Tonya El-Hendi (she/her)

Parent coaching to foster connection with your child. I have 20+ years of experience working in schools with kids and parents. I can assist parents of neurodivergent children that need additional support in developing understanding and connecting with their temperament. I can also provide assistance if you are looking for additional support from the school to better address the needs of your child such as a 504 plan or IEP if appropriate.

CBT is a great foundation to understand how our brain uses language to process our experiences often through the lens of judgement. In combination with mindfulness I can support you in developing and understanding of how your brain works, noticing maladaptive thought patterns that create a "stuckness" that seems impossible to break free from. Our goal is to experience the joys in life and often it is how we choose to see our daily experiences.

I love all things Acceptance and Commitment Therapy as it focuses on identify your values that are most important. This work complements CBT and Mindfulness. I also sprinkle in a little Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB) to understand how our brains work to unwind some of our anxieties and do things that we might not always want to do in the moment but are important to us. We can do hard things if it is in the direction of our values and purpose. I would love to share these tools with you.

We all experience some anxiety in life however when it starts getting in the way of us engaging in joy then we need to find tools to manage it that are helpful to us. I love Dr. Jud Brewer and his book Unwinding Anxiety. I can support you in recognizing the purpose anxiety serves for you in your life and notice thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations that drive the discomfort known as anxiety. It is an experience you have and not your identity.

We can all experience low mood from time to time. When do we need to seek support to address it? Similar to anxiety when we realize we are disconnected from ourselves and joy is missing. I use CBT, ACT and mindfulness to identify the barriers. We will discuss what is in the way of your joy and engaging in your life with purpose. Similarly to anxiety it is an experience you are having and not your identity. You deserve to engage in your best life.

How do we define self-esteem or self-worth? It can be difficult with the plan our society is going down. I want to explore your relationship with yourself and how it presents in your day to day experience. We will use ACT to identify your values and purpose to build confidence and find yourself. Our self-esteem is formed during childhood into adolescence and perhaps their are some experiences from that time which hold great significance that you might want to process and spend time understanding