Emotion-Savvy Parenting A Shame-Free Guide to Navigating Emotional Storms and Deepening Connection

Intense emotions – whether your own or your child’s – can make it incredibly difficult to be the parent you want to be. This book is designed to help you become a more emotionally agile parent so you can better navigate whatever emotional storms you inevitably encounter.

Emotion-Savvy Parenting is an empowering, science-informed guide for breaking free of the hold that unwanted emotions so often have over parents. With compassion and wit, licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Alissa Jerud draws on decades of research to present a refreshing, theory-driven approach that encourages parents to focus on changing the only behaviors they truly have control over: their own. Rooted in highly effective, cognitive-behavioral strategies and a respectful, relationship-centered stance, her ART (Accept, Regulate, and Tolerate) framework enables parents to relate more skillfully to challenging emotions, model invaluable lessons, connect more deeply with their kids, and enjoy parenting more.

Packed with real-life examples and step-by-step techniques, this book supports parents of infants to teens in creating a more harmonious home by becoming their ideal, most emotionally adept selves. It also serves as a valuable resource for educators and mental health professionals seeking to help lighten the heavy load of parenthood.

CONTENTS

Introduction  

Part 1: The Most Challenging Job in the World  1. Everyone Makes Mistakes: Welcome to the Imperfect Parenting Club  2. Feeling Frazzled and Disconnected? It Doesn't Have to Be This Way  

Part 2: The ART (Accept, Regulate, Tolerate) and Science of Emotions  3. Acceptance: The Catalyst of Change  4. Emotion Regulation: The Key to Keeping an Even Keel  5. Distress Tolerance: The Secret to Surviving Emotional Storms 

Part 3: Applying the ART (Accept, Regulate, Tolerate) and Science of Emotions in Our Messy, Everyday Lives  6. When the Weather Is Sunny and Calm: Prioritize Connection Through Acceptance and Curiosity  7. When the Weather Is Stormy and Treacherous: Accept, Respond Contingently, and Move Strategically Until the Storm Passes  8. When We've Lost Our Bearings and Gone Astray: Overcoming Obstacles and Learning From Mistakes