Securely Attached

Establishing and holding boundaries can be challenging, especially when those limits need to be set within family units.   Dr. Emily Upshur, my partner from our group practice Upshur Bren Psychology Group in Westchester, NY is back to help one mom who writes in looking for help establishing boundaries with her in-laws. We'll talk about strategies for engaging grandparents while also maintaining ap...

Finding a therapist who you trust and who can offer you proper support can be a complicated process for many people. One of the reasons for this is the confusing and sometimes even misleading terms used in the field of mental health.   Joining me today is research psychologist and medical staff member at the Austen Riggs Center, Dr. Katie C. Lewis. We'll discuss the differences and similarities be...

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and I want to highlight the importance of finding trusted resources women can turn to for maternal mental health support through pre-pregnancy, pregnancy and postpartum. Joining me today is Dr. Tracy Shevell. We'll discuss her almost 20 years of experience in a hospital setting that led her to believe the system is broken and the how she's working to change thi...

There are many activities parents can incorporate into their child's daily routine to support their sensory processing abilities and help them learn to effectively regulate their emotions.   Joining me this week is Laura Petix, also known as The OT Butterfly, to discuss what exactly occupational therapy is, why it can be so beneficial for children, the role our 8 senses (that's right, I said 8) pl...

Did you know there is a difference between a tantrum and a meltdown? Do you know what that difference is?   Dr. Emily Upshur, from Upshur Bren Psychology Group, is back to answer those questions and help arm parents with the tools they need to best support their child through each. We'll discuss what is happening in your child's brain and body when they're dysregulated, why these aren't manipulati...

There is a powerful connection between the mind and the body.   Joining me this week is clinical psychologist and dance and movement therapist, Dr Lori Baudino. We'll discuss how physicality can be a tool for connection, ways you can shift your perception of your child's physical movement to make it feel less personal when they are aggressive, how movement offers a unique opportunity for expressio...

Mindfulness can be an effective tool, allowing us to create new neural pathways in our brain that we can access in the heat of the moment, helping us stay regulated during life's stressful, overwhelming and frustrating times. In this episode, I am joined by the Director of Mindfulness Education at UCLA's Mindful Awareness Research Center, Diana Winston. We'll cover ways that you can incorporate mi...

It is important we give ourselves permission to not always get it right in parenting. But after we do have a messy moment, it's also important we know how to reconnect to create a sense of trust and intimacy in our parent-child relationship.   I've invited Dana Rosenbloom, founder of Dana's Kids, back on the show to continue our conversation about regulation and coregulation and to address what ha...

If you are feeling stressed and burnt out with the constant pressure to always be stimulating, educating and entertaining your child, you're not going to want to miss this episode!   Joining me this week is Lizzie Assa. Lizzie is a parenting strategist and play expert, mom of three, and the founder of The Workspace for Children. We'll discuss the strategies she put in place with her own children b...

When our children refuse to attend school or show other anxiety related behaviors, it can be difficult for parents to find that balance between properly supporting their needs without over accommodating for their fear.   In this episode I am joined by Dr. Erica Miller, a licensed psychologist and director of Successful School Transitions. We'll talk about the effect the pandemic and disruptions to...

The dissolution of a family unit when parents separate or divorce is a difficult thing for everyone involved, parents and children alike. But, that doesn't have to mean it will be contentious and detrimental.   In this episode I am joined by certified divorce specialist and the author of Moms Moving On, Michelle Dempsey-Multack. We'll be busting some common misconceptions about divorce, discussing...

In our culture, we often look at the surface behaviors our children exhibit and think it is our job as parents to control those. Instead, if we can look at behaviors as clues to how our child is making sense of the world, we're able to get to the root of what is causing the behavior in the first place.   Joining me this week is child psychologist and the author of the new book, Brain-Body Parentin...

I was having a conversation with my practice co-founder Dr. Emily Upshur, just as two moms, navigating the transition with our own kids of working through unmasking at school and daycare. And it felt so important to get this message out there, as you are likely dealing with this exact same thing with your own children today, that we decided to hit record right on my iPhone. This episode is a littl...

