My Family Coach Podcast

My Family Coach

My Family Coach is a podcast offering practical advice and expert insights for parents, carers, and professionals. Each short episode explores topics that matter to families, with clear, accessible guidance you can use in everyday life. Subscribe to hear future episodes and explore more resources on the My Family Coach website. Clare Edmondson is a Principal Team Teach trainer, qualified therapist (MBCAP), and experienced teacher. She specialises in trauma-informed practice, behaviour support, and neurodiversity, helping families and professionals support children and young people.

  1. 05/09/2025

    Autism and Speech & Language Needs | Karen Massey

    In this episode, speech therapist, Karen Massey, explores autism and apraxia of speech, as well as discussing ways to support children with Down Syndrome. She also talks about her upcoming book, her plans for a specialist centre, and her new online programme.   Karen is CEO and Director at All About Speech Therapy Ltd. She empowers parents and educators to help childrenfind their voice. She specialises in complex speech, including apraxia of speech, and leads therapy sessions, where she provides face-to-face support locally. As a writer, trainer and speaker, Karen has also co-authored a book, entitled “Total Speech’, which is available to pre-order and is due for release later on this year.   You can find Karen at All About Speech Therapy and on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.   Karen recommends her book, Autism and Childhood Apraxia of Speech, as well as Overcoming Apraxia by Laura Baskall Smith.   She also shares three tips during the episode: Remember that although a speech therapist has specialist knowledge and training, you are the expert when it comes to your child.It can be helpful to identify and support any sensory needs before adding in speech and language therapy.Practising little and often, or embedding tips and techniques throughout the day, is the best ways to get results.  The My Family Coach podcast covers every aspect of children’s behaviour, all in handy 15-minute (ish) bite-sized chunks. Each episode features a new guest chatting about a different aspect of behaviour and leaves you with three handy tips to use at home.

  2. 11/28/2024

    Supporting Teenagers with Emotional Regulation | Dr Sheila Redfern

    In this episode, Clare talks to expert guest, Dr Sheila Redfern about parenting teenagers and taking a relational approach to emotional regulation support. They talk about the concepts of ‘reflective parenting’ and ‘mentalisation’, and how these help us to regulate effectively and connect with other people. Sheila shares the analogy of parenting being ‘like a lighthouse’ and the challenges that parents and carers can face when trying to balance separation and connection with their teenager. Dr Sheila Redfern PhD is Director of Redfern Psychology Ltd and Head of Family Trauma at Anna Freud, the world-leading mental health charity for children and families. She is a consultant clinical child and adolescent psychologist and the author of two books: 'Reflective Parenting' and 'How Do You Hug A Cactus?' She has been in practice for over 30 years, and previously worked in the NHS as a consultant in CAMHS services, supporting children, young people and their families with various mental health difficulties. You can find out more about Dr Redfern’s work at Redfern Psychology. She also shares three tips in the episode: Try to be curious at all times, reflecting on your own behaviour, as well as that of your teenager. Being able to regulate your own emotions and understand your own relationships can go a long way to helping your teenager understand how to do this for themselves. Try to remember that, up until the age of 25, the brain is constantly growing, changing and developing, and this can impact teenagers’ behaviour, thoughts and feelings.   A little more about Dr Redfern: Dr Redfern works within an evidence-based framework of assessment and intervention. She has extensive experience of supporting the mental health needs of children and young people from a wide range of backgrounds and with different abilities. She has a specialist interest and expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of autistic children and young people, and in working with attachment difficulties. Her work includes supporting parents and carers in bringing about a closer connection with their child where there are difficulties in the attachment relationship. She specialises in working with fostering and adoptive families and has developed a model of mentalisation-based parenting (reflective parenting) and mentalisation-based fostering (reflective fostering), both of which she delivers as interventions, as well as training other professionals and teams to deliver. The My Family Coach podcast covers every aspect of children’s behaviour, all in handy 15-minute (ish) bite-sized chunks. Each episode features a new guest chatting about a different aspect of behaviour and leaves you with three handy tips to use at home.

