This highly informative episode focuses on how the trauma of fire loss, specifically the Eaton Fire, is affecting children and their parents, and how parents can help their kids manage. (I apologize for the unbalanced quality of this recording, which didn't manage to accommodate the low tones of Michelle's voice very well, and makes my voice louder.) I loved talking to Michelle because she's so knowledgeable about how to help kids manage after a traumatic experience or other stressful life events. She emphasizes the importance of parents taking care of themselves so they have the emotional stability and regulation to support their children. After a trauma, it's important to have the mental flexibility to be attuned to the different needs of different children, which can be a huge challenge when everyone is stressed. Just like when a death occurs, many parents worry about their kids without realizing that their own grief and stress are affecting the kids. And the kids will often downplay or repress their emotions because they don't want to add to their parents' stress. With compassion, Michelle emphasizes the importance of parents recognizing their own needs and taking care of themselves first, and then addressing their kids' emotional needs, while acknowledging that it's hard and no one is going to do anything perfectly under these circumstances.

Michelle is also a mother of three teens, and her family lived right next to Eaton Canyon until the fires burned their neighborhood. While grateful that her home survived, Michelle's family is still displaced, so she also has firsthand experience with the trauma of the fires on her own life.

If you would like to reach out to Michelle, you can find her website here: https://www.synapse-soul-therapy.com/

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Special thanks to Josephine Wiggs for the song "Time Does Not Bring Relief" from her album "We Fall."

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