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Child Behavior Specialist

Understanding the underlying factors of a child's behavior is not only the thing I'm probably best at in the world (besides making a dynamite veggie lasagna), it's paramount to my work. Sure, each kid is different and unique and I will die on that hill. However, behavior patterns don't lie.
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When it comes to toddlers being toddlers, or neurodivergent kids existing, or your pre-teen having a personality shift, I've got your back. 
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Let me be the behavioral specialist, so you can keep being the best at being you, for your family. 
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Parent Coach

Raising a child is incredibly difficult work--there's a reason that famous quote is so famous: it takes a village! But what if your village isn't nearby? Or what if your village isn't safe? Or, what if your needs are more than your village knows how to handle? 

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I've got you.

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My expertise lies in marrying my child behavior specialist knowledge with my ability to provide parents with the guidance they need to move through high-stress situations with confidence. I've been honing my skills for nearly two decades - I promise whatever you're going through isn't too much, or too embarrassing, or too scary for me. 

My

Story

I can't possibly ask for my clients to be open and honest with me about their most sensitive topics if I'm not vulnerable in return. Here's me being completely authentic with you: 

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I had a terrible childhood. Truly. My parents came from their own traumatic backgrounds, and as wounded as they were, they had very little to offer me. This foundation, compounded by their own tumultuous divorce when I was a pre-teen, left me fending for myself emotionally.

 

I am dedicated to supporting parents who want to do well for their children, and especially those who want to break generational traumas. â€‹â€‹â€‹â€‹

In high school, I had the opportunity to participate in a daycare program. I learned how to write lesson plans and the importance of investigation and discovery for young children. I was hooked. 

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​In college, I took every psychology course I could get my hands on and finished with a degree in Early Childhood Development - it's a very specific degree that is pretty much exactly halfway between being a teacher and a therapist.

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I worked as a primary childcare provider for dozens of families where I was able to observe child behavior and apply my own methods of teaching, and experienced great success. I consistently had happy kids, and happy clients. I worked in a pre-school and co-taught an after-school program for teen girls.

I taught emotional intelligence lessons at summer camps to neighborhood kids, got certified to teach swim lessons to kids of all ages, and took a job in my local school district to work with disabled young adults. That's when I began to really dive into the world of neurodivergence.

I'm pretty sure I'm only just beginning

As a neurodivergent myself (diagnosed with ADHD when I was 11), I had a vague understanding of what that meant. But this is where everything changed. All the preconceived notions I held got absolutely blown out of the water. I was seeing Autism and ADHD and other genetic disabilities up close. I became aware of the lack of social supports available to these disabled students and their families. I learned about ableism, sexism, and racism. 

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I moved across the earth to put all my skills together to support a friend's toddler who was falling through the cracks of a system that didn't care about them. We worked hard and united speech therapists, teachers, and doctors to provide appropriate care for this child. And in his case, we won. He's thriving. 

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Since then, I've been replicating this work with several families. Slowly, one by one, helping folks find their footing with their unique situations. The work is gritty, healing, intense, and breathtaking. 

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And if I'm really honest, I'm pretty sure I'm only just beginning. 

Core Values

The following are my top 5 core values. Everything I do stems from these beliefs, so you can count on responsibility and quality. I have arrived at these foundational ideals over years of investigation and research, trial and error, and watching children and parents flourish under the right conditions.

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Anti-Childism

Being anti-childist in my work means making sure children are treated as full human beings, with all the complexities and nuances that belong. Teaching parents to operate from a place of empowerment rather than fear ensures that everyone stays together as a team, with no unfair power dynamic.

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Trauma Informed

Unfortunately, none of us escape our childhoods without trauma. These adverse experiences influence our choices and behaviors with our children. By leaning into this, rather than away from it, we can heal our past selves and make better choices for our little ones.

3

Empower

Being empowered means having informed choice. Feeling backed into a corner leads to reactive decisions that escalate rather than resolve.

 

Fear says, “Fix it!”

Empowerment says, “Go through it!”

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Relationship Centered

Centering the growing relationship between you and your child naturally prioritizes everyone’s needs being met. Through responsible boundary setting, parents can ensure they do not become overwhelmed while modeling excellent communication.

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Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is our ability to be aware of our emotions and how we choose to process them. It involves learning what our triggers are, what calms us, and how to treat ourselves and others with empathy.

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