In a conversation about therapeutic parenting and the upcoming Parenting in SPACE conference, Billy Kaplan told Lon Woodbury and Liz McGhee, the host and co-hosts of the Woodbury Report podcast, that parents who attended the conference in the past left it feeling hopeful, though they came to the conferences feeling despondent. Billy also told his hosts that therapeutic…..
Limited Seating Available for Parenting in SPACE: Now An International Conference
Parents from across the United States and Canada will be gathering in Northbrook, Illinois to connect, learn and laugh at the Parenting in SPACE conference April 24-26, 2015. The Parenting in SPACE conference helps individuals and couples, many of whom have adopted their children, to become therapeutic parents and learn additional ways to heal their…..
Sincere Regrets
By Billy Kaplan, President & Clinical Director Creating and facilitating communication is essential to what I do as a therapist. I help people to “communicate” with themselves, and to understand themselves in new ways so that they can make positive changes in their lives to feel and function better. And I help family members communicate…..
Do. And then understand.
I spent last weekend in the middle of the desert in New Mexico visiting a residential program outside Albuquerque. I could tell you about being impressed that the facilities of the Sandhill Child Development Center were actual homes that were re-developed as residential programs; that each of the rooms (except bathrooms) and hallways are monitored by…..
Happy (?) Mother’s Day
By Billy Kaplan Mother’s Day: two words that send chills down the spines of adoptive mothers the world over. Years ago one mom told me how much she dreaded Mother’s Day because every one of the previous celebrations of it were just horrible. The kids sabotaged each and every one. So as I met with…..
The “Yes, and…” Challenge
By Billy Kaplan Those of you who have met me, or heard me speak about children with attachment and trauma difficulties have heard me talk about the first rule of improv theatre: “Yes, and…” You’ve heard me say that I believe “Yes, and…” is a critical tool in the therapeutic parenting tool bag. And I…..
A True Story from Parenting in SPACE (woven from parents who attended before)
In the two days of the conference, “I felt for the first time that there were people who understood what our family deals with from day to day. My stories were not odd or shocking.” When I think about what made it special, to be honest, I think, “what didn’t make it special?” “[We] laughed…..
Sticky Fingers (and we ain’t talking about the Rolling Stones)
It’s pretty common for kids with attachment and trauma problems to include “sticky fingers” , aka, a problem with stealing. So a while ago I asked other parents on Parenting in SPACE to give advice, and what follows is what they said. I hope it is helpful to those of you who may have kids…..