Q&A: Is the 24/7 news cycle harming your mental health?
We're doing something a little different on Beyond the Sessions this week! Instead of answering a listener question, Dr. Emily Upshur, Dr. Rebecca Hershberg, and I are unpacking a fascinating (and slightly unsettling) study about how media exposure to traumatic events can affect our mental health—and what it means for us and our kids. In this episode, we talk about: - A study that found people who watched repeated news coverage about the Boston Marathon Bombing showed more markers of stress than some who were actually there. - Why constant exposure to distressing headlines can keep your nervous system stuck in fight-or-flight. - How past trauma and chronic stress can make us more vulnerable to media-induced anxiety. - What "orienting to safety" means and simple ways to help your brain (and your child's) return to calm. - How to talk to kids about scary news stories in age-appropriate, grounding ways. In a world where we're surrounded by 24/7 coverage of crisis and tragedy, this conversation will help you understand what's happening inside your brain and body and give you tools for focusing on building resilience and safety for your child. REFERENCES AND RELATED RESOURCES: 📚 Media's role in broadcasting acute stress following the Boston Marathon bombings ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE: 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about parental dysregulation with Dr. Amber Thornton 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about parental burnout 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about how to be intentional with your tech use with Catherine Price 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about motherhood as a millennial with Marcella Kelson 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!
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Navigating high-conflict divorce while prioritizing your own needs and attachment relationships with Karen McMahon
High-conflict divorce doesn't just end a marriage, it can shake your identity, your parenting, and your ability to feel grounded. Joining me to share guidance for parents at the beginning, in the thick of it, or still processing the aftermath is divorce coach Karen McMahon. Together we explore: - What defines a high-conflict parent and how this dynamic impacts families. - Why trying to change your ex keeps you stuck—and where your real power lies. - Practical strategies to co-parent effectively, even when cooperation feels impossible. - How to protect kids from the emotional "shrapnel" of conflict while staying grounded yourself. - How unresolved trauma and attachment patterns can influence who we choose as partners—and how to break those cycles. - The role of boundaries, support systems, and self-healing in transforming not just your divorce, but your identity moving forward. Whether you're in the midst of a high-conflict divorce or supporting someone who is, this conversation offers compassionate insight and practical tools to help you reclaim your confidence, protect your children, and move forward with grace. LEARN MORE ABOUT MY GUEST: 🔗 https://www.jbddivorcesupport.com/ 🎧 Journey Beyond Divorce Podcast 📞 Rapid Relief Call FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: 📱@journey_beyond_divorce 📱@drsarahbren ADDITIONAL REFERENCES AND RESOURCES: 🔗 If you're currently in the midst of separation, moving forward after divorce, or adjusting to life post-split, Upshur Bren Psychology Group's weekly virtual Divorce Process Group for Women provides a safe space for women to process their emotions, gain support, and build strategies for moving forward. Visit https://upshurbren.com/group-womensdivorce or schedule a free 30-minute consultation call to learn more. CHECK OUT ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE: 🎧334. Divorce, custody & co-parenting: The legal considerations parents need to know with matrimonial attorney Lisa Zeiderman 🎧 42. Busting divorce myths and breaking down the true affect it has on children: A conversation with Michelle Dempsey-Multack 🎧 322. Navigating divorce or separation through a family systems approach: Preventative steps to reduce the risk of insecure attachment with Una Archer 🎧106. Recognizing and overcoming codependency in parenthood with Alana Carvalho 🎧 199. Q&A: What are strategies for co-parenting with a narcissist?
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Q&A: How should I handle potty regressions in my older child?
Beyond the Sessions is answering YOUR parenting questions! In this episode Dr. Emily Upshur, and I talk about... - Why potty regressions can happen even years after a child is toilet trained. -Why getting to the root of your child's challenges — whether accidents stem from a medical issue or a psychological struggle — is key to finding the right approach and intervention. - What to do (and what not to do) when your child starts hiding accidents out of shame or embarrassment. - How to help your child take ownership and build confidence, without making them feel bad. - Practical tips for handling accidents at playdates, with friends, or in public, while preserving your child's dignity. This episode will help you make sense of what's behind potty regressions in older kids and offer practical, shame-free ways to support your child's body awareness, confidence, and emotional well-being. CHECK OUT ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE: 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode with everything you need to know before you start potty training 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about bed wetting, constipation and pelvic health with Quiara Smith 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about interoception and the importance of helping kids connect body signals to emotions with OT Kelly Mahler 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!
