Securely Attached is your go-to parenting podcast, supporting moms and dads from pregnancy all the way through their child's adolescence and every stage in betw...
289. Q&A: My 5-year-old has been clingy and hyperfocused on one friend, is this normal?
Beyond the Sessions is answering YOUR parenting questions! In this episode, Dr. Rebecca Hershberg and I talk about... - Dr. Sarah and Dr. Rebecca sympathize with this mom and reflects on how great it would be if we could choose our kid’s friends - but offer a mindset shift for why that actually wouldn’t be healthy. - Who to turn to for support to help you determine what your best course of action might be. - A statement you can say to your child that can help you begin to understand why they may be exhibiting more clingy behaviors. - How to get to the root of your own anxieties and fears so you can determine what you might be projecting onto your kids versus what are actual issues they need support navigating. - What to avoid saying to your child that may unintentionally cause them to pull away from you. - A formula you can use (that works with children of all ages!) to help you know whether the questions you are asking your child will likely be helpful or may lead to increased pressure. ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE: 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about fostering secure attachments in peer relationships with Dr. Eileen Kennedy-Moore 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about peer rejection 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode that will help you empower your daughter with media, body image, and societal pressures with Dr. Jo-Ann Finkelstein WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU: Go to https://drsarahbren.com/question to send us a question or a topic you want to hear us answer on Securely Attached - Beyond the Sessions!
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288. Parenting after complex trauma: A mother's journey toward healing in parenthood with Stephanie Foo
When journalist and author Stephanie Foo was diagnosed with Complex Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD), she left her job and devoted herself to healing—a journey she chronicled in her bestselling memoir, What My Bones Know. Now, as a mother, she’s navigating what it means to parent with complex trauma, balancing the high-alert nervous system that comes with C-PTSD while trying to stay present for her child. In this powerful conversation, Stephanie shares: - The difference between PTSD and C-PTSD—and why relational healing is essential for many forms of trauma. - How motherhood reshapes the brain and why it can trigger fight-or-flight responses. - The unique challenges of rupture and repair with a child versus an adult. - Why parents with complex trauma may struggle with isolation and finding a supportive community can be so helpful. - The strategies that have helped Stephanie most, all of which are useful for any parent, with or without trauma. If you’ve ever felt like parenting is unearthing deep, unresolved parts of yourself, this episode offers both insight and hope. LEARN MORE ABOUT STEPHANIE: https://www.stephaniefoo.me/ READ STEPHANIE'S BOOK: 📚 What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: 📱@foofoofoo 📱 @drsarahbren ADDITIONAL REFERENCES AND RESOURCES: Why the "Still-Face" Experiment Was a Game-Changer The Strange Situation CHECK OUT ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE: 🎧 186. Using presence as the antidote to trauma: How we begin to break cycles with Dr. Jacob Ham 🎧 204. The science of “mom-rage” and how to use mindfulness as a tool for being less reactive with Diana Winston 🎧 272. Maternal health, dyadic work, and IFS: Why specialized mental healthcare providers matter with Rebecca Geshuri and Paige Bellenbaum
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287. Q&A: Is my guilt over being a working mom hurting my parenting?
Beyond the Sessions is answering YOUR parenting questions! In this episode, Dr. Rebecca Hershberg and I talk about... - Dr. Sarah and Dr. Rebecca debate whether mom-guilt is inherent to all mothers or a societally structured construct (Spoiler: Dr. Rebecca wins this battle!) - The critical distinction between distress and guilt and why one can be a destructive grenade in parenting. - Releasing guilt is a form of activism - we're explaining why. - How to course correct once you’ve noticed you’re parenting from a space of guilt. - The question to ask yourself that can help guide your behaviors as a parent that come from a place of attunement and trust, rather than guilt or fear. - Using a “values-driven” distinction to help you determine the root reasons you are making certain decisions, and how bringing this into your consciousness can be helpful. ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE: 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about turning parenthood into a career asset with Lauren Smith Brody 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about managing working parent guilt with Daisy Dowling 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about balancing parenthood, partnership, and work with Dr. Yael Schonbrun WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU: Go to https://drsarahbren.com/question to send us a question or a topic you want to hear us answer on Securely Attached - Beyond the Sessions!
