Of all the things I’ve experienced in my life, being a Mum was the most meaningful. It often felt that as I navigated the challenges of life and parenting, my joy in parenting was dimmed. The reality was, I was doing the best I could with what I knew.

After 10 years of voluntary community work running kid’s clubs, camps and events I gained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Social work. I loved supporting the families I worked with but often felt frustrated that the knowledge I had was not meeting their needs and desires to grow as parents. Over the next ten years I was fortunate enough to work in agencies that embraced the emerging neuroscience of brain development in children.

I continued to embrace teachings from leaders in the field such as Mikaere Wallis, Bruce Perry, Dan Siegal, Matte Gabor and others. In 2018 and 2019 I undertook training in trauma informed, Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy but still wanted a succinct method of supporting parents to apply this knowledge. In 2022 I found the Jai Institute Parent Coaching Program which brought everything together through their 12 week Peaceful Parenting Process. (also known as transformative or conscious parenting.)

Experiencing the Jai process was an amazing experience for me, it is imbued with honour, empathy and understanding for the parenting role which helps to open your heart and mind to its tenets. It gave me insight and a new lens to see my own parenting experience and deepened my personal growth. I leave you with my first client’s comment:

“My time with Teena was life shifting not only for myself but also for my child. I was able to understand more about where and why we were having bumps in the road and how to navigate them. Today our bumps are easily avoided and when they do happen, we can work through them with ease!”