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...
266. Emotion regulation through play: Turning everyday moments into growth opportunities with Dr. Abbré McClain and Dr. Jacqueline Salazar
Discover how to use the power of play to strengthen your child’s emotional regulation and foster meaningful connection, with Dr. Abbré McClain and Dr. Jacqueline Salazar. In this episode, we explore: - How play and relationships can be foundational elements for teaching kids emotional regulation skills. - Why coregulation doesn’t have to be so serious and can be employed through play and playfulness. - The therapeutic function of play interventions and how they work in play therapy. - How to adapt play strategies for different developmental stages and unique children. - Why playing with your kids is different from entertaining them, and how child-led play can be less exhausting for parents. - Quality over quantity: How even small moments of playfulness can make a big difference in strengthening parent-child bonds. If you’re looking for practical ways to build emotional regulation skills while bringing more joy and connection into your family’s life, this episode is filled with actionable insights to get you started! LEARN MORE ABOUT: Dr. Abbré McClain Dr. Jacqueline Salazar READ THEIR BOOK: 📚 The Self-Regulation Workbook for 3- to 5-Year-Olds: Play-Based and Creative Activities to Build Coping Skills and Handle Big Emotions FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: 📱@chicago.wellness.center 📱 @drsarahbren ADDITIONAL REFERENCES AND RESOURCES: 👉🏻 Download my free guide, Strengthen Your Child's Emotion Regulation Skills Through Play, to help your child learn to calm their brains and bodies. CHECK OUT ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE: 🎧 Understanding parental dysregulation: How to identify and manage your triggers with Dr. Amber Thornton 🎧 Supporting our children's emotional regulation and sensory processing experiences: With occupational therapist Laura Petix 🎧 The psychology behind dysregulation with Cara Goodwin 🎧 Teaching children emotion regulation skills through coregulation with Dana Rosenbloom
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265. BTS: My husband and I had a big fight in front of our kids, how do we make sure this doesn’t negatively impact them?
Beyond the Sessions is answering YOUR parenting questions! In this episode, Dr. Rebecca Hershberg and I talk about... - Breaking down the different strategies you’d use with kids whether this is a single one-off big fight, or if conflict is more prevalent in your home. - What a conversation with your child might sound like and how to adapt it to be most authentic to you. - Specific things to do in order to lessen the negative impact of parental conflict on your kids. - How to help your child make sense of what happened in a narrative that allows them to understand they are safe and the fight wasn’t their fault. - A developmentally appropriate way to share with your child that sometimes the people we love the most are the ones that we get into the biggest arguments with. - How to reassure and repair with a baby ore very young child who is still too little to understand your words. ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE: 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about creating a thriving partnership with Dr. Suzanne Burger 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about understanding parental dysregulation with Dr. Amber Thornton 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about resolving conflicts with Dr. Rick Hanson 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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264. The hidden dangers of EdTech: How technology in schools impacts learning, child development, and mental health with Andy Liddell
Discover the impacts of EdTech in schools and how parents can advocate for their children’s education with technology attorney Andy Liddell - What EdTech is and how technology like iPads and Chromebooks are being integrated into classrooms. - The hidden dangers of screens on the learning experience, what is at risk when hands-on learning is replaced by more passive educational experiences, and how to optimize information retention, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. - The role of big tech in surveillance capitalism, persuasive design, and selling children’s data. - How much control do schools have over blocking and restricting content on school-issued devices? (Spoiler: Most technology comes with no restrictions in place.) - How tech in classrooms is displacing social interactions, interfering with relationship development, overstimulating vulnerable children, and putting stress on an already fragile system. - What parents can do to teach media literacy, advocate for their child’s privacy, and push for more thoughtful use of technology in schools If you’re concerned or just curious about the influence of technology on your child’s learning and development, this conversation is packed with strategies and insights to help you navigate these challenges with confidence and purpose. LEARN MORE ABOUT ANDY & EDTECH LAW CENTER: https://edtech.law/ REFERENCES AND RESOURCES: Read the research on EdTech conducted by Jared Cooney Horvath, PhD, MEd Social Media Victims Law Center Wait Until 8th Fairplay Everyschool Social Studies Documentary CHECK OUT ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE: 🎧 Regulation, reward systems, and rest: Rewiring the way our kids interact with screens with Alé Duarte 🎧 The battle over screen time: Helping our children form a healthy relationship to technology with Emily Cherkin/ 🎧 Have phones displaced our ability to play and have fun? How to be intentional with your tech use with Catherine Price
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263. BTS: How do I respond to my daughter’s “mean girl” behaviors? Is she a bully?
Beyond the Sessions is answering YOUR parenting questions! In this episode, Dr. Rebecca Hershberg, Dr. Emily Upshur, and I talk about... - Bullying is often an expression of pain, so leading with compassion for your child is often your best entry point. - How to readjust your goal, rather than just trying to shut down your child's behaviors, for a higher likelihood of getting through to them. - Examples of real-life scenarios that middle school girls may be experiencing and how to navigate them. - The most common reasons middle schoolers act this way, so you can help you identify what the root cause may be to help you get to the heart of the matter. - Conversation starters you can use to prevent your child from getting defensive and shutting down. - At some point, this moves beyond exploring your child’s feelings and these behaviors simply need to stop - when and how to transition to this point. ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE: 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about peer rejection in toddlerhood 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about peer rejection in early adolescence 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about helping your child learn to foster secure friendships with Dr. Eileen Kennedy-Moore 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about how to talk to your teen with Elizabeth Bennett 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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262. Unifying mothers in a post-election America: Advocating for Women’s Rights through bipartisan reform with Erin Erenberg
Motherhood comes with immense challenges, but when mothers come together, they can spark transformative change. In this inspiring episode, Erin Erenberg, founder of Totum Women and co-founder of the Chamber of Mothers, shares her journey becoming a powerful advocate for maternal rights. In this episode, we explore: - Erin's personal and professional journey that inspired her to empower and support mothers. - The Chamber of Mothers mission: Uniting mothers as advocates to create a better America. - How this bipartisan group is working to include "point of view diversity" and bridge mothers across all sides of the aisle. - How the Chamber of Mothers plans to work with the upcoming administration to continue fighting for the rights of all mothers in America. - What is galvanizing the people who are still motivated, and how to fight any feelings of dread people may be experiencing. - Strategies for accessing accurate information and taking care of ourselves in an overwhelming time of political divide. Learn how to join a movement that’s not only advocating for mothers but creating a brighter future for the next generation! LEARN MORE ABOUT ERIN ERENBERG: https://www.totumwomen.com/blogs/news/more-on-our-founder LEARN MORE ABOUT CHAMBER OF MOTHERS: https://chamberofmothers.com/ JOIN A LOCAL CHAMBER: https://chamberofmothers.com/local-chapters/ FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: Chamber of Mothers: @chamberofmothers Dr. Sarah Bren: @drsarahbren ADDITIONAL REFERENCES AND RESOURCES: Moms Demand Action - https://momsdemandaction.org/ Vote Mama - https://www.votemama.org/ National Women’s Law Center - https://nwlc.org/ CHECK OUT ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE: 🎧 Motherhood as advocacy: A conversation about paid family leave, abortion access and gun reform with Raena Boston 🎧 Turning parenthood into a career asset for working moms and dads with The Fifth Trimester’s Lauren Smith Brody 🎧 The pressures of motherhood in our society: And how we can come together to feel less alone with Alexis Barad-Cutler
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.