  3. 11/14/2024

    Teenagers and Mobile Phones | Dr Dean Burnett

    In this episode, Clare talks to expert guest, Dr Dean Burnett, about some of the challenges that parents and carers face around teenagers and mobile phones. They discuss the impact of mobile phone use on young people’s mental, physical and emotional health, and the problem with the catch-all term, ‘screen time’. Dean shares some simple strategies to reduce friction when agreeing and implementing healthy boundaries. Dr Dean Burnett is a doctor of neuroscience, former psychiatry lecturer, honorary research fellow at Cardiff Psychology School, occasional comedian, well-known science pundit/commenter, and, to most people, a best-selling author of books about the brain and mind. As a father of two, he has turned his brain-based expertise to the problems experienced by parents and their older children/teens, and written two books for younger readers, to help them understand these dynamics: the international bestseller ‘Why Your Parents Are Driving You Up The Wall And What To Do About It’, and the newly-released sequel, ‘Why Your Parents Are Hung Up On Your Phone And What To Do About It’. This latest book takes a look at the science behind how modern technology affects us, and why there is often conflict between parents and teens.   You can follow Dean on X (formerly Twitter),  Instagram and TikTok, or take a look at his website to find out more.   Dean shares three tips in the episode: Include your young person in the conversation rather than imposing blanket rules. Model the type of behaviour you would like to see. For example, consider your own mobile phone use. Be aware of nuances; mobile phones are not necessarily ‘good’ or ‘bad’. A more important question to think about is how your teenager is using their phone.   The My Family Coach podcast covers every aspect of children’s behaviour, all in handy 15-minute (ish) bite-sized chunks. Each episode features a new guest chatting about a different aspect of behaviour and leaves you with three handy tips to use at home.

  4. 06/08/2023

    Supporting Sensory Needs | Stefanie Larsen

    Listen in as Stefanie, an occupational therapist, talks to Clare about sensory support for children who don’t seem to feel the cold, pain, or hunger, or who seem unaware of where their body is in space, and may seek out sensory input by crashing into things.    Stefanie is the owner of Sensationally Thriving Children Therapy. She has been an occupational therapist for twelve years and has worked in a variety of paediatric specialities including home care, schools, private practice, sensory integration, and outpatient rehabilitation.   She has certifications in Therapeutic Listening, Astronaut Training, the SOS Approach to Feeding, and is an Advanced Mentored Clinician at the STAR Institute for Sensory Processing. Most recently, she has offered parental consultations to help parents better understand the complexities of sensory processing, so they can best support their child.    Stefanie’s new course, Understanding Your Child’s Sensory Cues, will be launching in summer this year, and she is also in the process of writing a children’s book about sensory processing. You can find Stefanie at Sensationally Thriving Children Therapy, and on Facebook and Instagram.  Stefanie recommends the book, Sensational Kids, by Lucy Jane Miller.  She also shares three tips during the episode:  Sometimes, dysregulation can look like sleeping, shutting down or avoidance.  Often, children who are under-responsive may not feel pain, hunger, the need to urinate, or stress and anxiety as readily as others.  Heavy work (movement that involves pushing, pulling, carrying or jumping) is the best activity for calming.  The My Family Coach podcast covers every aspect of children’s behaviour, all in handy 15-minute (ish) bite-sized chunks. Each episode features a new guest chatting about a different aspect of behaviour and leaves you with three handy tips to use at home.

    Supporting Sensory Needs | Stefanie Larsen
  5. 05/24/2023

    Supporting with Bereavement | Dr Tina Rae

    In this episode, Dr Tina Rae joins Clare to talk about how to support children and young people experiencing grief and loss. The topic relates not just to the loss of family members, but to family pets or even an important belonging. Tina shares practical tips to help process grief in an emotionally safe way.    Dr Tina Rae has 40 years’ experience working with children, adults, and families in clinical and educational contexts within local authorities and specialist services. She is currently working as a Consultant Educational and Child Psychologist in a range of specialist and mainstream contexts. She also supports fostering agencies as a Consultant Psychologist working with foster carers, social workers and looked after children. Tina is a prolific author and has over 100 publications to date. These reflect her ongoing passion for developing practical resources for schools which have an evidence base and enable practitioners to ethically deliver effective preventative mental health interventions in schools.  Tina recommends her book The Bereavement Book  You can find more about Tina and her work on Twitter  Tina also shares three tips during the episode:  Keep talking and sharing memories.  Acknowledge that people grieve differently, especially children.   The importance of having an emotionally safe space and showing affection.  The My Family Coach podcasts covers every aspect of children’s behaviour, all in handy 15 minute (ish) bite-sized chunks. Each episode features a new guest chatting about a different aspect of behaviour and leaves you with three handy tips to use at home.

    Supporting with Bereavement | Dr Tina Rae

About

My Family Coach is a podcast offering practical advice and expert insights for parents, carers, and professionals. Each short episode explores topics that matter to families, with clear, accessible guidance you can use in everyday life. Subscribe to hear future episodes and explore more resources on the My Family Coach website. Clare Edmondson is a Principal Team Teach trainer, qualified therapist (MBCAP), and experienced teacher. She specialises in trauma-informed practice, behaviour support, and neurodiversity, helping families and professionals support children and young people.