013 Parenting Your Highly Sensitive Child Like a Ninja with Megghan Thompson, LCPC

EPISODE

Episode 13

TITLE

Parent Your Highly Sensitive Child Like a Ninja

GUEST

Megghan Thompson, LCPC

EPISODE OVERVIEW

Parenting a Highly Sensitive Child (HSC) can be challenging—especially if your child has meltdowns.  Megghan talks about the Shame Meltdown Cycle; What works to raise an HSC; how to avoid sending the message to your child that that they are wrong; how to communicate with your HSC to strengthen your relationship, and effective ways to communicate with your child to build a solid relationship and mirror your child’s strengths.  We talk about the challenges that external validation (reward/sticker programs) pose as well as ways to avoid communicating in a way that increases shame and perfectionism.

highlights

DBT—Dialetctical Behavioral Therapy Vantage Sensitivity—when parents change how they parent, the Highly Sensitive Child (HSC) will benefit more than a non-HSC, and the HSC will feel better about themselves. The HSC will thrive and do much better and will respond faster than a non HSC. Differential Susceptibility—Highly Sensitive Persons (HSPs) suffer more in highly negative environments compared to non HSPs. The opposite is also true in the HSPs benefit more in highly positive environments than non HSPs. HSPs/HSCs also notice more positive things in positive environments A little bit of positivity can give an HSP hope, but if an HSC is having frequent meltdowns, they end up feeling incapable and say things like, “You guys would be better off without me.” Or “I wish I was in a different family.” “I wish I were dead.” For children, a little bit of positivity goes a long way Traditional parenting says it’s the child that needs to learn skills, but Megghan has learned that when the family changes the environment and how they parent, everyone benefits The HSC changes how he/she feels about himself/herself when the parents change the environment Shame can be pervasive for HSCs and HSPs

 

Shame Meltdown Cycle— The HSC feels shame—I’m a bad kid; I didn’t do it fast enough or good enough This is followed by having big feelings—they are told not to worry They learn to hide their emotions, internalize, or think there is something wrong with them What does the HSC do with these feelings—they learn to stuff, bottle or deny their feelings Eventually the child explodes They are given a consequence, but there is no repair work; no tools taught, the family is still not talking about feelings or validating the HSC’s feelings so the cycle repeats itself Don’t tell your child not to worry! It’s really important to validate their feelings!

 

BIO  

Megghan Thompson is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor and Parent Coach who has specialized in working with Highly Sensitive Children and their parents for a decade. She helps parents eliminate daily meltdowns in as little as 8 weeks without giving in or doing a complete overhaul of their household, and strengthen the relationship with their child in the process. Growing up with a Highly Sensitive sister, she also has firsthand experience of the struggles families face when they don't understand the needs of Highly Sensitive Children.

She has extensive training and experience working with sensitive teens who engage in self-harmful and life-threatening behaviors, and has made it her mission to build an army of ninja parents of Highly Sensitive Children to prevent this from happening for other sensitive kids and their families. 

She owns a group practice in Mount Airy, Maryland that specializes in treating Highly Sensitive Children, teens, and their families.

You can find her on Facebook through her group: Parent Your Highly Sensitive Child Like a Ninja, and a link to her free training for parents of HSCs will be in the show notes.

 

LINKS

Parent Your Highly Sensitive Child Like a Ninja Facebook Group: https://goo.gl/yTre1h

Free Parent Training: https://www.megghanthompsoncoaching.com/p/5steps

Schedule a Free Consultation: https://www.megghanthompsoncoaching.com/p/talk

 

 

Dr. Elaine Aron’s website— https://hsperson.com/

 

HSP Self-test-- https://hsperson.com/test/highly-sensitive-test/

HSP Child self-test-- https://hsperson.com/test/highly-sensitive-child-test/

 

Introversion, Extroversion and the Highly Sensitive Person by Jaquelyn Strickland, LPC-- https://hsperson.com/introversion-extroversion-and-the-highly-sensitive-person/

 

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Website--www.patriciayounglcsw.com

Podcast--www.unapologeticallysensitive.com

Facebook--https://www.facebook.com/Patricia-Young-LCSW-162005091044090/

Facebook group Unapologetically Sensitive-- https://www.facebook.com/groups/2099705880047619/

Instagram--https://www.instagram.com/unapologeticallysensitive/

Youtube--https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOE6fodj7RBdO3Iw0NrAllg/videos?view_as=subscriber

e-mail—[email protected]

Show hashtag--#unapologeticallysensitive

MUSIC—Gravel Dance by Andy Robinson www.andyrobinson.com

Youtube--https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOE6fodj7RBdO3Iw0NrAllg/videos?view_as=subscriber

e-mail--[email protected]

Show hashtag--#unapologeticallysensitive

MUSIC—Gravel Dance by Andy Robinson www.andyrobinson.com