Securely Attached

Beyond the Sessions is answering YOUR parenting questions! In this episode, Dr. Rebecca Hershberg, Dr. Emily Upshur, and I talk about...
 
- How to support a child who struggles with separation anxiety, even at home.
- Why some kids follow their parents from room to room and constantly want to stay close.
- How to respond when your child says "I miss you" without accidentally reinforcing anxiety.
- Why validating your child's feelings is important, but rescuing them from distress can sometimes make separation harder over time.
- Simple ways to help children build confidence tolerating small separations through play, connection, and gradual stretching.
- How to figure out your child's "stretch point" so you can support growth without overwhelming them.
- Creative ways to use timers, playfulness, collaboration, and connection to help kids practice independence.
- How parents can reduce accommodations around anxiety while still staying warm, supportive, and emotionally attuned.
 
This episode will help you better understand what may be driving your child's clinginess or separation struggles and give you practical, compassionate strategies for helping them build confidence and independence over time.
 
 
ADDITIONAL REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:
 
👉 Want extra support in your parenting journey? Upshur Bren Psychology Group offers therapy and coaching to give parents the tools to feel more grounded and confident as they navigate parenthood and learn how to most effectively support their child. Visit upshurbren.com to explore our services and schedule a free 30-minute consultation call to find the support that's right for your family.
 
 
CHECK OUT ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE:
🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about how you can have a smoother daycare or school drop-off
 
🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about helping preschool parents prepare for drop-off, separation anxiety, and the development of social skills with Meredith Gary
 
🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about where the line is between supporting your child and feeding their anxiety
 
 
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!

Dr. Jacob Ham, licensed clinical psychologist and Director of the Center for Trauma and Resilience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, joins me for a profound conversation about trauma, attachment, presence, and the relational experiences that help us heal.
 
Together we explore:
 
- Why trauma is not defined solely by what happened to us, but by how those experiences continue to shape the way we relate to ourselves and others.
- The difference between living from a state of survival and living from a state of presence.
- How trauma can disrupt our natural capacity to move fluidly between connection, protection, openness, and autonomy.
- Why healing does not happen through insight alone, but through relationships that allow us to experience safety, reflection, and connection.
- The concept of reflective functioning and why it is one of the strongest predictors of secure attachment across generations.
- How becoming aware of our internal "chatter" can help us respond with greater compassion toward ourselves and our children.
- Why rupture and repair are a normal and necessary part of healthy relationships.
- How parents can begin breaking intergenerational cycles by cultivating curiosity, awareness, and presence.
 
This conversation offers a powerful reminder that secure attachment is not built through perfection. It is built through our willingness to stay present, remain open to reflection, and continually return to connection with ourselves and the people we love. Dr. Ham shares a deeply hopeful perspective on how healing happens and how even small moments of awareness can begin to transform the patterns we pass on to the next generation.

Beyond the Sessions is answering YOUR parenting questions! In this episode, Dr. Emily Upshur and I talk about...
 
- How to prepare young children for a big move without overwhelming them.
- Why moving can feel surprisingly emotional and disorienting for kids, even when the change is positive.
- Simple ways to help children understand what's changing, what's staying the same, and what they can expect in their new home.
- Why visual supports, transitional objects, and goodbye rituals can help kids feel more grounded during major transitions.
- How to help children stay connected to important relationships after moving away from friends, teachers, and familiar places.
- Why making new friends can feel especially stressful for some kids, and how parents can help them feel more confident socially.
- Practical ways parents can create emotional continuity, safety, and connection before, during, and after a move.
 
This episode will help you better understand how children experience major transitions and give you thoughtful, practical ways to support your child emotionally through a move.
 
 
REFERENCES AND RELATED RESOURCES:
 
👉 Want extra support in your parenting journey? Upshur Bren Psychology Group offers therapy and coaching to give parents the tools to feel more grounded and confident as they navigate parenthood and learn how to most effectively support their child. Visit upshurbren.com to explore our services and schedule a free 30-minute consultation call to find the support that's right for your family.
 
CHECK OUT ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE:
 
🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about using design and organization to support your child's nervous system with Rachel Melvald
 
🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about the neuroscience of raising emotionally resilient kids with Dr. Kristen Lindquist
 
🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about helping our children form strong friendship bonds with Dr. Eileen Kennedy-Moore
 
 
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!

