In this episode of Stress-Free IEP®, Frances Shefter speaks with Robin Brannan, a Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapist with 20+ years experience supporting neurodivergent families. Her practice, Better Together Family Therapy, specializes in neurodiversity affirming and LGBTQIA+ affirming therapy for adults, children, teens and families. She and her team of seasoned clinicians serve families online throughout Maryland and in person in their Kensington office. Robin is also a proud parent of 2 neurospicy teens.
Episode Summary:
Introduction:
Frances Shefter hosts licensed clinical marriage and family therapist Robin Brannan, who has over 20 years of experience supporting neurodivergent families. Robin leads Better Together Family Therapy (https://betterfamilytherapy.com), a practice in Maryland that provides neurodiversity-affirming and LGBTQIA+ supportive therapy for families, adults, children, and teens.
The Importance of Couple and Family Therapy:
Robin emphasizes the importance of a strong couple system for family well-being, suggesting that parents begin with couple or co-parenting therapy to create a unified approach. She also highlights that while individual therapy is valuable, it’s crucial to choose a therapist trained to look at family systems, as some therapists may unintentionally influence clients to consider leaving relationships.
Supporting Nonverbal Children and Communication Challenges:
Robin discusses the challenge of supporting nonverbal or minimally verbal children, stressing that as parents, we often rely heavily on reading nonverbal cues. She explains the difficulty parents face when systems misinterpret a lack of verbal communication as a lack of cognitive ability, which is a common frustration for parents of neurodivergent children.
Parental Self-Care and Balance:
Robin discusses the necessity of self-care for parents to maintain a healthy boundary between their experiences and those of their children. She suggests practical strategies such as setting up a “Parent IEP” that includes taking extended time for themselves, reducing workloads, and focusing on their own mental health. This approach, she explains, ultimately benefits children by allowing parents to remain calm and present.
Parenting Challenges and Adjustments in Goals:
Robin and Frances discuss the balance between supporting children’s mental health and managing school demands. They stress that focusing on mental well-being and manageable expectations is key, especially in an educational system that may not always accommodate neurodivergent needs effectively. Frances shares how she prioritizes her children’s mental health over strict academic requirements, even when this means adjusting or opting out of certain assignments.
Self-Care Tips and Strategies for Parents:
Robin introduces the concept of “thrillers, chillers, and fillers” to help parents categorize self-care activities that energize, calm, or simply entertain. She encourages parents to use waiting room time for self-care and to set boundaries with technology, such as limiting access to emails outside work hours to reduce stress.
Navigating Co-Parenting and Compromise:
Robin advises co-parents to listen to each other’s priorities and to yield when something is particularly important to one partner. She highlights the importance of open communication and compromise, especially for parents with differing views on parenting approaches and therapy.
Conclusion: This episode underscores the importance of intentional self-care and co-parenting strategies to better support children. Robin’s insights encourage parents to balance their children’s needs with their own, allowing them to parent effectively while maintaining their well-being.
Frances Shefter is an Education Attorney and Advocate who is committed to helping her clients have a Stress-Free IEP® experience. In each podcast, Frances interviews inspiring people to share information, educate you, empower you and help you get the knowledge you need.
Neurodiversity- & LGBTQIA+-Affirming Therapy with Robin Brannan of Better Together Family Therapy
Stress-Free IEP® with Frances Shefter, Episode 78
In this episode of Stress-Free IEP®, Frances Shefter speaks with Robin Brannan, a Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapist with 20+ years experience supporting neurodivergent families. Her practice, Better Together Family Therapy, specializes in neurodiversity affirming and LGBTQIA+ affirming therapy for adults, children, teens and families. She and her team of seasoned clinicians serve families online throughout Maryland and in person in their Kensington office. Robin is also a proud parent of 2 neurospicy teens.
Episode Summary:
Introduction:
Frances Shefter hosts licensed clinical marriage and family therapist Robin Brannan, who has over 20 years of experience supporting neurodivergent families. Robin leads Better Together Family Therapy (https://betterfamilytherapy.com), a practice in Maryland that provides neurodiversity-affirming and LGBTQIA+ supportive therapy for families, adults, children, and teens.
The Importance of Couple and Family Therapy:
Robin emphasizes the importance of a strong couple system for family well-being, suggesting that parents begin with couple or co-parenting therapy to create a unified approach. She also highlights that while individual therapy is valuable, it’s crucial to choose a therapist trained to look at family systems, as some therapists may unintentionally influence clients to consider leaving relationships.
Supporting Nonverbal Children and Communication Challenges:
Robin discusses the challenge of supporting nonverbal or minimally verbal children, stressing that as parents, we often rely heavily on reading nonverbal cues. She explains the difficulty parents face when systems misinterpret a lack of verbal communication as a lack of cognitive ability, which is a common frustration for parents of neurodivergent children.
Parental Self-Care and Balance:
Robin discusses the necessity of self-care for parents to maintain a healthy boundary between their experiences and those of their children. She suggests practical strategies such as setting up a “Parent IEP” that includes taking extended time for themselves, reducing workloads, and focusing on their own mental health. This approach, she explains, ultimately benefits children by allowing parents to remain calm and present.
Parenting Challenges and Adjustments in Goals:
Robin and Frances discuss the balance between supporting children’s mental health and managing school demands. They stress that focusing on mental well-being and manageable expectations is key, especially in an educational system that may not always accommodate neurodivergent needs effectively. Frances shares how she prioritizes her children’s mental health over strict academic requirements, even when this means adjusting or opting out of certain assignments.
Self-Care Tips and Strategies for Parents:
Robin introduces the concept of “thrillers, chillers, and fillers” to help parents categorize self-care activities that energize, calm, or simply entertain. She encourages parents to use waiting room time for self-care and to set boundaries with technology, such as limiting access to emails outside work hours to reduce stress.
Navigating Co-Parenting and Compromise:
Robin advises co-parents to listen to each other’s priorities and to yield when something is particularly important to one partner. She highlights the importance of open communication and compromise, especially for parents with differing views on parenting approaches and therapy.
Conclusion: This episode underscores the importance of intentional self-care and co-parenting strategies to better support children. Robin’s insights encourage parents to balance their children’s needs with their own, allowing them to parent effectively while maintaining their well-being.
Learn more about Robin Brannan:
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Stress-Free IEP®:
Frances Shefter is an Education Attorney and Advocate who is committed to helping her clients have a Stress-Free IEP® experience. In each podcast, Frances interviews inspiring people to share information, educate you, empower you and help you get the knowledge you need.
Watch more episodes of Stress-Free IEP®:
Connect and learn more from your host, Frances Shefter:
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