Creating Nurturing Environments in Families from the Beginning

Martha Edwards, Ph.D, is the Founder and Director of the Ackerman Institute’s Center for the Developing Child and Family and the Institute’s Director of Research. She created the Bright Beginnings Parent-Child Program, which works with families and parents of toddlers to improve children’s mental health and well-being, and is based on her research as a clinician. In 2015, she received the “Innovative Contributions to Family Therapy” award by the American Family Therapy Academy for her work. She has also served as a Board Member and Vice-President for the American Family Therapy Academy.

 

In today’s episode, host Shay Beider welcomes Martha to talk about her experience in family healing and how a healthy emotional foundation can create a fundamentally sound family. She closely examines the relationship between race, ethnicity, and gender, and explores how they all come into play in the therapeutic process. Martha shares the importance of emotional availability in parents and how this leads to better connections between a child and parent. She also speaks on the role of emotional intelligence in parents and the importance of creating healthy boundaries in parenting.

 

Transcripts for this episode are available at: https://www.integrativetouch.org/conversations-on-healing 

 

Show Notes:

Read more on the Ackerman Institute’s Center for the Developing Child and Family Find out about NY Zero to Three Network here Details on Bright Beginnings Parent-Child Program ANAM CARA by John O'Donohue Pema Chodron, the Buddhist Nun Dr. Brené Brown Eleanor Roosevelt Madame Marie Curie 

 

This podcast was created by Integrative Touch for Kids (ITK). ITK is working to change the way people experience healthcare. ITK supports families whose children have any type of special health or medical need. This includes kids with cancers, genetic conditions, autism, cerebral palsy, traumatic stress, and other serious health issues. We have pioneered a new therapy called Integrative Touch™ and reach 3500 people each year in the hospital and community settings. We engage communities in support of families struggling with special medical needs and offer unique Telehealth programs to families and healthcare providers during this challenging time. Thanks to the incredible support of our volunteers and contributors, individuals are able to receive our healing services at little or no cost.