About this Event
Is your child the one clinging to you at the door when you try to drop him off at a birthday party, too nervous to join the party? Or was your child the one that was so excited to get to the party that she darted into the street even after you just got done telling her to stay right by the car when she got out? Or did you not even make it to the party because your child was so frustrated and angry about having to wear a jacket that he broke down into a total crying and yelling fit? And were you feeling self-conscious that other parents were viewing you as ineffective and not in control of your child?
Some of these challenging behaviors from our children can stem from their temperament – the emotional and self-regulation characteristics that they are born with. Many children present challenging emotional and behavioral responses to everyday situations, and these experiences can be very stressful for parents and families. It’s not always clear what is the most effective way to deal with these behaviors – should a parent use more negative consequences? More rewards? Be more firm? More gentle? Pick your battles? Stick to your guns? More importantly, children can present these challenging behaviors for very different underlying reasons depending on their temperament, and parents can be more effective if they understand the source of their children’s reactions. Little if any parenting advice that is available to parents provides the critical understanding of the role of children’s temperament in shaping children’s behavior and our parenting. This presentation will provide an opportunity to learn about:
- The sources of children’s temperament or individual differences in their reactions.
- How temperament can elicit less-than-ideal parenting from even the best of parents.
- How to parent more effectively with children’s temperament in mind.
Continuing Education Units (CEUs)
Register for a Certificate of Completion and get CEUs. Our CEUs are available for licensed psychologists, marriage and family therapists, mental health counselors, and social workers in Washington State. We cannot guarantee that these CEUs will be accepted in other states.
An important note in light of COVID-19
This event is currently scheduled to meet in person at the UW Center for Child and Family Well-Being. Although current Washington State and UW health and safety protocols do not require proof of vaccination and masking, it will be required for this event given that those were the requirements in place when registration opened. In the event public health guidance prohibits this course from occurring in person, the event will be moved to a live online format.
Proof of vaccination and masking required for this event
Masks will be required for this event given that a number of people registered for the event while these requirements were In place. Guests must show proof of vaccination or recent (within 72 hours of the event) negative COVID-19 test for entry to this. Enhanced sanitation measures are among other safety measures currently in effect.
Scholarships Available
CCFW aims to promote well-being by making evidence-based mindfulness practices available and accessible to community members, particularly professionals working with children and families. We believe that mindfulness has positive implications for professionals as well as the children and families they interact with. Therefore, we wish to encourage mindfulness training by removing possible financial barriers for professionals working with these specific populations. If these fees are cost-prohibitive for you, we invite you to apply for a scholarship.
About the Presenter
Liliana J. Lengua, Ph.D.
Liliana Lengua, Ph.D. is UW’s Maritz Family Foundation Professor of Psychology and has directed CCFW since its founding in 2011. A child clinical psychologist, she studies the effects of adversity on children and examines risk and protective factors that contribute to children’s resilience or vulnerability. Her research has focused on the contributions of children’s temperament, coping, and parenting in contributing to children’s responses to adversity.
Her most current research probes the effects of low income on the development of self-regulation in preschool children, including studies of infants, preschool and preadolescent children. She investigates family adversity, parenting, and neurobiological factors that account for the effects of low income on children’s well-being. In addition, she has developed an evidence-based parenting program infused with mindfulness practices to enhance parenting effectiveness and support parent well-being.
Dr. Lengua has been the principal investigator of several federally-funded research projects and is the author of over 100 published papers. She serves on the steering committee for the CDC funded Washington State Essentials for Childhood Initiative, collaborates with the Harvard Center for the Developing Child’s Frontiers of Innovation, and previously served on the board of trustees for Neighborhood House, a private, nonprofit anti-poverty organization.