. Listeners will also learn a few tips to sprinkle some routine and healthy habits, even making holidays fun. While holidays can be a time of love and joy, the excitement and hype can be overwhelming and even stressful for some. These tips will make it a bit easier for children having a holiday break from school to head back into the more structured day. From the bottom of their hearts, Jacqueline and Robin would like to thank each and every listener for following along, sharing stories, and interacting with them. They look forward to seeing everyone in 2024.

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As a parent or educator, you may have noticed that children of all ages are experiencing challenges when it comes to regulating emotions, especially in the face of adversity or a challenging or non-preferred activity. Jacqueline and Robin were excited to be joined by guest expert and author Joy Gallivan during this week’s episode. Joy’s book, Mystery Feelings: A Guide to Feeling Identification, has been flying off the shelf. Joy will share some of her favorite ways she teaches children to regulate emotions in fun and engaging ways. All children struggle at certain points with emotional regulation, but no worries, Joy shares lots of ideas to navigate those times as well.

Listeners will leave with helpful ideas, and the best part, as a result, will see increased growth and connections within the family. We would love to hear from you. Continue to reach out and share your thoughts; we are all in this together. As they say, it really does take a village to raise our children.

Joy Gallivan M.Ed MSW LCSW

Mystery Feelings: A Guide to Feelings Identification

AMAZON LINK:  https://a.co/d/cyhxEnV 

Mystery Feelings helps children to discover how others are feeling by identifying physical characteristics, or "clues" in their environment. When we understand how other people are feeling, it guides our interactions with them. Developing these skills early on in life helps to support positive peer interactions, self-awareness, empathy, and emotional regulation.

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Join in for fun and laughs and leave with a deeper understanding of ways to deal with tough situations within your family. In this week's episode, listeners will learn the secret ingredient to thriving families, especially during challenging times. Dr. Saper, the guest expert on this week's episode, has decades of experience providing crisis counseling and guidance to physicians and mental health professionals in hospital and community agency settings. Dr. Saper has also partnered with hundreds of families to foster relationships and support families through challenging times. Listeners will quickly sense his authentic style and learn strategies to support their children's mental and emotional health. Dr. Saper also shares his knowledge on resources and the continuum of support available in the mental health arena. As a parent, this conversation will provide some pointers to recognize when and how to intervene for a child who is struggling with mental health concerns and promote resiliency and confidence. Remember, a little laughter can go a long way.

Bio

Dr. Cliff Saper is the lead Clinical Psychologist for Ascension Illinois and the Director of Clinical Services for the Behavioral Health Service Line. Dr. Saper has lived in Evanston for over 40 years. Both his sons attended Evanston schools and he is an active member of the McGaw Y.

He received his A.B. from Brown University (psychology and theater/film) and his Ph.D. from Loyola. Dr. Saper has been with Ascension/Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital for 28 years where he has specialized in Resilience Training, Crisis Response, Child and Family Therapy, Parenting, Group Therapy models, School-Hospital collaboration, supervision, training, and program development.

Over the last several years, Dr. Saper has been facilitating virtual COVID peer support groups for healthcare workers, school staff, and agencies. He currently leads a long COVID support group and carries a small outpatient case-load. Dr. Saper is the project director for a four year grant from the federal government to train community members to be able to identify, assess, and refer youth with mental health or substance use challenges.

In addition to his professional roles, Dr. Saper is a member of the Therapy Players Comedy Improv Troupe, a docent at the Illinois Holocaust Museum, a member of the Saints volunteer group supporting Chicagoland theater, and in Northlight’s Visionary Circle.

Contact Information: [email protected]

Ascension Alexian Brothers - Behavioral Health Hospital | Ascension

Community Connect to Care Training C3

December 13th 12-1pm (Part 1)

December 14th 1-3pm

December 19th 10am-12pm

December 20th 12-1pm (Part 2)

* Note - Bold sessions are 2-hour programs.

⁠CLICK HERE to register for C3⁠ | Email [email protected]

Chicago's Premier All-Psychotherapist Comedy Improv Troupe! - Home (therapyplayers.com)

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Jacqueline and Robin were unsure what to expect when they began their conversation with guest expert Melissa Gonski, LCPC. Melissa has a ‘tell it like it is approach’ along with her real and authentic style. Challenges with pregnancies, parenting, and perinatal trauma are not easy topics to explore. As listeners will learn, we are all impacted in some way, and arming ourselves with an understanding and resources can only allow us to feel some relief and compassion for others on this journey if we have not been impacted. Melissa shares some perspectives from her professional and personal experience, as well as some tips and some ‘what not to say’ to others regarding their fertility journey, like the most often asked question of newly married couples, ‘When are you going to start having children?’ Tune in for this week’s episode and hear what our expert has to say; you will be grateful you did.

Contact info:

Resources:

Postpartum Support International Postpartum Support International - PSI 

Warm Line: 1-888-404-7763 Warm Line Perinatal Support - Perinatal Support Washington

Fussy Baby Network: Chicagoland's Fussy Baby Network | Erikson Institute

Northshore Mom's line: https://www.northshore.org/pediatrics/specialty-programs/neonatology/perinatal-family-support-center/perinatal-depression-program/

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Please note this episode might provoke some strong emotional reactions.

Some listeners may wonder why we need to understand more about organ donation than we do. It may not be a fun topic and may be uncomfortable to talk about. This conversation is needed during the season where we express our gratitude and focus on giving. We promise that this week’s episode will tell you why Organ and Tissue Donation is important in a thought-provoking manner. Jacqueline and Robin chose Holly Draper, a Special Education Middle School Teacher from Kansas, to share with listeners about her journey as an organ recipient and ways to talk about Organ and Tissue Donation with your family, as well as the benefits of having age-appropriate conversations around this topic. Listeners will also learn, ‘What the heck is this list?’ and what it means for families to be or not be on it.

Holly Draper

Special Ed Middle School Teacher @ the Piper School District in Kansas City, KS

Respite Care Provider

Travel Blogger | Holly D Traveling After Transplant https://youtube.com/@HollyDTravelingAfterTransplant?si=rdOQMvp_IazwmxTi

[email protected]

Your Information | Donate Life America (registerme.org) 

Book Series: Howl the Owl

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