The Empowered Parent supports neurodivergent families worldwide in minimizing stress and increasing self-regulation at home.
We believe in inclusivity and belonging, so all are welcome to join who wish to take this parental growth journey with us.
It Starts with Mindfully Increasing Wellbeing within the Family.
We can't give what we do not have.
Parents are often so busy taking care of their child’s special needs that they neglect their own.
When the parent’s health and wellbeing is compromised, their ability to care for their child is compromised.
“We can give what we do not have”
An Unchecked Mind can Create Unwanted Problems
Parenting children with high needs is challenging, but often, parents are unknowingly doing things that can make complex and stressful situations even harder.
It is common for parents to spend a lot of time and mental energy worrying about their child's current challenges. They constantly and unconsciously think about the child's problems (with minimal focus on their strengths) while getting lost in perpetual worries and fears.
This has many consequences including, the depletion of the parent's mental health and well-being, and compromises the connection between the parent and the child.
More Joy Less Stress
When parents have a deeper insight into what they can change and the tools to do it, they can create a new way of showing up as parents, strengthening the connection between them and their children. Life is stressful unless we know how to tackle it in a way that allows for more fun and joy.
Difficult parenting moments are much easier when we come from a place of love, joy, and compassion (for ourselves and our children) over guilt and shame. To make this shift requires new beliefs and thinking that better serve us and our children.
Taking this parental growth journey with us will change the prism through which you see yourself as a parent & your child. You will learn & use simple but effective tools & practices to approach everyday situations with more consciousness, connection, and calm. Research shows that supporting parent's wellbeing and stress is a critical part of helping the child.
How The Empowered Parent Courses & Global Community Supports Transformation:
Online Short Courses
Our lives are busy & having bite-size tools & tips we can implement immediately allows for faster changes.
Guidence & Support
Acceptance, accountability, and action comes when taking the parental growth path alongside an open-minded global community that gets you.
Virtual Meetups
Feel free to join our virtual question, answer, and discussion meetups because it's easier to make changes in our life when we feel inspired and supported.
Our program combines short lectures with interactive group coaching and Q&A meetups, designed to foster a supportive community while providing personalized guidance. Each week focuses on a specific theme, building upon the last to create a comprehensive journey towards resilience and positive parenting.
Enrollment Opening Soon
Discover innovative (yet easy to implement) approaches to create more joy in your life, & stress less, then demonstrate these new ways of showing up for your kids (so they can learn to do the same).
The next cohort is coming soon! Add yourself to the waiting list below.
Published reseach on this the impact of this program in decreasing parental stress can be found at:
This online course, coaching, & community gives you the tools & support to:
- More energy and mental clarity to see things that bother or trigger you in a new light.
- Become less triggered & more resilient as you see & experience the things that used to trigger you in a new light.
- Mindfully model how you want your child to respond in stressful situations.
- Feel More Joy as you focus more on what is good in your life while being mindful of the thoughts that take you into the "problem loop."
- Manage confrontations, outbursts, meltdowns, and intense emotions with more patience, empathy, and compassion (for yourself & your child).
- Lead by example, teaching your child to feel more joy and less stress by implementing new tools and practices.
Why this course & community & why now?
- When we experience high levels of stress, our relationships become strained & stressed. When we better manage our stress, the door opens to creating more positive & loving connections to those around us.
- When our health & wellbeing suffer, the family suffers.
- Our children (especially our sensitive ones) feel our emotions. When you are overwhelmed or feeling discontent, even when you say you are OK, your body & emotional energy tell a different story. What emotional energy do you want to share with your child? Frustration, guilt, sadness or courage, gratitude, acceptance & love?
- No one taught us how to handle parenting challenges, how to care for ourselves so we can better care for our children, & how to balance everything.
- Life can be different when we have the right tools, & support to create a new story.
- By showing children that being an adult does not solely equate to stress and burdens but also includes opportunities for joy and fulfillment, we can instill in them a healthy perspective on adulthood.
- When we are feeling happy and less stressed, it is MUCH easier to help our kids feel this way, too.
Course Program
Phase 1: Increase Awareness
Expected Outcomes: Understand the components of resilience, assess your current level of stress and well-being, and set personal goals for the course.
Main Topic: Identifying Stressors and Triggers
Expected Outcomes: Gain awareness of personal triggers and stressors, and understand their impact on your parenting and personal well-being.
