Securely Attached is your go-to parenting podcast, supporting moms and dads from pregnancy all the way through their child's adolescence and every stage in betw...
287. Q&A: Is my guilt over being a working mom hurting my parenting?
Beyond the Sessions is answering YOUR parenting questions! In this episode, Dr. Rebecca Hershberg and I talk about... - Dr. Sarah and Dr. Rebecca debate whether mom-guilt is inherent to all mothers or a societally structured construct (Spoiler: Dr. Rebecca wins this battle!) - The critical distinction between distress and guilt and why one can be a destructive grenade in parenting. - Releasing guilt is a form of activism - we're explaining why. - How to course correct once you’ve noticed you’re parenting from a space of guilt. - The question to ask yourself that can help guide your behaviors as a parent that come from a place of attunement and trust, rather than guilt or fear. - Using a “values-driven” distinction to help you determine the root reasons you are making certain decisions, and how bringing this into your consciousness can be helpful. ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE: 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about turning parenthood into a career asset with Lauren Smith Brody 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about managing working parent guilt with Daisy Dowling 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about balancing parenthood, partnership, and work with Dr. Yael Schonbrun WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU: Go to https://drsarahbren.com/question to send us a question or a topic you want to hear us answer on Securely Attached - Beyond the Sessions!
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286. Empowering girls to navigate media, body image, and societal pressures with Dr. Jo-Ann Finkelstein
Girls are often sent messages that can leave them feeling unseen, unheard, and boxed in by societal expectations. How can we as parents help them challenge these limiting narratives and grow into their full potential? In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Jo-Ann Finkelstein to explore: - How societal norms shape girls’ self-perception, from the “pink frilly dress” phase to body image struggles in their teens. - Research statistics that will blow your mind on everything from when gender bias begins, how widespread it is, and its impact on everything from what parents Google to how often girls and boys are called on in school. - How to examine and confront the gender stereotypes we unknowingly pass on to our kids when so much of it is unconscious. - Practical strategies to help kids understand and navigate the societal messages they encounter. Including a simple yet powerful hack for challenging gender roles when reading children’s books. - Actionable advice for fostering resilience and confidence in girls, as well as how to teach boys to work alongside girls to combat toxic masculinity. If you want to help your kids break free from limiting narratives and thrive as their authentic selves, this episode is a must-listen! LEARN MORE ABOUT DR. JO-ANN: https://www.joannfinkelstein.com/ READ DR. JO-ANN'S BOOK: 📚 Sexism & Sensibility: Raising Empowered, Resilient Girls in the Modern World JOIN JO-ANN'S SUBSTACK: 📖 The Feminist Parent FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA: 📱@joannfinkelstein.phd @joannfinkelstein.phd 📱@drsarahbren ADDITIONAL REFERENCES AND RESOURCES: 📺 Ada Twist, Scientist 📺 Vida the Vet CHECK OUT ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE: 🎧 Secure attachment vs. social media: Navigating their effects on body image from early childhood to teen years with Dr. Miriam Steele 🎧 How can I parent my daughter so she doesn't become a people pleaser? 🎧 Raising emotionally intelligent sons: Parenting boys to combat "toxic masculinity" with Ruth Whippman
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285. Q&A: When is the best time to tell my toddler that I'm pregnant?
Beyond the Sessions is answering YOUR parenting questions! In this episode, Dr. Rebecca Hershberg, Dr. Emily Upshur, and I talk about... - Exactly when we’d recommend you tell your child that you're pregnant. - Why it’s important to help your child make sense of what is happening in their life—and the conclusions they can jump to if we don’t share things (in a developmentally appropriate manner) with them. - A conversation starter and basic script you can use to introduce this concept to your young child. - How these dynamics can change depending on if it’s the second, third, or fourth baby you’re welcoming. - The types of topics you want to try to cover (and which ones to try to avoid) when you first tell your child you are pregnant. ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE: 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about going from one to two with Lindsay Ellingson 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about pregnancy, postpartum, and early parenthood with Dr. Jessica Vernon 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about what to do during pregnancy to make you less vulnerable to postpartum anxiety 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about movement during pregnancy and beyond with Dr. Megan Roche WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU: Go to https://drsarahbren.com/question to send us a question or a topic you want to hear us answer on Securely Attached - Beyond the Sessions!
