As we approach the end of the school year and look forward to summer, now is a good time to schedule a consultation appointment to review your child's growth and challenge areas to plan for success in the future.
Survey on 2e Dating, Relationships, and Sex
Do you or does your teen/young adult identify as twice-exceptional (2e)? If so, we'd love to hear from you!
Dr. Lisa White and Amy Feldman want to learn more about how being 2e impacts dating, relationships, and sex among teens and young adults. We have lots of ideas and lots of questions!
For example: What is it like to try and find a romantic partner when you are intellectually gifted and quirky? What should conversations about consent look like when you are deeply sensitive and have trouble reading nonverbal cues? How can parents help their 2e teens learn to have healthy romantic and sexual relationships?
By completing this anonymous survey for adults - or consenting to have your teen participate - you will be helping us to gather information from a variety of voices for a planned book project. (Note: while Lisa and Amy are Summit Center clinicians, this project is unaffiliated).
Thanks for your support, and please feel free to share this information with other 2e folks! You may also reach out to 2erelationships@gmail.com if you have any questions.
Parent Footprint with Dr. Dan: New Podcasts on Screen Time, the Foster to Adoption Journey, Celebrating Books with Pie Art, and the Year of No Do-Overs
Dr. Dan spoke with four new guests this month, including Debbie Steinberg Kurtz, Jenell Jones, Stephanie Hockersmith, and Mary Louise Kelley. Two bonus episodes were also posted, with answers to listener questions.
Screen Time and Mental Health with Debbie Steinberg Kuntz
Dr. Dan welcomes back parenting expert Debbie Steinberg Kuntz to discuss screen time, mental health, and the effects screens have on children and teens. A licensed family/marriage therapist, Debbie explains how we can help our kids reset their screen time to avoid negative health impacts like depression, craving, addiction, and loneliness. This is an important episode for May and Mental Health Awareness Month.
Dr. Dan and Debbie talk passionately about how we are all living during a child and teen mental health crisis of epidemic proportions. The impact of excessive screen use (including social media) on kids and families includes anxiety, depression, social atrophy, poor sleep, and much more. They answer and explore such questions as what can parents do? What should parents do? and more.
Finally, Dr. Dan and Debbie discuss Debbie’s Bright & Quirky 6th Annual Summit focusing on Screen Time & Mental Health. Register for free and watch the summit live May 15-19, 2023.
Bonus Episode #22: Listener Questions About Halloween Costumes, Dad Playgroups, Remote Work, and More
Welcome to another bonus “Sitting Down with Dr. Dan” episode originally offered at Halloween! Dr. Dan and Phil Rossi (our audio engineer and GirlDad) answer your virtual mailbag listener questions about topics including the spooky season and more.
Navigating the Foster to Adoption Journey with Jenell Jones
It’s National Foster Care Awareness Month. On this podcast, Dr. Dan interviews adoptive parent and advocate Jenell Jones about foster care, adoption, and the foster-to-adoption journey as well as her personal experiences chronicled in her book Shattered.
Jenell shares the joy and pain navigating the foster-to-adoption system for her daughter, Mercy. By the time she found a place in Jenell's family at 8 years old, Mercy had been bounced around with more than 20 placements, and her history of abuse and mental illness was not disclosed. Her honest reflections on the adoption and foster care system, mental health, and non-traditional families will help and inspire others navigating this journey.
Wellness and more with Stephanie Hockersmith, Pie Lady Books
Dr. Dan interviews the Instagram star Pie Lady Books Stephanie Hockersmith on this episode about her pie art, her inspiring journey to health, mental wellness, chronic illness, and finding joy. Stephanie is a Mom, wife, and booklover and she was diagnosed over a decade ago with Celiac Disease, with neurological implications that put her in a wheelchair. Looking for solace and healing, she turned to her two favorite things: reading and gluten free baking. Today, she is beloved by authors and readers and the media for her incredible pie art.
Bonus Episode #22: Sitting Down with Dr. Dan – Listener Questions about Autism & More
Our new bonus episodes drop in our regular podcast feed that last Tuesday of every month. On this Sitting Down with Dr. Dan bonus episode, host Dr. Dan and Phil (our podcast audio engineer and Dad of two daughters) answer listener questions about April and Autism Acceptance Month, sensory disorders, a parent’s cancer diagnosis, and more.
This episode takes an honest look at Mary Louise’s parenting journey as well as her famous career as a journalist. Listeners will connect with Dr. Dan and Mary Louise’s conversation about the year before her oldest son goes to college – the year she calls her year of no do-overs and the inspiration for her book. Soccer games, family dinners, Mom guilt, deadlines, travel, tears, illness, and joy are all part of this riveting discussion.
You must pre-register for FREE access to the expert talks on how to help your kids reset their screen time to avoid negative health impacts like anxiety, depression, craving or loneliness. Speakers include Dr. Mona Delahooke, child psychologist and author of Brain Body Parenting; Dr. Shimi Kang, Harvard-trained doctor specializing in healthy tech habits; and Ned Johnson, author of The Self Driven Child and What Do You Say; and many more.
The summit is filled with tools and strategies to set your child up for a healthy digital life that supports their well-being. Ongoing access to the content is available for a fee.
Summit Center began when Dr. Dan Peters and Dr. Susan Daniels met at a California Association for the Gifted (CAG) conference in 2008. Their conversation sparked the idea for a center devoted to gifted and twice-exceptional needs of children, adolescents, and families. After serving for many years as Summit Center’s education director and a career focused on teaching and nurturing creativity in others, Dr. Daniels is now immersing herself in her own creative pursuits. Most recently, her art has focused on multilayered, mixed media portraits incorporating vivid underpaintings with accent layers of bright handmade papers. The pieces represent multiple layers of meaning and are informed by her background in both art and psychology.
Dr. Daniels is also Professor Emerita of Educational Psychology and Counseling at California State University - San Bernardino, where she started a graduate certificate program in gifted education studies and taught educational psychology for the better part of two decades. Further, Dr. Daniels has published numerous articles, chapters and books. She is co-author (with Dr. Dan Peters) of Boosting Your Child’s Natural Creativity (2022, Gifted Unlimited), co-editor and co-author of Living with Intensity (Gifted Unlimited, 2008), and author of Visual Learning and Teaching: An Essential Guide for Educators K-8 (2018, Free Spirit Publishing).
We wish Susan much health and happiness in this next stage of her journey!
Boys to Men Education Series: Supporting Adolescent Mental Health Panel Event
Summit Center's Dr. Lisa White will present on this panel about supporting adolescent mental health. For parents and educators, via Zoom or in-person at the East Bay School for Boys in Berkeley. Tonight, Wednesday, May 17, 6:30 pm. Sliding scale $0-$20.
“I want to be really clear that the answer here is not zero screens. Screens are here to stay. There are so many positive benefits of the Internet. Our kids are learning, connecting with other people, exploring their interests... It's about making intentional decisions about what online activities add to our well-being.”
-- Debbie Steinberg Kuntz on the Parent Footprint with Dr. Dan Podcast