Phase 2: Develop a Healthy Mindset
Main Topic: Understanding Triggers and Responses
Expected Outcomes: Learn to identify external and internal triggers, and begin the process of changing your responses to reduce overwhelm.
Main Topic: Managing Negative Thoughts and Emotions
Expected Outcomes: Learn strategies to manage Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs) and develop a healthier, more positive mindset.
Phase 3: Increase Your Energy
Main Topic: Energy Management and Self-Care
Expected Outcomes: Explore what depletes and enhances your energy, and learn techniques for emotional, mental, and physical energy management.
Main Topic: Self-Regulation and Building Resilience
Expected Outcomes: Understand self-regulation, learn from past mistakes, and apply strategies to maintain resilience and positive energy.
By the end of this course, you will feel less "triggered" by stressors, experience increased resilience, and adopt new perspectives and approaches to challenges. Expect to minimize feelings of guilt, shame, and frustration while increasing feelings of gratitude, joy, and love in your parenting journey.
Parent's Testimonials
This is something that every parent needs to do for themselves and their children. I did not even realize I needed this course, but I am so grateful I joined.
Rachel
Mom of 2-teens (one with ADHD)
My relationship with my son has completely changed. I have replaced feelings of guilt and resentment with love and acceptance. Thank you!
Ida
Single mother of child with developmental delays
Extremely helpful. Clearly we need to be able to reduce our own stress and stress in the household in order to help the kids reduce theirs.
Tracy
Mother of two with special needs
Dr. Shaffer is not only knowledgeable, but extremely empathetic and relatable. She shares and opens up fearlessly about her own parenting experiences to invite a safe space for parents and caregivers to get support, be heard and get inspired! She is a privilege to meet and learn from. A true gem!
Audray
Mother of a young girl with autism
Excellent resource for parents looking to make that leap from frustration to problem-solving mode. Parents will gain the confidence that working to regulate our own emotions and stress will help us carve out a safer space and a calmer environment for both parents and children to thrive.
Darcy
Grandmother of two highly spirited boys
Your Facilitator
Dr. Elizabeth Joy Shaffer
International Keynote Speaker
IFIP Distinguished Fellow & Educator
Mother Mindfully Managing Neurodiversity
Published Researcher (Parent Stress)
Pediatric Occupational Therapist
Parent Growth Coach
Self-regulation Specialist
Holistically supporting families worldwide since 2001, drawing from professional & personal experiences, adding in Eastern & Western wellness practices to bring innovative & impactful solutions to child development, neurodiversity, & parenting.
Would you like to join us? I invite you to check out our course & community guiding parents through self-regulation and personal development techniques so we can approach challenging moments in a way that we (and our kids) learn & grow (not regret and want to forget).
Frequently Asked Questions
I know how busy our lives are as parents. The tools and strategies in this program are designed to give you more energy and time, not take away from it. If you are like most of us, you unconsciously spend mental and physical energy on things that are not worth your time, which takes you away from the crucial things in your life, connecting with yourself and loved ones. One of the benefits of this program is letting go of the things that needlessly take our energy so we can have more quality time with ourselves and our kids.
Absolutely! Personal growth is not for everyone. Also, we all have our own ways of doing things. I have designed this program for those who need accountability and regular meetings and those who want the information but only have time to fit it in when they can (such as listening in the car, etc.). If you sign up for the pre-recorded course and decide this is not for you within the first seven days of joining the program, just let us know, and you will get a full refund. If you joined the live & interactive class(s) and you change your mind before we meet, send an email to elizabethjoy@therapyintl.com for a full refund.
If you can't attend the live & interactive online workshop, let us know up to 24 hours before we meet for a full refund. Cancellations within 24 hours will not recieve a refund (but you can gift it to a friend - just let us know, and we will replace your name with theirs)
I try to offer times that fit schedules for parents around the world. If you want to join our live workshop, but the day/time does not fit your schedule, you can do the self-paced program with monthly check-ins. Also, you can fill out this form, and if there are enough people who also want similar class times, I will create another live session.
If you have any questions, you can contact us through our contact page, or by email at elizabethjoy@therapyintl.com.
Let's come together & change the parenting paradigm to make life as a parent more enjoyable & less stressful. Begin approaching challenging moments in a way that we (and our kids) learn & grow (not regret and want to forget).
