Description
**This is a recording of a Live Presentation given at the Institute of Child Psychology’s 2021 Children’s Mental Health Conference. As it is a Live recording, please note that there may be unscheduled technical difficulties, pauses/breaks, as well as reading of comments which you may not be able to see.
Surviving The Teenage Years With Connected Parenting
If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that teens need support to deal with change and disappointment and we all need effective tools to help and support them. The current COVID -19 crisis has taken its toll on all of us, but teenagers have been especially affected. Teens are feeling isolated, cut off from their peers and more immersed in social media than ever before. Rates of anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts are all on the rise and that was before the pandemic.
Teenagers need emotional shock absorbers to deal with change, isolation, uncertainty and disappointment in this fast-changing world. Research has shown that teenagers who show greater connectivity or interconnectedness are less likely to experience pandemic related depression and anxiety relative to their peers. More than ever, parents and Mental Health Professionals need to help teens regulate mood, increase resilience and improve overall brain function.
Connected Parenting is a unique approach to parenting and working with teens. It is a powerful technique that teaches us how to use language and empathy as medicine. Imagine a medication for children and teens that would reduce anxiety, regulate mood, drastically reduce power struggles, increase trust, speed up learning and improve overall brain function. Imagine, moreover, that it is free, has no negative side effects, and is available in unlimited supply. It
sounds too good to be true but Jennifer Kolari’s CALM technique, based in Psycho-Neurobiology, has all these effects and more. It can strengthen the bond between adult and teen, foster emotional independence, and build resilience. Filled with comedy, moving stories and practical strategies that work, participants will learn how to use this technique to bring out the best in children they work with and the very best in themselves.
OBJECTIVES
- To share the Connected Parenting method with professionals so they can use these techniques in practice with their patients and their families.
- To discuss the importance of brain plasticity and the adult’s potential role in helping children develop strong emotional hardware to regulate their moods.
- To help participants understand the importance of neutral, predictable limit setting on good mental and social health.
- To help participants understand the unique and important emotional and developmental emotional milestones in adolescence.
- To help participants understand the impact of social media on the emotional health of teens.