Resources
Scroll down to see some of my favorite resources for parents and caregivers. I chose my top recommendations from each category based on the positive feedback parents have shared with me.
One of my gifts is helping parents bring curiosity toward the unique way their child experiences the world. Many parents are then able to bring compassion toward the challenging behaviors of their child, reaching for connection first instead of correction and punishment.
My hope is that these resources provide guidance for you on your journey toward deepening your relationship with your child.
Brittany’s Top 10 List
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Favorite Parenting Book
My all-time favorite parenting book is “Good Inside” by Dr. Becky Kennedy. Positive Parenting is explained in a digestible and relatable way, concrete examples of how to set boundaries with love and compassion. I also highly recommend her podcast, social media, newsletter, and “Good Inside” membership ($84/3 months) which is filled with incredible live and on-demand workshops.
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Best Parenting TED Talk
Listen to “The Single Most Important Parenting Strategy,” a 14-minute TED Talk by Dr. Becky Kennedy that has gone viral on YouTube. With over 2.6 million views, Dr. Becky shares about the power of apology and repair within the parent-child relationship, and extols it’s power for all relationships. I guarantee it will be worth your time.
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Highly Recommended Podcast
Three parents, in one week, reported that the “Dr. Stephen W. Porges on ADHD: It’s a Nervous System Issue” podcast episode positively changed their approach with their neurodivergent child/teen.
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Favorite Website
Learn about sensory needs and social-emotional learning for neurodivergent children at the “He’s-extraordinary: Tools for Raising an Extraordinary Person” website. It provides a wealth of free resources including a printable “7-minute HIIT Workout for Kids” that helps with self-regulation. It has been shared 1.3 million times and downloaded 300k times. It’s a fan favorite in our home!
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What is Positive Parenting?
Let’s keep it simple. Here is a one-page answer by Brene Brown and “The Wholehearted Parenting Manifesto.” My favorite line: “Together we will cry and face fear and grief. I will want to take away your pain, but instead I will sit with you and teach you how to feel it.” What words resonate with you?
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The Podcast That Forever Changed Me
I was first introduced to Dr. Becky Kennedy and Internal Family Systems (IFS) in “How to Raise Untamed Children with Dr. Becky Kennedy” podcast episode 131 on We Can Do Hard Things, hosted by Glennon Doyle. Grab your tissues and hold onto your heart as she describes the concept of “Feeling Benches.”
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Favorite Person to Follow on Social Media
Kelsie, “The Occuplaytional Therapist,” provides extensive content on all the aspects of sensory input and social-emotional learning for the neurodivergent child. For daily updates and tips, follow her on social media.
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The Resource I Keep Coming Back To
Interoception is the sensory system that helps us answer the question, “How do you feel?” by connecting inner bodily cues with meaning. (Are you hungry, tired, angry, anxious?) Kelly Mahler teaches about this hidden sensory system in “Interoception: The Eight Sensory System.” For lots more resources, follow her on social media or visit her website.
What is IFS?
Internal Family Systems (IFS) is an evidenced-based, trauma-informed psychotherapy model that views the human psyche as a complex system. For the past three years, I have personally and professionally witnessed transformational healing with this approach. Watch and listen as Dr. Terri Olds gives you a 20-mintute overview of the model in her “Intro to Internal Family System” video.
Understanding the Nervous System
Robyn Gobbel is all about “Neuroscience with heart… wrapped in glitter and fun!” She generously offers an abundance of free resources on her website and I highly recommend her book “Raising Kids with Big Baffling Behaviors”. Her free one-hour webinar is a great place to start: “Focus on the Nervous System to Change Behavior.”