After seeing a dear friend’s family struggle with a child with a behavior disorder, I know very well how hard it is to find help for families and children battling these kinds of issues – especially young children. So I was thrilled when Beth Madison McCullen began offering psychotherapy services for families and children from preschool to age 10 right here on Sadler Road in Fernandina Beach. What a much-needed service! Among her child, family and adult offerings, Beth created a very unique program to help families address issues before they turn into crises (read more below). Beth is a friend and sponsor of Mamamelia. A huge thanks to Beth for taking care of children and families in our area – she’s filling a huge need here! You can learn more about the business at fernandinacounseling.com. ~ Mamamelia
Beth
Have you ever felt that, despite your best efforts and good intentions, you get stuck in a parenting rut – recycling the same conflicts and not really enjoying your time with your kids as much as you should? Do you sometimes worry whether you are as good a parent as you wanted to be? Wish you could press the “reset” button and take a fresh look at how your kids are growing and how you interact?
A new program being offered by Fernandina Beach psychotherapist Beth Madison McCullen might be the opportunity you are looking for.
“Even the best parents sometimes struggle with the everyday demands of parenting in their busy lives,” says Beth. “Emotional Wellness for Children – Six Steps is designed to give parents and their young children a chance to step back and learn how to apply some simple skills to reduce unproductive conflicts while increasing empathy and understanding. It can also provide a healthy forum for partners to discuss disagreements about what is the ‘right way’ to parent, and for concerned parents to get some much needed perspective on how their child is developing.”
In twelve years of practice as a psychotherapist, Beth saw how traditional therapy can be focused on crisis resolution rather than early intervention, which can build patterns of healthy interaction and prevent problems from developing. She wanted to develop a program for families who want to take a proactive approach, borrowing from techniques and resources used in traditional therapy.
“I’ve worked with children and families in in-patient crisis stabilization, in-home family therapy, and outpatient settings both in agencies and private practice,” says Beth. “I often saw families struggling to resolve issues that had developed over years before finally reaching a crisis point. When I decided to open my own practice here, I saw it as an opportunity to focus on what I think is one of the most overlooked opportunities in my field – early intervention with young children.”
The “Six Steps” program is focused on helping young children understand and deal with their own emotions and recognize the emotional reactions of others. At the same time, it seeks to provide parents with some simple techniques to reduce the recurring conflicts that interfere with effective parent/child communication, and learn to deal with children in a more empathic way. Research suggests that “emotional intelligence” can be as or more important than IQ as a pathway to success in adulthood.
“Six Steps” is not a group program, but consists of six individual sessions, held in Beth’s office at 2384 Sadler Road in Fernandina Beach.
“Because it is an individual program,” says Beth, “we can tailor it to your family’s particular personality, beliefs and goals. Your child will be included in most sessions, and, as you work on the materials for your goals, your child will participate in play and art therapy. We will set goals, implement new rules at home, help your child listen to you, help you listen to your child, and, as a consequence, work on building your child’s positive self-concept.”
For more information on Beth’s practice and the Emotional Wellness program, go to www.fernandinacounseling.com or call 904-463-9226.
