Where You Are

A Mindful Approach to Parenting & Caregiving

S03E5 | March 30, 2022

Family life can be super stressful at times, there’s no doubt about it. And that’s where mindfulness can be helpful. Bryn and guest host Char Black sit down with Alison, a mother and coach for neurodiverse families, and Dr. Joanna McDermid, a Psychiatrist and the Associate Director of the BC Children’s Centre for Mindfulness. They discuss how mindfulness can support your overall well-being and help during common stressors that parents experience, debunk some common myths and misconceptions that surround mindfulness, and offer tips on how you can weave mindfulness into parenting and caregiving if this is an approach you’re curious about.

 

You can read the full transcript for the episode here. 

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Guest bios

Alison Brazier

Mother, health scientist, and parent & family coach

Alison Brazier, PhD, is a mother, health scientist, and parent and family coach for neurodiverse families. Alison’s desire to work with families with neurodiversity was inspired by her own lived experience supporting her son’s unique wiring. After leaving academia, she’s been on a mission to shift parenting paradigms to one that is grounded in growth, compassion, connection, and curiosity - qualities well suited to support neurodiverse children.  She began learning about and using mindfulness practices more than 20 years ago, and she uses these practices and principles in her daily life as a mother, and as a parent coach.  She’s the owner of Brilliant Not Broken Coaching and Consulting.

Dr. Joanna McDermid

Associate Director, BC Children's Hospital Centre for Mindfulness

Dr. Joanna McDermid, is a psychiatrist at BCCH and the Associate Director of BC Children’s Hospital Centre for Mindfulness. In addition to her psychiatry training, Dr. McDermid has trained in Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and Mindful Self Compassion (MSC).  Dr. McDermid has developed mindfulness programs to supplement standard care for individuals with eating disorders in residential treatment, and a parent and caregiver mindfulness program called MARS-PC.

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Need urgent help?

If you, your child, or someone you care about is having a mental health or substance use crisis:

  • Call 911 or go to your local hospital’s emergency room if you are in need of immediate help
  • Call 1-800- SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433) anytime if you are concerned about someone who may be considering suicide

These are a few examples of situations when you should seek immediate help:

  • The child or youth is thinking about or trying to end their life
  • The child or youth is experiencing sensations that aren’t real and/or beliefs that can’t possibly be true
  • The child or youth is unable to care for themselves, and it’s putting them at risk of serious harm
  • The child or youth is experiencing an alcohol or drug overdose
  • The child or youth is taking a dangerous combination of substances (like medications and alcohol)

For non-urgent support options, explore our Ask Kelty Mental Health tool. You’ll find answers to common questions families have about accessing mental health supports and services in BC for their child or youth.