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Secure attachment in autism: How to help neurodiverse kids build joy, confidence, and connection with Dr. Peter Vermeulen
Joining me this week is Dr. Peter Vermeulen, psychologist, author, and founder of Autism in Context. Peter has spent more than 35 years helping families, educators, and clinicians better understand autism and what it truly means to live a happy, meaningful life. Together we explore: - Why happiness and well-being deserve as much attention as therapies or interventions for autistic individuals - and what we can learn from autistic people who are thriving. - How reframing "stereotyped interests" as passions and talents can open doors to meaning, confidence, and even careers. - Why predictability is so essential for autistic children's sense of safety and how parents can build that into daily routines and relationships to foster a secure attachment bond. - Just like you feed your child before they get hangry, how parents can "pre-regulate" their child's nervous system throughout the day to prevent overload, meltdowns, and dysregulation. - Why autistic children absolutely do form attachments — and how differences in communication and perception can lead to misunderstandings in connection, not an absence of it. - Practical ways to nurture love and security (Spoiler: things like creating predictable rituals, using concrete symbols, establishing shared routines to strengthen your bond, and more!) Peter's message is both deeply compassionate and hopeful: autistic individuals are capable of happiness, love, and purpose — and when we meet them with curiosity and respect for how their brains see the world, we can help them build lives filled with meaning and joy. LEARN MORE ABOUT MY GUEST: 🔗 https://petervermeulen.be/ 🔗 Good Feeling Questionnaire 📚 Autism as Context Blindness 📚 Autism and The Predictive Brain FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: 📱@pedrovermeulen 📱@drsarahbren ADDITIONAL REFERENCES AND RESOURCES: 🔗 Every child deserves to feel safe, understood, and supported — and every parent deserves a place to turn. At Upshur Bren Psychology Group, we offer a full continuum of autism services: diagnostic testing, individual therapy, and parent support groups for families raising children and young adults on the spectrum. Visit upshurbren.com to learn more about support options for you and your child. 🔗 Leo Kanner and autism: a 75-year perspective 🔗Attachment and Autism Spectrum Disorder (Without Intellectual Disability) During Middle Childhood: In Search of the Missing Piece CHECK OUT ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE: 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about treating autism with a strength based approach with Dr. Lynn Kern Koegel 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about neurodiverse brains and sleep with Dr. Funke Afolabi-Brown 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about determining if a neuropsych evaluation is right for your child with Dr. Yael Rothman & Dr. Katia Fredriksen 🎧 Listen to my podcast episodes about Resources for Infant educarers with Deborah Carlisle Solomon
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Q&A: Should I let my child eat as much Halloween candy as they want?
Beyond the Sessions is answering YOUR parenting questions! In this episode I talk about... - How to handle Halloween candy without guilt, power struggles, or micromanaging. - Strategies for finding that balance between restricting sweets while also allowing your child to enjoy the fun of the holiday. - Why your own food anxieties might be showing up more than you realize — and how not to pass them on. - How to use this as an opportunity to build trust, awareness, and healthy boundaries. - Practical ways to help kids build awareness, self-control, and a healthy relationship with food that lasts long after Halloween. If your feeling overwhelmed about just how you're going to approach trick-or-treating this year, this episode will help you cut through the noise, manage your own worries, and approach this holiday with more confidence. LEARN MORE ABOUT ME: Check out my website: drsarahbren.com Follow me on Instagram: @drsarahbren REFERENCES AND RELATED RESOURCES: 📚 Child of Mine: Feeding with Love and Good Sense by Ellyn Satter 🎧 Collaboration over control: Using Collaborative Problem Solving to navigate power struggles, tantrums, and challenging behaviors with Dr. Stuart Ablon 🔗Watch my ✨FREE✨ workshop, Overcoming Power Struggles, where I'll teach you the exact strategies I use in my clinical practice to help parents break free from the cycle of yelling, threats, and negotiations—and instead foster cooperation, connection, and calm. Just visit drsarahbren.com/powerstruggles to get instant access to this workshop. CHECK OUT ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE: 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about how can I help your child feel less scared of Halloween? 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about how to know if you're giving in too much and becoming permissive 🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about what to do if you have a kid who would never stop eating if you don't restrict their food intake 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!
Securely Attached is your go-to parenting podcast, supporting moms and dads from pregnancy all the way through their child's adolescence and every stage in between.
Join us every Tuesday as clinical psychologist and mom of two Dr. Sarah Bren shares her expertise and interviews top experts in the field, simplifying complicated concepts and pulling back the curtain on the brain science and psychology that drives and shapes the parent-child relationship.
And now, every Thursday, Dr. Sarah Bren is joined by Dr. Emily Upshur and Dr. Rebecca Hershberg for a special segment, Beyond The Sessions. We're answering YOUR parenting questions from the perspective of clinical psychologists highly trained in developmental science and real-life moms who get that parenting is messy, and sometimes we have to laugh, cry, and throw out the "rules."
From toddler tantrums, to effective discipline strategies, to leaning into the principles of respectful parenting, and to managing your own mental wellness as a parent—this podcast is your ultimate resource for judgment-free, research-backed information you know you can trust.
About Sarah Bren, PhD
Dr. Sarah Bren is a licensed clinical psychologist and mom of two who helps parents understand the building blocks of child development and how secure relationships form and thrive. Her work is focused on helping parents find their inner confidence so they can respond to any parenting problem that comes along and raise kids who are healthy, resilient, and kind.
New Zealand