I have a Masters in Social Work and over 20 years of experience as a clinical therapist working with kids and parents - typically meeting once a week focusing on alleviating specific emotional or behavioral problems.  Part of this work has also always been  about  helping kids and teens build the skills, strengths, and practices they need for overall mental health and wellness. 

Many parents would share how they thought all kids should be learning these things.  They  wished they had learned how to teach their kids these skills and strategies earlier and wondered what might have been different for their child and their relationship if they had

Many of the parents I met had done the work of trying to educate themselves with books, podcasts, and classes and they were still feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, and ineffective.  They had all the “right” tools in their parenting toolbox, but nothing seemed to really help. 

Continuing to use approaches and strategies that don’t work can result in increased tension, resistance, and disconnection and can have a negative impact on your child and your relationship with them.   Repeating destructive communication patterns and cycles of arguing, power struggles, outbursts, shutting down, and walking on eggshells can leave you exhausted and defeated and leave your child feeling misunderstood, frustrated, and alone.  

I began to look for a way that I could educate and empower parents to take a more active role in building the emotional health and wellness of their kids.  To help parents work with their child’s difficult behaviors and emotions and build skills and strengths in the areas that are driving those behaviors and emotions to promote overall emotional health and wellness.  This led me to develop this non-clinical psychoeducational/mentor program, “The Happiness Mindset” - A parent's guide to raising happy, successful and resilient kids and transforming difficult behaviors and high sensitivity to connection, peace and harmony.