On this week's episode we talk about whether or not a parent can cause a child to be anxious (spoiler alert: no) and explore what influence a parent does have on their child's anxiety.   This podcast and website represents the opinions of me, Dawn Friedman MSEd. The content here should not be taken as clinical advice. The content here is for informational purposes only.  While I make every effort to ensure that the information I am sharing is accurate, I welcome any comments, suggestions, or correction of errors. This website or podcast should not be used in any legal capacity whatsoever, including but not limited to establishing “standard of care” in a legal sense or as a basis for expert witness testimony.  No guarantee is given regarding the accuracy of any statements or opinions made on the podcast or website. In no way does listening, reading, emailing or interacting on social media with our content establish a counselor-client relationship.

On this week's episode I share common signs that a child might be struggling with anxiety. I talk about somatic symptoms and behavioral symptoms and how to tell the difference between productive anxiety and anxiety that's become problematic. This podcast and website represents the opinions of me, Dawn Friedman MSEd. The content here should not be taken as clinical advice. The content here is for informational purposes only.  While I make every effort to ensure that the information I am sharing is accurate, I welcome any comments, suggestions, or correction of errors. This website or podcast should not be used in any legal capacity whatsoever, including but not limited to establishing “standard of care” in a legal sense or as a basis for expert witness testimony.  No guarantee is given regarding the accuracy of any statements or opinions made on the podcast or website. In no way does listening, reading, emailing or interacting on social media with our content establish a counselor-client relationship.

In this episode we talk about the concept of Rest and the idea of doing Generative Work with Erin Upchurch MSSA LISW-S (she/her). Erin wears many many hats. She is the executive director of Kaleidoscope Youth Center; a Community Lecturer and Field Instructor at Ohio State University’s College of Social Work; a leader and activist in the Central Ohio community. In 2017 she ran for the Columbus City School Board on the Yes, We Can Columbus and she has served on several boards including including TransOhio and the Ohio AIDS Coalition. Currently, she is on the board for the Central Ohio Fair Housing Association. She is also the co-founder of the Ohio REST Collective along with her partner Karen Hewitt Med (ze/hir/she/her) and a single mom to two. You might read all that and say, wait and she's talking about rest?!? Don't worry -- we talk about that, too! Erin's interview is thoughtful, encouraging, and paradigm-bending. She has a special message to single parents and to those who are healing generational trauma and are working to attend to their own complex trauma.  I hope this episode will give you much inspiration to bring into 2022!

Harriet and I talk about her book, Shadow Daughter: A Memoir of Estrangement and discuss our own experiences of estrangement from our moms. We share the way estrangement ripples through families, how we cope with the pain of estrangement, and what we learned about ourselves in our relationships with our mothers.  You can learn more about Harriet at her website here: http://harriet-brown.squarespace.com You can buy her memoir, Shadow Daughter, at Bookshop here (note: this is an affiliate link and any money I make from Bookshop is donated to Postpartum Support International). I also encourage you to check out her other books Body of Truth: How Science, History, and Culture Drive Our Obsession with Weight -- And What We Can Do About It and Brave Girl Eating: A Family's Struggle with Anorexia. In the episode we mention the UK organization Stand Alone, which you can find here: https://www.standalone.org.uk As well as the work of Joshua Colman, whose book When Parents Hurt: Compassionate Strategies When You and Your Grown Child Don't Get Along focuses on the experiences of parents of estranged children. Finally, I mention my Get Yourself Grounded course, which is free until the end of the year. I would love for you to join and you can do so here. 

In which I explain my absence, some big changes, some things that won't change and what's next.

Michelle Risser, a counselor specializing in perinatal mental health and a coach who works with moms who are therapists at JoyfulHappyMom.com, sits down to talk with me about burnout.  We discuss: 05:03 What made her decide to go beyond counseling to add coaching to her repetoire 07:58 The special challenges for working moms in the past pandemic year 09:42 How a breast cancer diagnosis was her wake up call 13:53 How mindfulness changed her life for the better 18:36 Easy tips to add mindfulness to your own life 25:59 Michelle's epiphany about the "put your own oxygen mask on first" advice 29:31 The differences between stress, chronic stress, and burnout I also talk a little about the DSM diagnosis of adjustment disorder and how knowing about it might make it easier for someone to reach out to a therapist Learn more about Michelle at her counseling site here: http://michellerissercounseling.com and her coaching site here: http://joyfulhappymom.com

I had a great time talking to Deidre A. Prewitt MS LPCC of ReconnectingColumbus.com about the ways that our relationship with our parents helps shape our relationship with our partners and why it's so important to set boundaries with our families of origin. Deidre had a lot of great things to say including: @5:52 How to know when your "couple bubble" is being violated and what to do about it @10:28 The difference between guilt and shame and what it has to say about the way we're functioning @13:54 Why you need to think about the legacy you're building in your relationship with your partner @16:18 The importance of finding a "guider couple" to inspire growth in your partnership @23:24 On setting boundaries with your inlaws (even if your partner doesn't want to) @30:45 Why it can be so hard to let go of parenting our grown kids @42:57 What you NEED to know if you decide to use your insurance for couples' therapy Learn more about Deirdre and her group practice at her web site ReconnectingColumbus.com

This year has been traumatic for ourselves and our kids but there are things we can do to help our children grow through it. I sit down to talk with Dr. Amy Marschall of ResiliencyMentalHealth.com to talk about parenting beyond the pandemic. Amy has a lot to share including:  @4:19 Tips to help kids express big feelings appropriately without stepping on those feelings @13:18 Why you want your kids to be a challenge @14:13 How to tell that you're doing a good job helping your child with emotional regulation @18:35 A new way to look at it when your child says "I hate you" @22:49 The way that emotional literacy develops in kids @25:58 Why you should look for teaching moments instead of punishing moments We also talk about how to know if your child needs counseling and how to find a counselor that you BOTH like. Learn more about Dr. Amy Marschall here: http://resiliencymentalhealth.com Buy her books here: https://resiliencymentalhealth.com/books/

I sit down with Macall Gordon MA, a sleep coach at LittleLivewires.com, who specializes in supporting parents with temperamentally intense kids. We talk about why there's no such thing as bad habits, why commonsense sleep wisdom doesn't work for every child, and what the parenting books have wrong about getting kids to sleep. Members of the You Are Not Your Mother membership site can also come to the site to ask Macall questions throughout the month of March 2021.

I talk to Eve Hermann a licensed massage therapist and somatic experience practitioner about the concept of Presence. Eve and I discuss what presence is, why it's important, and how we can bring it back into our lives. Members of the You Are Not Your Mother membership site can also come to the site to ask Eve questions throughout the month of February 2021.