THRIVE: Building Resilient Families Austin Child Guidance Center

On today’s episode, we are revisiting Episode 13 when Kristen Pierce-Vreeke spoke to the Director and Neuropsychologist at Comprehensive Consultation Psychological Services, Dr. Sanam Hafeez. Dr. Hafeez spoke about the myriad of effects the pandemic had on children’s mental health and opened up about her pet-peeve of people throwing around diseases and disorders freely.

Kendall Antonelli, Public Speaker and Owner of Antonelli’s Cheese Shop joins Kristen to talk about how she finds balance and practices self-compassion while navigating her passions, family, business, and more. Kendall shares her mental health journey and how it inspired her to join and support ACGC. She is a former board member and Voices for Children Chair. Kendall touches on the importance of discussing mental health as a family and with her two children Everett and Elia.

Colette Johnson, ACGC’s Corporate Relations Manager, joins Kristen to talk about the joys and challenges of sending a child off to college. Johnson shares her family’s experience as they prepare for their eldest to attend Baylor University in the fall. She stresses the importance of open dialogues and conversations around mental health and offers tips on managing the natural anxieties parents feel when a child departs.

Ace Schwarz of Teaching Outside the Binary joins us today to talk about the importance of creating inclusive environments for LGBTQIA+ people in schools. Mx. Schwarz shares their expertise in working with school administrators, caregivers, and teachers to make everyone feel accepted. One important topic Schwarz speaks about is how language impacts the classroom environment, offering alternative ways of addressing students. Ace also discusses their instagram platform @teachingoutsidethebinary where they share resources with over 43,000 followers.

Today’s episode is a rebroadcast of Kristen Pierce-Vreeke’s conversation with Virginia Williamson, LMFT. Williamson joined us on our very first episode to share her experience as a mother of a transgender child. She discussed motherhood in a blended family and offered advice on finding time for self-care as a mom. Williamson is also a panelist in our upcoming discussion: Pride Month and Mental Health: Supporting LGBTQIA+ Children and Youth on June 23rd.

Lead Psychologist at Austin Child Guidance Center, Dr. Laura Amoscato, shares her expertise in helping children and families heal from traumatic events. She discusses the importance of mental health counseling in the aftermath of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, and offers thoughts on how parents can support children’s healing while also healing themselves. Dr. Amoscato touches on how to affirm child safety, validate a child's feelings, and how social-emotional learning can help during these times.