Join the discussion on”Attending to Challenges Specific to Foster and Adoptive Families” with Kathy Gordon, Parenting by Connection Certified Instructor and adoptive mom. Kathy is going to discuss with us the unique challenges facing our foster and adopted children and what we can do to help them feel safe and connected so they can heal and thrive.
Join our discussion and learn…
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How emotions and connection affect a child’s ability to co-regulate and think.
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How disrupted attachment affects a child’s ability to feel safe and connected.
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How simple directions and everyday frustrations can exacerbate early traumatic experiences.
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How to nurture connection to heal early trauma and disrupted attachment.
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How to support a child’s intrinsic drive to heal.
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What to do when we lose our patience and lose our way.
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What to do when the best parenting in the world does not seem to be enough.
Kathy Gordon came to parenting late in life. She was single and in her 40s when she recognized her burning desire to be a Mom. So 10 years ago, Kathy adopted a beautiful baby boy, who is now, as tall as she! More than anything Kathy wanted her son to experience the unconditional love that she felt was missing from her childhood, but parenting a child whose first life experiences were traumatic proved to be more challenging than she had envisioned. She found herself struggling with her son’s fear-driven aggression, as it was triggering her own childhood trauma.
Kathy had heard of Hand in Hand Parenting, but it wasn’t until she enrolled her son in an alternative humanistic school, Play Mountain Place, in Los Angeles, that she received a set of Parenting by Connection booklets, and saw the listening tools in action in the schoolyard. As she began to practice the tools, and Parent by Connection, Kathy saw and felt the potential for real healing for herself and her son.
Kathy is particularly interested in working with foster and adoptive parents, and parents of children with any type of special need, learning or behavior challenge. She offers the Building Emotional Understanding Class in person in Los Angeles and on the phone. She works with parents individually and does trainings for educators and professionals who work with children. She is a gifted speaker and offers and introductory talks on Parenting by Connection, as well as specific topics such as Tantrum Training, Setting Limits, Listening Partnerships and Connecting with Your Teens. Her passion is practicing and teaching conscious child-raising by connection, in order that we may foster cooperation and peace in our families and the world.
Kathy can be reached through Hand in Hand Parenting or directly by email.
For an example of how Kathy practices Parenting by Connection successfully with her 10 year old son, read her blog post on the Consequence of Connection.
