The Power of Validation: Arming Your Kids Against Bullying, Peer Pressure, Addiction, Self-Harm and Out-of-Control Emotions

Please join us in the Brubeck Room for a SPED*NET presentation by Terry D'Elisa on The Power of Validation.  In their book The Power of Validation: Arming your Child Against Bullying, Peer Pressure, Addiction, Self-Harm & Out-Of-Control Behavior, Karyn D. Hall and Melissa H. Cook explain that validation means recognizing and accepting your child’s thoughts and feelings, even if you don’t think they should be experiencing them.  Children who are validated feel reassured that they’ll be accepted and loved regardless of their feelings; children who are not validated are more vulnerable to peer pressure, bullying, and emotional and behavioral problems. Understanding how to validate your children’s thoughts and feelings without condoning their inappropriate behaviors will lay the groundwork for a healthier parent-child relationship, reduce conflict, and equip your child with the courage to resist peer pressure and retain healthy self-esteem, through adolescence and adulthood.

Terry D’Elisa will discuss what validation is (and what it is not), provide helpful ways to respond to strong emotions, and help you teach your children how to cope better and self-regulate when confronted with day-to-day challenges. Her discussion will be based on The Power of Validation by Hall and Cook, as well as on The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read (and Your Children Will be Glad That You Did) by Philippa Perry.  

Terry D’Elisa, PsyD, ABPP, NCSP,  is a graduate of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) with a doctoral degree in School Psychology. She completed her doctoral degree with concentrations in School Neuropsychology and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and is Board Certified in School Psychology. While at PCOM, Dr. D’Elisa studied under Dr. George McCluskey, a renowned expert on ADHD and Executive Functioning. She has completed training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and uses both CBT and DBT in her therapy practice.  Dr. D’Elisa provides therapeutic support to children, teens and adults and coaching for parents to assist them in managing challenging behaviors and improving parent/child and co-parenting relationships. 

Presented by SPED*NET in partnership with Wilton Library and Wilton Public Schools.

Registration suggested.