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284. The do’s and don’ts of supporting a grieving child: What every parent needs to know with Dr. Dan Wolfson
Grief isn’t something we get over—it’s something we integrate. Joining me to discuss this and the best way to support children through profound loss is Dr. Dan Wolfson, a clinical psychologist specializing in grief. In this episode we explore: - The skills needed for fostering resilience and helping children and adults learn to grieve in a healthy manner. - The importance of “oscillation” through grief and how Dr. Dan works with his patients to help them learn to process their feelings without these emotions completely overtaking them. - How to help determine when and how it’s time for your child (or you) to go back to things like extracurricular activities, birthday parties, and other “normal” ways of reengaging with life. - Parents are often hesitant to show their own grief to their children, however, this can be a helpful form of modeling. We discuss appropriate ways to share your emotions with your child. - Typical behaviors and regressions we often see in children who are processing profound sadness and difficult emotions, so you know what to be on the lookout for. If you or your child are navigating profound loss, this conversation is here to remind you that healing isn’t linear, and you don’t have to do it alone. LEARN MORE ABOUT DR. DAN: https://www.wolfsontherapy.com/danwolfson LEARN MORE ABOUT EXPERIENCE CAMPS: https://experiencecamps.org/about-us FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: 📱@wolfsontherapy 📱 @drsarahbren ADDITIONAL REFERENCES AND RESOURCES: 👉🏻 Click here to lean more about support options at Upshur Bren Psychology Group and to schedule a free 15-minute consultation call to learn more about the available resources for your unique needs. 📚 The Invisible String CHECK OUT ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE: 🎧 192. Death, grief, and parenting: How we can help our kids make sense of and make peace with death with Rabbi Steve Leder 🎧 194. Confronting death to find a deeper meaning in life: A continuation of my conversation with Rabbi Steve Leder 🎧 70. Helping children process, accept and understand death with death doula Heather Hogan
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283. Q&A: What can I do when my child feels left out by her friends?
Beyond the Sessions is answering YOUR parenting questions! In this episode, Dr. Rebecca Hershberg and I talk about... - First things first, why are schools still sending out candy grams in this current climate with a loneliness epidemic on the rise? - Cliques and posses that form in middle school are often rife with envy, jealousy, gossip, and temptation - how to help our kids navigate this. - What advice to give your child when they are left out in a friend group. - How to help a child who tends to avoid conflict in their interpersonal relationships build a greater tolerance for joining in and addressing things directly. - “There is a difference between a kid who says 'I am going to let this go' vs. 'I am going to hold this in.'" - Understanding “social currency” and how that impacts children, especially as they move into the stage of development where their attention begins to move away from their parents and much more heavily toward their peers. ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE: 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about talking with your teen with Elizabeth Bennett 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about respond to your child who you think is bullying other kids 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about social media's impact on your child's attachment security with Dr. Miriam Steele WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU: Go to https://drsarahbren.com/question to send us a question or a topic you want to hear us answer on Securely Attached - Beyond the Sessions!
Securely Attached is your go-to parenting podcast, supporting moms and dads from pregnancy all the way through their child's adolescence and every stage in between.
Join us every Tuesday as clinical psychologist and mom of two Dr. Sarah Bren shares her expertise and interviews top experts in the field, simplifying complicated concepts and pulling back the curtain on the brain science and psychology that drives and shapes the parent-child relationship.
And now, every Thursday, Dr. Sarah Bren is joined by Dr. Emily Upshur and Dr. Rebecca Hershberg for a special segment, Beyond The Sessions. We’re answering YOUR parenting questions from the perspective of clinical psychologists highly trained in developmental science and real-life moms who get that parenting is messy, and sometimes we have to laugh, cry, and throw out the “rules.”
From toddler tantrums, to effective discipline strategies, to leaning into the principles of respectful parenting, and to managing your own mental wellness as a parent—this podcast is your ultimate resource for judgment-free, research-backed information you know you can trust.
About Sarah Bren, PhD
Dr. Sarah Bren is a licensed clinical psychologist and mom of two who helps parents understand the building blocks of child development and how secure relationships form and thrive. Her work is focused on helping parents find their inner confidence so they can respond to any parenting problem that comes along and raise kids who are healthy, resilient, and kind.
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