You love your children but sometimes their behavior drives you crazy. Do you have the same battles over and over? Why can’t they wait just 5 minutes while you make a phone call? Do you dread the tantrum that you know is coming if you stick to your guns? Mindful parenting PDX is based on love and composure and ensures that healthy relationships take root in your home. It’s a way to keep hold of the reins—without flying off the handle—and discipline your children while teaching and connecting with them. This class will teach you the difference between disrespect and typical childhood behavior. You will learn how to help your children be successful and cope with ups and downs instead of just “making them” behave. I weave the latest research in brain development together with common sense. You’ll walk away from this class with ready-to-use everyday tools that will make your home a more harmonious place to be.
4 evenings: TBD
7:00pm-8:30pm
Please contact: mindfulparentingpdx@gmail.com for location
$205 per couple; $145 per individual
This price includes all material costs as well as a list of helpful resources for you to use.
1 week for full refund, otherwise registration fees can be applied to an upcoming class
at mindfulparentingpdx@gmail.com or find out more information
I am a dreamer and an explorer. Though our cultures and experiences are so different, as humans we all want the best for ourselves and our families. I am constantly looking for ways to bring out the strength and confidence of every parent, caregiver and child I teach.
At its core, my practice over the years has been to focus on strengthening whole family dynamics. My work is about empowering children to find their assertive voice, deal with conflict both inside and outside of their families and regulate their emotions so their behavior is beneficial to their relationships. It is about empowering their parents to reflect on their own upbringing, to be mindful about how they speak to and engage their children, to model positive behavior in their day-to-day interactions and to become effective advocates for their children. And soon it will be about empowering educators to bring emotional regulation—an approach that focuses on student responsibility for their actions within the classroom setting to facilitate learning—into their teaching.
I am credentialed in Special Education and Elementary Education, and spent 13 years in K-12 schools in Quito, Ecuador and Maine. For the past six years, as I started my own family I grew a successful parent education practice here in Portland. I am on a life-long journey of continuous education, constantly researching and exploring best practices in early education, parenting education and the cognitive and learning sciences. I have worked with hundreds of parents and love seeing them integrate into their families the skills and tools taught in class. But no judgment: I know all too well that everyone is human, and I always encourage my students to find the one or two things that really resonate with them and make them real in their lives.
I am a New Englander through and through. Born and raised in Massachusetts, I traveled and studied abroad extensively before landing in Portland. Portland, Maine, that is—I lived and worked in the “other” Portland for nine years before finding my way to Portland, Oregon. I embody that scrappy New England spirit yet relish the laid-back Pacific Northwest.
I believe everyone has the capacity to change, to learn and to grow. No one is pigeon-holed into who they think they are or need to be or who others think they are or need to be. Everyone is extraordinary, and I infuse this core idea into my teaching and my parenting. When I am not helping adults be magical care takers, I can be found hiking and running throughout Portland with my husband and two kiddos.
Sheri is fantastic! She met us where we were at, encouraged us to carry on with whatever was working and worked to trouble shoot our specific situation. She continues to be a resource to this day. We have also taken the refresher class, a sibling class and had our daughter take her social skills class. All were phenomenal. One of my favorite differences between Sheri’s approach and other classes we have taken, is that she breaks it down into bite size pieces that you role play and practice between weeks (the course is 4 weeks long). It makes it feel more manageable and I think we walked away with a broader base of tools because of it. Without hesitation, I would recommend Sheri if you are feeling a bit lost in the realm of parenting.
— Suzanne - mother of one
My husband and I attended Sheri’s class over a year ago and the information we learned still resonates with us daily. I loved being able to meet in the evening, un-rushed and in a relaxed, supportive atmosphere. Sheri gave us a lot of useful information and plenty of opportunities to role play responses we would like to practice with our own kids. I work as a professional counselor for new parents and I frequently recommend Sheri’s groups to my clients as a great place for couples to talk about getting on the same page in their parenting philosophies and explore their questions as couples who are parents. I wholeheartedly recommend her classes.
— Audrianna - mother of two
The Mindful Parenting philosophy is relevant to everybody. It builds on brain research which shows it’s impossible to reason or problem solve when the brain is in a highly emotional state. When the brain is calm and relaxed, it makes it easier for us to connect with people – our children or anybody for that matter!
This course reinforces an important life lesson – how to respond without reacting.
— Adrienne - mother of two
We are thrilled to have new tools in our parenting. Since taking Sheri’s class we have gained the necessary information to create a happier and more cooperative household. Sheri provides an informative notebook, communicates clearly in each class the tools that will optimize parent/child interaction and the reasons behind why modalities of parenting work and don’t work. We found this class not only improved our connection with our child but also our marriage. Parenting from the same team and with unified knowledge is glorious!
— Carmon Ripley - mother of one
My husband and I really enjoyed Sheri’s parenting class. She really knows her stuff — everything from the inner workings of a child’s brain development (oh! that’s why they do that!) to a real-world suggestions for how to work through difficult parenting situations (like what to do when siblings won’t stop fighting!). We walked away with the tools necessary to become more confident and successful parents!
— Marie - mother of two
The Social Skills Class gave our daughter new tools to navigate the sometimes rough world of girlhood socializing.
Our daughter now has a much better understanding of what makes a good friend, how to be a good friend, and how to work through problems like feeling left out or how to balance old and new friendships.
Sheri’s approach gives girls the confidence to say they deserve to be treated with respect. Using fun, age-appropriate techniques like role-playing and charades, Sheri helps the girls empathize with the emotions of classmates and family members.
We’re so grateful for the class!
— Amy M. - mother of one