Dr. Tracy Dennis-Tiwary, clinical psychologist, researcher, and author of Future Tense: Why Anxiety Is Good for You (Even Though It Feels Bad), joins me to talk about why anxiety is one of the most misunderstood emotions in parenting.
 
Together we explore:
 
The surprising difference between anxiety that helps us grow and anxiety that gets in the way.
Why anxiety may be helping your child (and you!) more than you realize.
How to tell when anxiety is healthy and when it's becoming a problem.
Why some of the most common responses to childhood anxiety can backfire.
The surprising connection between anxiety, hope, and resilience.
How parents can become a source of calm without dismissing or fixing their child's feelings.
The simple shift that can help you stop seeing anxiety as the enemy.
Dr. Dennis-Tiwary's three-step framework for responding to anxiety in yourself and your child.
 
This conversation offers a powerful reframe for parents who want to support their children through anxiety without reinforcing fear or avoidance. It is about learning to see anxiety not as an enemy, but as a normal part of being human, and helping our children develop the confidence to face uncertainty, navigate discomfort, and trust their ability to handle life's challenges.
 
 
LEARN MORE ABOUT MY GUEST:
🔗https://www.tracydennistiwary.com/ 
📚Future Tense: Why Anxiety Is Good for You (Even Though It Feels Bad) – A Psychologist's Paradigm Shift for Understanding and Hope
📱@dr.tracyphd
 
 
LEARN MORE ABOUT ME:
🔗 Dr. Sarah Bren 
🔗 Check out my group practice, Upshur Bren Psychology Group, offering therapy and coaching for individuals, children, parents, and families 
📱IG: @drsarahbren
 
 
ADDITIONAL REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:
 
👉 Looking for support for a child struggling with anxiety or OCD? If your child is struggling with anxiety or OCD, Upshur Bren Psychology Group offers SPACE-based parent support through both a virtual group and individualized care. Go to upshurbren.com/space to learn more or book a free 30-minute consultation with our care team, who will listen carefully and help you determine the best support for your family.
 
🎧 The mattering gap: Why so many parents feel invisible, overwhelmed, and disconnected with Jennifer Wallace 
 
 
CHECK OUT ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE:
🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) with Dr. Eli Lebowitz of the Yale Child Study Center
 
🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about how to find the line between supporting your child and feeding their anxiety
 
🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about how parents can know when their child's anxiety may require a mental health intervention

Beyond the Sessions is answering YOUR parenting questions! In this episode, Dr. Rebecca Hershberg, Dr. Emily Upshur, and I talk about...
 
Why it is completely normal for young children to explore their bodies and engage in self-soothing behaviors.
How parents can respond to self-touching in a calm, shame-free, developmentally appropriate way.
The difference between setting healthy boundaries and unintentionally communicating shame around bodies or pleasure.
Why some children may use self-touching as a form of sensory input, comfort, or emotional regulation, especially at bedtime.
How to teach children about privacy and body boundaries using neutral, age-appropriate language.
What to do when self-touching is happening in a shared bedroom or around siblings.
Ways to help children expand their self-soothing toolbox with other calming sensory and bedtime supports.
Why parents' own discomfort or cultural messaging around sexuality can sometimes shape how these moments feel.
How to navigate sibling questions or reactions without making the behavior feel scary or secretive.
The importance of helping children feel safe, accepted, and connected to their bodies while still maintaining appropriate boundaries.
 
This episode will help you feel more confident responding to common childhood self-soothing and body exploration behaviors with calm, clarity, and compassion.
 
 
REFERENCES AND RELATED RESOURCES:
 
👉 Want extra support in your parenting journey? Upshur Bren Psychology Group offers therapy and coaching to give parents the tools to feel more grounded and confident as they navigate parenthood and learn how to most effectively support their child. Visit upshurbren.com to explore our services and schedule a free 30-minute consultation call to find the support that's right for your family.
 
 
CHECK OUT ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE:
 
🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about what to do when your son always has his hands down his pants
 
🎧 Listen to my podcast episode with how developmentally appropriate expectations, boundaries, body autonomy, and consent with sex therapist Dr. Holly Richmond
 
🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about how to get your 3-year-old to do things they don't want to do
 
 
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!