Parent Enrichment

2020

Tools for Helping Our Children Overcome Anxiety in 2020
September 30, 2020
8:30-9:30 am
Janet Carter 
Certified Parent Coach

Anxiety thrives in uncertainty and 2020 has served to be fertile ground for the anxiety it has unmasked in ourselves and in our children. Learn some simple tools that can help our children - and us - release the vicious cycle of repetitive thought and anxious worry.

Janet Carter is a speaker, writer, and a certified John Rosemond Leadership Parent Coach. She is a graduate of James Madison University and taught middle and high school English as well as homeschooling her own four children. Janet served for 8 years as the Children's Ministry Director for Hope Church, developing the ministry from the ground up, working with families of young children, birth to 5th grade. She lives in Richmond Virginia and is mother to four and grandmother to six. For more info on Janet: www.coachjanetcarter.com. Contact info is on the website.

Using Creativity to Find Joy and Build Resilience and Positivity in Our Children and in Ourselves
November 18, 2020
8:30-9:30 am
Courtney Page Ferrell, ‘92
Innovation Catalyst

Amidst the uncertainty and discord of 2020, finding joy and sharing it with others has become challenging. However, creativity lies within us all and enables us to build resilience and find positivity in our families and communities. Join Courtney Ferrell for an interactive and entertaining experience and learn how to apply creative thinking to your family's life.

Even Oprah recognized Courtney as an inspired change agent in the world of ideas, creativity and innovation. Courtney has built a successful career provoking organizations and individuals to think and behave differently. She has worked as a creative catalyst to the top executives of companies like Mattel, Colgate-Palmolive, NBC, Nike, Discovery Channel, and McGraw Hill. Her witty sense of humor, her drink-from-a-fire-hose energy, and her anything goes change methods have garnered her feature articles in Fast Company, O Magazine, INC magazine, Triathlete Magazine and Style. She is a TEDx speaker. A storyteller at heart, Ferrell is never far from her pen or an audience.

A Christmas Message
December 8, 2020
8:30- 9:30 am
The Reverend Becky McDaniel
St. Catherine’s School Chaplain

2021

Mindful Screen Use for Healthy Families; Why It’s Important and How to Do It
January 27, 2021
8:30-9:30 am
Nina Schroder, MSW, LCSW

With the increasing usage of digital technology in our culture, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic, the presence and use of smart devices and other technologies in our family’s lives can feel excessive and overwhelming for parents to manage. Through discussion of emerging research as well as her experience on the front lines counseling Digital Age college students at VCU and as a mom of two young boys, Nina will provide parents with helpful insight into the potential cognitive, social, and mental health effects of high screen use, and share practical strategies to confidently promote a healthy & mindful approach to screen use and well-being for the entire family. 

Nina Schroder, MSW, LCSW is a mental health therapist who specializes in the treatment of anxiety and depression of college students and young adults and studies the effects of high screen use on mental health, emotional resilience, and overall well-being.  During her time at VCU’s University Counseling Services, Nina helped develop and lead a successful and popular 5-week skills-building group program, Reclaim Life from Anxiety & Live Well,  which promotes skills and healthy mindsets to increase resilience and well-being.  She also has been a regular lecturer for the Science of Happiness course and LEAD program.  Nina is passionate about growing emotional resilience and well-being in the Digital Age, and delivers lectures and workshops both locally and nationally. She lives in Richmond, Virginia with her husband and two school-age children.