Author: Nanika Coor, Psy. D.

In a recent Black History Month mini-series on the Project Parenthood podcast, host Dr. Nanika Coor talks to Black mental health experts and discusses how to raise kids with a healthy racial identity and an interest in racial justice. Read on to see some highlights from each episode and listen to the audio with the included players. You’ll see 2023’s Black History Month theme “Black Resistance” prevail in each episode, illustrating the ways Black people have always been the driving force behind their own liberation. Expert guests help illuminate the challenges faced by Black and multi-racial families and explain how…

On this week’s podcast (listen with the player above!), I’m talking about some first steps you can take toward turning over a new and more connected parenting leaf. Listen to the end to hear about everyday ways to increase relational safety and connection with your kiddo. In western culture, the new year traditionally brings with it desires to commit to new habits, recommit to current habits, finally tie up loose ends or repair previous wrongs. New families coming into my practice at the beginning of a new year are often determined to make a positive change in their relationships, starting…

It’s that time of year again! My parent clients who gather with extended family during the winter holidays are starting to stress out. Folks are either traveling to holiday gatherings or they’re planning and hosting them. While there are some parents who are fondly looking forward to connecting with family members, others dread the less positive aspects of meeting up with far-flung family. How will your kids manage the different rules in other adults’ homes? What will you do about kiddie cousin conflict, when your sister and brother-in-law tend to use harsh shaming and punishments to “solve” squabbles? How will…

Often parents describe their frustrations with their child in terms of what they perceive to be their child’s purposeful non-compliance and annoying behavior. I’ve heard statements like: “She just doesn’t make good choices!” “He’s just trying to get attention.” “They just want their own way all the time!” “She acts out for no reason!” It’s understandable. When you’re repeatedly faced with kid behaviors that are anywhere from mildly challenging to very concerning, you can be so exhausted and frustrated that through the lens of your activated nervous system you mostly see negativity. It’s hard to consider any other explanation for…

Hey Project Parenthood listeners! I’m taking a week away from the podcast, but I’ll be back next week with a brand new episode. In the meantime, I wanted to share an episode of Savvy Psychologist, another fantastic show on the Quick and Dirty Tips network. If you don’t already listen to Savvy Psychologist, the start of a new year is the perfect time to start. Savvy Psychologist is your window into the world of psychology and how it can help you meet life’s challenges. Host Dr. Monica Johnson is a licensed psychologist ready to tackle any subject, from how trauma…

Needing help with limiting a child’s screen time is pretty high up on the list of issues parents have these days. The Covid-19 pandemic has meant more time at home for safety reasons, and parents have had to be creative in helping their children manage so much unstructured time indoors. Parents who had to work full-time while their child’s school was shut down often used screens to occupy the kids so they could get work done, or just get a parenting break. As the pandemic wears on indefinitely, parents are wondering about collaborative ways to regain some screen time boundaries…

Your child came into existence with an instinct to seek closeness to a special person who will provide comfort, protection, and help with overwhelming emotional experiences. Your child also has an inborn drive to follow their curiosity and desires for learning and mastery. As children develop, they move between these two needs, seeking attachment or mastery, hundreds of times each day, usually without much warning. It takes a sensitively attuned caregiver to understand what a child needs. And even when you can guess what they need, it’s not always easy to meet it. It can be slightly uncomfortable or profoundly…

When you find out that you’ll be parenting a new child, all sorts of thoughts begin to float around in your head. You fantasize about a child you’ll have a lot in common with. A child you can share the things in life that have brought you joy. You look forward to attending music recitals, sporting events and proudly applauding your child in the school play, or spending lazy afternoons making art together. Maybe you’re a parent with strong political views and you can’t wait to share your worldview and beliefs with the children you bring into your life. There are…

Whether your child is a newborn or just graduated from college, you’re going to deal with situations that, as a parent, you simply cannot change. From questionable personal style and daily annoyances to mental and physical health issues, disappointments, divorce, death, random disastrous acts of nature, and even global pandemics! So it’s natural that you’ll sometimes find yourself stuck in a spiral of thoughts like “How could this be happening?!” and “Why do such unfair things happen to me?!” One way to pull yourself out of the anxious agitation that clouds your ability to cope is to draw upon the…

If you’re listening to the Project Parenthood podcast, you might be hoping to learn some respectful parenting tools and collaborative ways to encourage your child to behave in ways that are more acceptable to you. And sometimes collaborative parenting tools can be a quick fix for less entrenched behaviors. But in my private practice, by the time families seek my services, the cycle of anger-triggering child behaviors and angry parental reactions has resulted in an adversarial atmosphere. And that kind of dynamic isn’t conducive to collaborative parent-child interactions, so respectful parenting tools usually lead to resistance instead of cooperation. You…