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286. Empowering girls to navigate media, body image, and societal pressures with Dr. Jo-Ann Finkelstein
Girls are often sent messages that can leave them feeling unseen, unheard, and boxed in by societal expectations. How can we as parents help them challenge these limiting narratives and grow into their full potential? In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Jo-Ann Finkelstein to explore: - How societal norms shape girls’ self-perception, from the “pink frilly dress” phase to body image struggles in their teens. - Research statistics that will blow your mind on everything from when gender bias begins, how widespread it is, and its impact on everything from what parents Google to how often girls and boys are called on in school. - How to examine and confront the gender stereotypes we unknowingly pass on to our kids when so much of it is unconscious. - Practical strategies to help kids understand and navigate the societal messages they encounter. Including a simple yet powerful hack for challenging gender roles when reading children’s books. - Actionable advice for fostering resilience and confidence in girls, as well as how to teach boys to work alongside girls to combat toxic masculinity. If you want to help your kids break free from limiting narratives and thrive as their authentic selves, this episode is a must-listen! LEARN MORE ABOUT DR. JO-ANN: https://www.joannfinkelstein.com/ READ DR. JO-ANN'S BOOK: 📚 Sexism & Sensibility: Raising Empowered, Resilient Girls in the Modern World JOIN JO-ANN'S SUBSTACK: 📖 The Feminist Parent FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA: 📱@joannfinkelstein.phd @joannfinkelstein.phd 📱@drsarahbren ADDITIONAL REFERENCES AND RESOURCES: 📺 Ada Twist, Scientist 📺 Vida the Vet CHECK OUT ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE: 🎧 Secure attachment vs. social media: Navigating their effects on body image from early childhood to teen years with Dr. Miriam Steele 🎧 How can I parent my daughter so she doesn't become a people pleaser? 🎧 Raising emotionally intelligent sons: Parenting boys to combat "toxic masculinity" with Ruth Whippman
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285. Q&A: When is the best time to tell my toddler that I'm pregnant?
Beyond the Sessions is answering YOUR parenting questions! In this episode, Dr. Rebecca Hershberg, Dr. Emily Upshur, and I talk about... - Exactly when we’d recommend you tell your child that you're pregnant. - Why it’s important to help your child make sense of what is happening in their life—and the conclusions they can jump to if we don’t share things (in a developmentally appropriate manner) with them. - A conversation starter and basic script you can use to introduce this concept to your young child. - How these dynamics can change depending on if it’s the second, third, or fourth baby you’re welcoming. - The types of topics you want to try to cover (and which ones to try to avoid) when you first tell your child you are pregnant. ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE: 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about going from one to two with Lindsay Ellingson 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about pregnancy, postpartum, and early parenthood with Dr. Jessica Vernon 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about what to do during pregnancy to make you less vulnerable to postpartum anxiety 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about movement during pregnancy and beyond with Dr. Megan Roche WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU: Go to https://drsarahbren.com/question to send us a question or a topic you want to hear us answer on Securely Attached - Beyond the Sessions!
Securely Attached is your go-to parenting podcast, supporting moms and dads from pregnancy all the way through their child's adolescence and every stage in between.
Join us every Tuesday as clinical psychologist and mom of two Dr. Sarah Bren shares her expertise and interviews top experts in the field, simplifying complicated concepts and pulling back the curtain on the brain science and psychology that drives and shapes the parent-child relationship.
And now, every Thursday, Dr. Sarah Bren is joined by Dr. Emily Upshur and Dr. Rebecca Hershberg for a special segment, Beyond The Sessions. We’re answering YOUR parenting questions from the perspective of clinical psychologists highly trained in developmental science and real-life moms who get that parenting is messy, and sometimes we have to laugh, cry, and throw out the “rules.”
From toddler tantrums, to effective discipline strategies, to leaning into the principles of respectful parenting, and to managing your own mental wellness as a parent—this podcast is your ultimate resource for judgment-free, research-backed information you know you can trust.
About Sarah Bren, PhD
Dr. Sarah Bren is a licensed clinical psychologist and mom of two who helps parents understand the building blocks of child development and how secure relationships form and thrive. Her work is focused on helping parents find their inner confidence so they can respond to any parenting problem that comes along and raise kids who are healthy, resilient, and kind.
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