All Episodes

The transition from high school to college is a rite of passage, a benchmark between parent and child. While exciting, balancing academic demands with the sudden need to be independent can feel daunting, especially for students with learning differences. How can you as a parent best prepare them while they’re still under your wing? In this podcast episode, we sat down with Dr. Nicole Ofiesh, Director of the Schwab Learning Center at CHC, as she shared wisdom from her 30 years in the field. She covers everything from resilience and self-advocacy to electronic calendars and on-campus support systems, reminding us that, above all, “it always comes back to love and compassion.”

A dyslexia diagnosis can be bittersweet: in some ways, it might help explain your child’s struggles in school and their anxieties about falling behind. But finding the right supports for your child is daunting, and you can't help but worry about the long-term impacts on their happiness, confidence and success. In today’s podcast episode, we sat down with CHC’s Lisa Parnello, MEd and Dr. Vivien Keil, both of whom have devoted their lives to evaluating, educating and advocating for children who learn differently. Listen today to learn how to partner with your child’s school to ensure appropriate accommodations, how to talk to your child about their diagnosis, and pro tips for fostering strengths and finding support.

Whether your child just doesn’t want to go to bed at night, or is defiant to anything and everything, Dr. Jody Miller, Head of Esther B. Clark Schools at CHC and Board Certified Behavior Analyst, has seen it all. In today’s podcast episode, Dr. Miller shares her top three go-to strategies for challenging behavior. From positive reinforcement to consequences and consistency, you’ll learn new tools to try at home and when to reach out for help. Perhaps most importantly, Dr. Miller shares her own experience parenting children with challenging behavior, reminding us that “it will improve.” Listen today!

From the minute we become parents, we start fixating on sleep — are our babies getting enough? Too much? Will they ever sleep through the night? Will we? It’s a hot topic because we know how critical it is for healthy development, both mental and physical. As our kids turn to teens, we may monitor their sleep less, but it doesn’t become less important to their wellbeing and academic performance. Teens can face many impediments to consistent, restorative sleep, including stress, with an estimated 70-75% of teens getting less than the recommended 8 hours per night. In this podcast episode, we sat down with two CHC experts — Dr. Joan Baran, Clinical Director at CHC, and Deepika Bose, Doctoral Psychology Intern — to learn strategies for helping your teen develop healthy sleep habits. You may even want to try some yourself!

It can be hard to imagine talking with your teen about suicide. But given that it is the second leading cause of death among young people, it makes sense to be prepared to have that conversation. How can we as parents create a safe, nonjudgmental space where our teens feel comfortable talking about hard things? How do we know when to worry and how to get help? Join us for today’s podcast episode, where we talk with two CHC experts, Katie Reeves, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and Jason Tinero, Doctoral Psychology Intern, to hear what all parents should know about teen suicide.

The journey is where we all learn to do hard things. We make mistakes, experience successes (and failures), develop resilience, practice growth mindset and build self-confidence. As parents, if we focus on the destination — winning the race, acing the SATs or getting into the “right” college — our children miss out on all those experiences that serve as the building blocks to social emotional growth. In this podcast episode, we sat down with Jenn Curtis, MSW, co-author of The Parent Compass, to learn strategies that you can use to support your child on their journey towards self-advocacy, acceptance and exploration. Listen now!

We are all different. As parents and caregivers, it’s important to teach our kids how differences enrich our lives and enhance our communities. How can you help them value diversity and see it as a strength? In today’s podcast episode, CHC experts Tony Cepeda, LMFT and Liberty Hebron, LPCC explain how to encourage an open dialogue with your kids, model curiosity and respect, embrace each other’s differences and create a culture of belonging.

From panic attacks to self-harm, one brave mom shares her story of supporting her daughter with anxiety and depression. When you’re worried about your child, your days revolve around gathering the resources and help that they need. But what about you? Your emotions as a parent may exacerbate your own mental health challenges, and raise feelings of self-doubt or blame. Don’t miss our conversation with Kimm Angel, as she shares strategies for supporting your child (and yourself), what she knows now and what she wishes she knew then.

Starting kindergarten is both exciting and scary — for children and their parents. Young children thrive when they feel comfortable, safe and secure. But it can be challenging to help your child feel prepared when everything feels so uncertain right now. What can you do to make the leap less worrisome and more fun? Listen in to today’s podcast episode with our guest, Dr. Natalie Pon, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist at CHC, as she reminds us that — in addition to learning letters and numbers — the real growth that occurs in kindergarten is the development of social emotional skills through play.

You’re getting ready to go back to school, or maybe you already have. You know it’s going to be different, but you’re not sure how different or what to expect. How can you as a parent help to prepare your child and set expectations that will provide the foundation to start the school year off on the right foot? Listen in to this podcast conversation with Chris Harris, Chief Education Officer at CHC and Kendra Fraka, licensed social worker and social/emotional lead at Sand Hill School, as they share their experience and expertise on this topic.

We see images and hear conversations about racial injustice almost every day. As a parent, you might find it easier to be silent or ignore, but it’s important to view these as opportunities to talk with your kids about what they are seeing and hearing. How do you have those conversations with your kids? For each family, this conversation might look a bit different, depending on your own heritage and experience. Listen in today as we talk with Dr. Gloria Morrow, a nationally recognized clinical psychologist, speaker and author, about how to talk with your kids about race and racism.

For the past 15 months, we’ve been carefully following safety protocols, and strict mandates have helped inform our decisions. Now, as we come out of our COVID caves, the rules are more ambiguous and varying comfort levels collide. It can create a whole new wave of anxiety around what feels safe, especially when our precautions don’t match those around us. In some ways life was simpler in our caves, where we could more easily protect our families. In this podcast episode, CHC’s Clinical Director and Neuropsychologist, Dr. Vivien Keil, shares coping strategies for easing our family’s way back into the world with courage and compassion.