As a parent, your greatest and most effective tool for decreasing challenging behaviors is the ability to provide co-regulation for your child. Contrary to what many think, this is not simply a psychological or emotional process underway but is one that resides deep within our nervous system and our child’s nervous system.

In this Power Hour, we will talk about what is meant by self-regulation and co-regulation and why it is important for us to be cognizant of these two elements as a parent. We will talk about how this might look different when parenting a child with a brain-based diagnosis or disability and strategies for increasing the ability to stay regulated when your child is in the midst of incredibly challenging behaviors. No matter how little or how much we know about this topic, there is always room to grow in our understanding of ourselves from this nervous system lens, so I hope you will join us for this important discussion.

About Eileen Devine, LCSW:

Eileen has over a dozen years of clinical experience and is the adoptive mother of a child with fetal alcohol syndrome. She believes that kids do well if they can and that when we understand how a child’s brain works, we understand the meaning behind challenging behaviors. Eileen’s goal is to not only support parents in feeling more competent and confident in connecting with their child by parenting from a brain-based perspective but also to recognize their experience as the parent of a child with challenging behavioral symptoms and their impact on their sense of self and well-being. When these two sides of the neurobehavioral coin can be equally addressed, there is less frustration and increased hope in this unique parenting journey.

Eileen has her License in Clinical Social Work and is a certified facilitator in the teaching and application of the neurobehavioral model, as developed by FASCETS founder Diane Malbin.  She has also completed Tier 1 training in Think:Kids Collaborative Problem Solving. Eileen is an instructor for the Post-Master’s Certificate in Adoption and Foster Therapy through Portland State University’s Child Welfare Partnership, training other therapists on the neurobehavioral model.

Founder of the Brain First Parenting Program and The Resilience Room 

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