I’m a therapist and have worked with adults, adolescents, and children for twenty years. But almost three decades ago, one of my very first jobs was as a research assistant at Boston Children’s Hospital. At the clueless age of 23, I was given the task of interviewing brand-new parents about their experiences of parenting. I LOVED this part of my job! And I HATED simply thanking them for their time and sending them on their way after I’d completed the interview protocol. These parents needed help!
It turns out that all parents need help–myself VERY much included.
I’ve always especially loved working with parents. During COVID, I was overwhelmed by calls from parents desperate to find help for their struggling children. Even as the pandemic eased, I kept thinking about how I might reach more families. I decided to focus more on helping parents. I signed up for a professional training through Hand in Hand to bolster my parent guidance skills.
And then Hand in Hand changed my life in ways I could never have imagined.
It was very humbling to realize that I, essentially a professional listener in my day job, almost never listened well to my own children.
Thanks to Hand in Hand, my experience of parenting a spirited, strong-willed, highly sensitive child was transformed. When she wasn’t raging at me or her sister, my kid used to storm off to her room. As a therapist, I knew that children need connection and support to get through big feelings and to develop the capacity to regulate emotion. But as a frustrated parent, I was pretty sure that my kid needed to be by herself to calm down. It seemed like a good thing that she’d learned (at least some of the time) to go to her room or leave the house when she was upset.
A few months into using the Hand in Hand tools, my daughter stormed off as usual. I heard the familiar sound of the door slamming. And then as I climbed the stairs to follow her, I heard her calling out, “Mom? This might sound dramatic, but would you come be with me while I cry?”
This is just a tiny glimpse of the kind of transformation that the Hand in Hand tools bring to parents, to children, to families. I am so grateful to have learned Hand in Hand’s openhearted, playful, practical, parent-affirming approach. I am equally grateful for the opportunity to share it with other parents.
I teach parenting classes and offer parent guidance consultations and packages (both in-person in Northampton, MA, and via Zoom). I also often work with parents in individual therapy.
You can reach me to inquire about any of these at [email protected] or 413-341-0478.