Online Video Support:
“Understanding Giftedness” – a video explaining the social and emotional components of parenting a gifted child. Extremely helpful in understanding the underlying reasons for puzzling behaviors in your gifted child. Clinical examples are used to get to a deeper understanding of how the two fundamental theories of Overexcitabilities and Asynchronous Development drive behaviors in gifted individuals. This video should be watched first as it includes “the basics” of understanding giftedness.
Follow this link: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/understandinggiftedness
“Putting Together the Puzzle of the Gifted Family” – This video helps to understand relational patterns and interactions within a gifted family, using the case study of the book A Wrinkle in Time. Specific tools in this video include: 1) measuring certain gifted traits in family members, 2) examining how different patterns can cause ongoing conflicts and misunderstandings and 3) identifying some strategies to help address those challenges and conflicts. By watching this film you can create uniquely crafted strategies to help your family live together in a more cohesive and harmonious manner.
Follow this link: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/giftedfamilypuzzle
Current Offerings:
Gifted and 2e Treatment Symposium November 16, 2019
Purpose: Come join us for a day learning from and connecting with treatment providers for gifted and twice-exceptional children and families.
Topics include:
Anxiety, Perfectionism and the Role of the Inner Critic: understanding intensity and the gifted mind
Accurate Diagnosis, Medication and Treatment choices: the neuropsychological perspective
School Options: finding the right fit for the gifted child
ADD/ADHD: understanding diagnosis and treatment in the gifted and twice-exceptional
Spectrum Disorders: learning how giftedness and spectrum disorders can overlap
Occupational Therapy: why the gifted and 2e benefit from OT and how to incorporate at home
Date: November 16, 2018
Timing: 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM
Location: TBD
Cost: TBD
Gifted Together Parent Workshop:
“Putting Together the Puzzle of the Gifted Family: Assessing Gifted Intensities,
Addressing Ongoing Conflicts, Applying Creative Strategies”
Come join us for an interactive and inspiring workshop where you will learn key tools to help your gifted family thrive. This one-day workshop will apply SENG concepts at a deeper level focusing on the whole family. Specific tools include: 1) measuring certain gifted traits in family members, 2) examining how different patterns can cause ongoing conflicts and misunderstandings and 3) identifying some strategies to help address those challenges. Participants will leave with uniquely crafted strategies to help their family live together in a more cohesive and harmonious manner.
Date: Saturday, November 3, 2018
Time: 9:30 am – 3:30 pm
Location: Phinney Ridge Community Center (Lower Building)
6532 Phinney Avenue N., Room #31, Seattle, WA 98103
Cost: $175 for 1 parent, $245 for both parents
Register Now!
To Register for the November Gifted Together Workshop please email: GiftedTogetherCoaching@gmail.com Include: Name of Parent(s), Address, and Phone Number
AND pay by clicking one of the two options below.
Register 2 parents:
Register 1 parent:
Seattle SENG Parent Support Groups:
Facilitators: Anne van Roden and Gloria Sandford -both experienced parents of gifted children and licensed mental health professionals.
SENG Parent Support Groups are guided discussion groups based on the book, A Parent’s Guide to Gifted Children by James Webb, et. al. Together parents learn about the social and emotional needs of gifted children and related parenting issues.
Purpose: Share common experiences and challenges of raising a gifted child.
– Learn strategies for positive parenting of gifted children.
– Gain understanding of gifted children and their unique needs.
– Find support, guidance, professional advice and resources.
Timing: TBA
Date: TBA
Location: TBA
Cost: $275 per household (8 sessions for one or two parents/significant adults)
Send an email if you would like to be placed on the wait list for a future groups. Groups are generally held one time per year.
Isn’t everyone gifted?
The term “gifted” or “highly capable” is a way in which professionals define anyone who has an IQ score of 130 or above. It does not define what an individual can achieve, their value or worth. It does describe a population at the end of the bell curve, a population whose needs are as unique as it’s gifts.
What does giftedness look like?
Dabrowski posited that gifted children and adults were “superstimulatable” or extremely sensitive in five areas: psychomotor, sensual, imaginational, intellectual and emotional. Each of these areas have strengths and weaknesses. Many times these sensitivities are incorrectly viewed as problems, or worse yet, psychopathology/mental illness. You can’t change a fixed trait but you can learn to use it toward your advantage. Working with the right therapist can do just that.
What happens when the gifted child grows up?
It is common for elementary schools to have gifted programs. You or your child may have been lucky enough to attend one that met your needs. Perhaps one of the greatest benefits of being in a gifted classroom is that you find that you are not alone. There are other “different” children out there. This helps to reduce levels of isolation and self-loathing that can occur when a gifted child remains in a mainstream classroom. However, once such a child reaches the teen years, support for their giftedness may have completely evaporated. Advanced placement courses may provide academic challenge but may not foster the emotional support needed to thrive.
When reaching out to a therapist for help, the gifted teen or adult may not find the help needed. Often, the gifted teen or adult may be disheartened at how easy it is to manipulate the therapist and/or may experience frustration at not being heard or understood. In addition, many gifted people do not self-identify as gifted, only noting that many around them are “really smart.” The ability to identify giftedness in another is one marker of being gifted yourself. For example, many parents can see giftedness in their children but not in themselves. Parents can better help their children address giftedness issues once they have identified giftedness in themselves.
