The Kindness Podcast

Episode: What Does Kindness Look Like When We’re Talking to Our Teens? Guest: Shanna Reyes, MS, LCMHCS

Episode Overview

Talking to teens can bring out the best — and sometimes the worst — in us. In this episode, host Nicole J. Phillips talks with trauma expert Shanna Reyes about how kindness can reshape the way we communicate with our kids, especially when conversations get uncomfortable.

They explore how to connect instead of control, how to set expectations when college kids return home for the holidays, and what to do when we inevitably get it wrong. Because kindness in parenting isn’t about saying all the right things — it’s about being willing to repair when we don’t.

About the Guest

Shanna Reyes is the founder of Counseling Integrity and a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Supervisor with nearly two decades of experience specializing in complex PTSD, dissociation, and developmental trauma. She combines cutting-edge neuroscience with deep clinical intuition to help clients heal at the root level.

She is one of only four EMDR Institute Facilitators in North Carolina and serves as Co-Coordinator for the NC Trauma Recovery Network (EMDR HAP). Shanna is also EMDRIA Certified and trained in Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR), Parts Work/Ego State Therapy, and Transactional Analysis/Redecision Therapy.

Key Takeaways

• How to open conversations when your teen seems shut down or defensive.
• Why setting expectations before college kids come home can prevent conflict.
• How to recover when you say something you regret.
• Why repair — not perfection — builds lasting connection.
• Simple ways to bring curiosity and calm to tough moments.

Resources Mentioned

• Counseling Integrity – Shanna Reyes
• The Gottman Institute – Parenting Resources
• The Whole-Brain Child and No-Drama Discipline by Dr. Dan Siegel and Dr. Tina Payne Bryson (“Repair, repair, repair.”)