The Parent Hope Podcast Jenny Brown

In this episode we will discuss an important finding from Bowen family systems theory: parents can detour our troubles onto our children. This is described as parents projecting the worry onto the offspring. 
Dr Carrie Collier will help us to think about this issue and address our build up of worry about children. 
How to make sense of the way issues in broader family relationships can increase a worry focus on children.How issues with our siblings, cut-offs with parents, or the death of a parent/grandparent can play out in our parenting.How a narrow focus on parenting techniques misses these important family issues.Hear more from Dr Carrie Collier:
Finding a Self in Parenting: When a parent is concerned about a child, it’s easy for anxiety to take over. An anxious focus on a child can make it difficult for a parent to access their best thinking, or to observe the larger family system and their role in it. In this edition of Family Matters, Dr. Carrie Collier shares her thoughts about how a parent can begin to take responsibility for their emotional reactivity in response to a parenting challenge. She discusses what it takes to shift one’s focus from solving a child’s dilemma to managing oneself in the midst of chaos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpOaOFnHOqEhttps://www.thebowencenter.org/faculty-bios/carrie-collierhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpOaOFnHOqEhttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/anzf.1491

In this Episode of the Parent Hope Podcast Jenny Brown  explores  “How parents can partner with schools to increase student and family confidence” with Robin Shultz.

What makes for a positive partnership between parents and schools?
What can get in the way of this?
How can parents best deal with worries about how their child is doing at school?

Robin Shultz Bio
Robyn is a retired school social worker with 20 years of experience working in schools in the Chicago area. Now a private practice owner of New Legends Counselling, Coaching and Consulting, LLC Geneva, Illinois, United States.

Marriage and Family Therapy (LMFT), Clinical Social Work, (DSW, LCSW), Licensed School Social Worker (Type 73), Certified Alcohol and Other Drug Counselor (CADC), Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) with specializations in Outdoor Experiential Education and Behavioral Health.

Links:
Shultz, R. (2020). The current state of children’s mental health in schools: The need for expanded thinking: Family Systems: A Journal of Natural Systems Thinking in Psychiatry and the Sciences, 15, (1), 49-55.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/370553454_THE_CURRENT_STATE_OF_CHILDREN'S_MENTAL_HEALTH_IN_SCHOOLS_THE_NEED_FOR_EXPANDED_THINKING
Shultz, R. (2022). Using Bowen family systems theory concepts to explore how adult interaction patterns may influence student functioning. Family Systems: A Journal of Natural Systems Thinking in Psychiatry and the Sciences, 16, (2), 133-156.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/370553459_USING_BOWEN_FAMILY_SYSTEMS_THEORY_CONCEPTS_TO
Robin Shultz, DSW, LCSW, LMFT, CADC, CTRS
Robin's research papers:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Robin-Shultz-2
https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-shultz-dsw-lcsw-lmft-cadc-ctrs-b7839019/

The Summer Theme - Parents promoting responsible, age-appropriate independence & avoiding futile power struggles. 

These themes are relevant, whatever the age of your child.  
Adolescents present unique challenges for parents. For example, the reactive push for independence can be triggering for parents. In this podcast, Jenny reveals how parent efforts to correct behaviours can inadvertently reinforce a conflict cycle that can fuel a teen's physiological reward system: (sensation seeking). An overview of adolescent brain development makes sense of this reward system. 
More description here: https://parenthopeproject.com.au/podcasts/adolescents-independence-on-steroids/
Links

1. Sensation seeking: Steinberg L. A Social Neuroscience Perspective on Adolescent Risk-Taking. Dev Rev. 2008 Mar;28(1):78-106. doi: 10.1016/j.dr.2007.08.002. PMID: 18509515; PMCID: PMC2396566.

2. Flexibility in parenting interactions: Branje, S. (2018), Development of Parent–Adolescent Relationships: Conflict Interactions as a Mechanism of Change. Child Dev Perspect, 12: 171-176. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12278

3. Understanding teenage brain development:
https://raisingchildren.net.au/pre-teens/development/understanding-your-pre-teen/brain-development-teens
https://www.startingblocks.gov.au/other-resources/factsheets/brain-development-in-children
Questions:
contact@parenthopeproject.com.au

The Summer Theme - Parents promoting responsible, age-appropriate independence & avoiding futile power struggles.

These themes are relevant, whatever the age of your child. Enjoy this rebroadcast of “Toddler in meltdown- The first push for independence”

With toddlers the challenge is managing our responses to their huge learning spurt and push towards independence. This podcast describes 2 different parent toddler interactions involving a toddler not getting what they want. What is in a parent’s control to contribute to a toddler’s increased capacity to delay gratification?

Research links mentioned in podcast
Luo, Y., Pattanakul, D. Infant expectations of instant or delayed gratification. Sci Rep 10, 19081 (2020).
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-76136-9
The Stanford marshmallow experiment- a study on delayed gratification in 1972 led by psychologist Walter Mischel
https://www.simplypsychology.org/marshmallow-test.html

In this episode, we will discuss parenting courses with a family skills community educator. We'll explore what parents get out of carving out time for parenting courses – and are all parenting courses the same?         
How can parents get a confidence boost from accessing a parenting course?  Steve will share about differences in parent courses. He will provide examples of what parents have found most helpful and most challenging. And some tips for facilitating a parenting course in a way that helps parents develop their own insights relevant to their unique family. Stephen Dinning  Family and Life Skills Educator at Anglicare 
Steve has a background in social work and parish ministry. As part of Anglicare’s Family & Life Skills Education Team he runs courses and seminars in parenting, family life and relating with others. He’s also on Anglicare’s Southern Counselling Team. 
We would love to hear your feedback and suggestions.
contact@parenthopeproject.com.au
New resource on the Parent Hope Project website 
https://parenthopeproject.com.au/

“ Parenting that Promotes Flourishing Children” for parents and their helpers, https://parenthopeproject.com.au/free-parent-course/
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This is the last episode for 2023, Thanks for listening, we'll be back in the new year.

Join Jenny as she asks Marie Vakakis what she has learned from her  young clients about their relationships with their parents.

Parents connecting with their adolescents will explore questions like: How can parents best connect with a seemingly shut-off teen and How not to be intimidated or overwhelmed by the dramatic tech revolution – do parents really need to be up on the latest technology to connect with their teens?

About Marie Vakakis
The Therapy Hub: https://thetherapyhub.com.au/about-us/
Qualifications
Bachelor of Arts (majoring in psychology), Monash University
Masters of Social Work (additional research year/ thesis) The University of Melbourne
Graduate Diploma of Youth and Adolescent Mental Health , The University of Melbourne
Masters of Family Therapy, LaTrobe University
Member of the Australian Association of social workers
Accredited Mental Health Social Worker
Accredited ‘Tuning Into Teens’ Parenting Program Facilitator
Completed level 1 Gottman Method Couples training
Accredited Youth Mental Health First Aid Instructor
Accredited Standard Mental Health First Aid Instructor