How and what we feed our child can be a polarizing topic for many parents. But we can likely all agree that we want our children to have a healthy, balanced and open relationship to food.   Joining me on the podcast is the CEO of Square Baby and registered dietician & nutritionist, Katie Thomson. We'll talk about ways parents can tune out societal pressures and instead tune into our own children's...

Joining me today is my partner from our joint practice Upshur Bren Psychology Group, Dr. Emily Upshur. We're diving into Diana Baumrind's 4 parenting styles - Permissive, Authoritative, Authoritarian and Neglectful - in order to help guide one mom who wonders how she can break the cycle and raise her child differently from the authoritarian way she herself was raised.   We'll get into the characte...

The ripple effects of how we were raised can often be felt in adulthood as we form and show up in relationships. Joining me this week is clinical psychologist and couples therapist Dr. Marina Rosenthal. We'll discuss the intersection between the work I do in family therapy and the work she does with partners. And we'll offer strategies for successful communication and connection skills in your rom...

Hearing stories about how other parents have handled similar situations can make us feel less alone and helps give us context of how other "real" parents apply the principles I talk about within their own families. So with that in mind, I wanted to invite two of my former The Authentic Parent students to come on and talk about their experiences becoming moms for the first and second time, and how...

Whether it's in pregnancy, birthing or parenthood, being informed and properly supported can make parents feel safe, present and less anxious.   Joining me this week is birth doula, childbirth educator and founder of C and the Moon, Carson Meyer. We discuss the role of a doula and the importance of having an advocate and grounding influence in the delivery room and the interesting parallels betwee...

Pregnant women are being bombarded with a never-ending stream of opinions and advice. How can we find that middle ground, where we feel prepared and knowledgeable without surrounding ourselves with so much noise and worst-case scenarios that we become overwhelmed and fearful?   Joining me this week is board-certified OB/GYN Shieva Ghofrany. Dr. Shieva and I discuss ways to reduce anxiety during pr...

Sacrificing all we have and who we are in our pursuit of being a perfect parent has become a badge of honor in our society. But this isn't a healthy or sustainable model.   Joining me today is journalist, community-builder and Not Safe For Mom Group founder, Alexis Barad-Cutler. The pandemic exposed how many of the systems in our society are broken, especially for parents. If you're feeling fed up...

Have you ever noticed the way we speak to babies? Our baby-talk voices tend to be a lot more melodic than our natural speech patterns. And there's a good reason for that! Music is more emotional.   Joining me today is a music therapist, psychotherapist and the founder of Baby In Tune, Vered. She and I discuss the power of our voice, how music can play an essential role in regulating our child's ne...

Secure attachment is not that fragile! After all, it's biologically hardwired in our children to connect with us to ensure their greatest likelihood of survival—we have to actively work against our children's and our own biology to mess it up.   In this episode, Dr. Emily Upshur is back to help answer a listener's concern about maintaining a secure attachment bond with her baby once she goes back...

As parents, we may want to shield our children from any pain or sadness they may face, but if we're honest with ourselves, we know this is impossible. So rather than fighting the inevitable, our children are better served if we work to help them understand how to weather the storm, to equip them with tools so they're capable of processing and working through the full range of emotions life has in...

It's important for women to feel powerful, capable and confident during their pregnancy, birth and postpartum journey. After all, our bodies have an innate knowledge of how to do this, we just need to tap into that wisdom.   Today I am joined by the creator of the online platform The Bloom Method, Brooke Cates. Brooke and I are busting myths and dispelling societal stigmas surrounding what it mean...

Joining me today is developmental psychologist Erin O'Connor, co-creator of Scientific Mommy and co-host of the podcast Parenting Understood. Last week Erin had me on her podcast, and we discussed all the factors that made parents particularly vulnerable to stress, anxiety and burnout during the pandemic in part one of this two part episode.   And now, in part two, we're talking all about strategi...