Parent to Parent

Talking about sexual health is so much more than just going over how reproduction works. Relationships, safety, personal boundaries, porn (more than half of kids have seen porn by the time they are 13!) and so many other topics are related! That is why we are so thankful to talk with Deni Tobin, the Violence Prevention Education Supervisor at our partner the Crime Victims Center of Chester County. Deni facilitates CVC’s “Smarter Pa...

What does it mean to be California Sober? Marijuana or cannabis is available in so many forms now: edibles, tinctures, vaping oils, and dry leaf. It is also becoming more acceptable as a substance of use. Today we have Kim Porter and Bob Lamb from our partner Be A Part of the Conversation here with us to talk about this California Sober trend as well as harm reduction, how using high THC products is not the same as marijuana from t...

Our DASD Helpers are back on the podcast today! This is part two of our two-part series, and Sarah Brooks returns this time with several of her Prevention Specialist staff that work in the elementary school buildings: Erin Connolly, LCSW, C-SSWS, CYT (Lionville and Shamona Creek Elementary); Rena Davis, LSW (Bradford Heights and Pickering Creek Elementary); Laura Sirico, LSW, MEd, HSV, C-SSWS (East Ward and Springton Manor Elementa...

We have more DASD Helpers on the podcast today! The first of a two part series, Sarah Brooks returns with several of her Prevention Specialist staff that work in the high school buildings: Matt McFadden, MSS, LCSW (Downingtown West High School), Jocelyn White, MEd, LPC,  (Downingtown West High School) and Jennifer Stull, MA, LPC (STEM). We learn about the role Prevention Specialists play in their buildings, how they support student...

How can we increase our happiness? Selena Morresi, from Caron Treatment Centers, is here with us today to talk about where we are with our baseline happiness, the barriers to getting happy and ways to support increasing our happiness levels. Selena explains to us what “miswanting” is and how it impacts happiness–and the things that make us miswant. We also discuss the hedonic baseline and helper’s euphoria (what now?!), the univers...

You are only as happy as your happiest kid, the saying goes–this quote came up in this conversation and we discussed why this is a terrible quote! Today we have Maggie Burchill with us from Caron Treatment Centers to discuss strategies to be ok when we have a partner, child or other family member or friend going through a difficult time like substance use disorder or mental health challenges. Maggie shares with us what family recov...

We are excited to welcome our friend and colleague Kathy Collier to the podcast to share with us what is happening in Chester County regarding opioid and fentanyl use–both intentional and accidental use. We discussed what opioids are, how the overdose epidemic is still happening, and how the drug landscape is MUCH different than when we were teens. Kathy also explained how to talk to your kids about opioids, fentanyl, and xylazine,...

Learn where to get help this coming school year.

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"Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” (Gotta love Mr. Rogers!) Today we are speaking with two of Downingtown Area School District’s (DASD) biggest helpers, Sarah Brooks, Lead Student Assistance Specialist, and Mary Wallin, K-12 Department Leader for School Counselors. Sarah and Mary are sharing with us the roles of Prevention Specialists and Sch...

Well you drank in high school, right? You smoked weed before, right? These questions are bound to come to you from your kids at some point, and what IS the best way to answer these? We are so happy to welcome back Beth Bruton from Holcomb Prevention to share with us ways to answer these questions honestly without “do as I say, not as I did” vibes. Beth shares how she had this conversation with her own kids and their reactions, plus...

What if there was a place you can go to and talk about your parenting challenges and have other parents to nod along, give advice, and also have a seasoned professional there too to give expert guidance? Would you go? Well it DOES exist and it is CTC’s monthly  (FREE) Parent to Parent Building Connections groups. Today we are speaking with 4 Downingtown parents who are regular participants and they are sharing the impact these grou...

Did you know most parents ALREADY have all the skills to parent their kids and teach them life skills? Dr. Don McCown, PhD, MSS, LSW, sits down with Bethann and Chrissie to share about his new (FREE!) online parenting program, Learning Life Skills Together. Don shares that all parents have four key skills that can support children to learn emotional life skills–paying attention, regulating emotion, tolerating distress, and clearly ...

Today we are learning how to find joy in the chaos, including refilling our EXTRA–which our guest Rosey Celommi will explain what this EXTRA is and how we all need to care for it. Rosey is an educator of over 25 years and she previously taught and worked in Chester County. In the past few years Rosey has been on a mission to help educators care for themselves to deal with and prevent burnout. Just about all of these principles appl...

Well you drank in high school, right? You smoked weed before, right? These questions are bound to come to you from your kids at some point, and what IS the best way to answer these? We are so happy to welcome back Beth Bruton from Holcomb Prevention to share with us ways to answer these questions honestly without “do as I say, not as I did” vibes. Beth shares how she had this conversation with her own kids and their reactions, plus...

Carol is BACK and she is sharing her wisdom with us yet again! Today we are talking about Red Flags–behaviors or other things you may notice in your child–and when to act. Carol shares the importance of waiting in some instances when you notice red flags so kids can first combat these challenges independently–and the value of this. We also discuss what to do at times when you need to step in, and how to tell the difference between ...

What if there was a place you can go to and talk about your parenting challenges and have other parents to nod along, give advice, and also have a seasoned professional there too to give expert guidance? Would you go? Well it DOES exist and it is CTC’s monthly  (FREE) Parent to Parent Building Connections groups. Today we are speaking with 4 Downingtown parents who are regular participants and they are sharing the impact these grou...

How can “soft skills” result in drug-free kids? Today we are speaking with Shannon DiCandilo from Compass Mark to talk about how social emotional learning skills are key to emotional health, academic success, and delaying and preventing underage drug and alcohol use. Shannon shares how these skills play out in real life for kids, current trends on what substances youth are using–AND how they are getting it. We also discuss the link...

Did you know most parents ALREADY have all the skills to parent their kids and teach them life skills? Dr. Don McCown, PhD, MSS, LSW, sits down with Bethann and Chrissie to share about his new (FREE!) online parenting program, Learning Life Skills Together. Don shares that all parents have four key skills that can support children to learn emotional life skills–paying attention, regulating emotion, tolerating distress, and clearly ...

SHOW NOTES

Does your kid say they hate school? This phrase usually appears at some point whether it be an overall dislike or a tough subject or assignment. Today we have Carol Rothera, LPC, with us to discuss what are the underlying causes of your child hating school. Carol shares how we as parents can be curious to figure out what is really going on and how to support kids to problem solve and overcome challenges. We discuss how t...