Parenting support groups.
Are you raising a sensitive, spirited or neurodivergent child?
Parenting Support Group
REGISTER
At Brooklyn Click + Connect
Starting October 24, 2024
We heard you! We are changing our meeting time to the evening:
Thursday evenings 7:30-8:45 PM
Four sessions: 10/24, 11/7, 11/21, & 12/5
This group meets at Brooklyn Click + Connect on Church Ave. in Brooklyn, NY (address provided upon registration)
Fee: $140 ($35 x 4 sessions)
Sliding scale available upon request.
Limited capacity: 12 people. Please register in advance.
More below…
About the group
Raising a neurospicy kiddo is pretty incredible. But it can sure be exhausting. And hard. And lonely. And just a teeny tiny bit overwhelming.
Refuel, get intentional, and connect with other parents who get it.
Led by two local parents.
Facilitator: educator and hypnotherapist Dawn Eshelman
Host: pediatric occupational therapist and Brooklyn Click + Connect founder Jessie Hartman.
The details.
Ready to move beyond isolation, overwhelm and a whack-a-mole parenting strategy? This group is designed to help parents like you carve out time, space, and support to:
be reflective about your parenting — what’s working and what isn’t?
collect data about your child’s (and your own) behavior to uncover patterns
become more intentional in your parenting choices, instead of reactive
and decrease isolation and shame by connecting with other folks who truly understand the unique challenges and joys of raising neurodivergent kids.
We will tackle different topics each week, including morning routines, navigating the holidays, co-parenting, and more.
“If I could give every parent I worked with one thing, it would be self-compassion.”
Who we are.
We are two local parents like you.
Dawn Eshelman is a mama, educator, and hypnotherapist, helping people heal their nervous systems and rework unwanted reactive patterns, as she did for herself as part of her own parenting learning curve.
As a leader in art museum education, she directed programming at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York City for over a decade, where she facilitated programs on self-reflection and mindfulness for adults, children and families alike. A believer in life-long learning, she taught adult development to educators in Bank Street College of Education’s graduate leadership program, where she is an alum.
Brooklyn Click + Connect founder Jessie Hartman is a local parent and a seasoned pediatric occupational therapist with over 16 years of experience working in public schools. She credits her children and students for introducing her to the immense power of LEGO as a modality for creative expression, problem-solving, and social connection.
After winning the runner-up prize in the 2023 Brooklyn Public Libary PowerUp Business Plan Competition for her LEGO business and running LEGO classes out of her home, she is thrilled to offer a dedicated space for LEGO enthusiasts to come together, inspire one another, and be awesome.
Who this group is for.
We welcome parents and caregivers of sensitive, spirited and/or neurodivergent kiddos who are rolling up their sleeves to deliver extra-strength parenting. Whether you are are at the beginning of your learning process or have read allll the books, whether your children have zero diagnoses or many, whether your child is one year old or 21, whether your kids attends school in a public, private, or home setting, this group is here to support you on the trajectory of your parenting journey.
We use the term neurodivergence to acknowledge that everyone’s brains are different, including those who are autistic, have ADHD and learning differences, those recovering from trauma, and more.
We aim to prioritize the voices of lived experience — neurodivergent adults and kids. Beyond that, we support each other in our own distinct processes.
Why?
The purpose of this group is to offer support, community, and space for parents to learn from each other and become the #1 experts in their children.
Please note that this group is not a replacement for psychotherapy for you or your family. I am not a psychotherapist and I do not offer medical advice, specialized knowledge about neurodivergence, or diagnoses.
Whether you’re thriving or not-O.K.-today, you are welcome.
“Resilience is not about bouncing back, but bouncing forward. ”
Additional parenting groups
Groups are currently forming for Fall 2024.
In addition to an in-person parenting group at Brooklyn Click + Connect on Church Ave. in Brooklyn on Thursday evenings I hope to offer:
A virtual group on Zoom, Fridays at 1:00 PM EST (TBC)
An additional group in Fort Greene, Brooklyn if there is enough interest.
Contact me directly to inquire about the zoom group or future opportunities. I’d love to hear what days/times work best for you!
Past groups include:
Mindfulness & real self-care for teachers workshop at Brooklyn New School
New Years “Reflect and Refresh”
December: “Jedi Mind Tricks (for yourself) for holiday sanity
Mindfulness for parents: weekly guided meditation at Brooklyn New School
Book club: childhood anxiety and OCD
Book club: transracial adoptive parents
“When is challenging behavior most likely to occur? When the demands being placed on a kid exceed (their) capacity to respond adaptively.”