Is That Me Yelling? A parents guide to getting your kids to cooperate without losing your cool”  was published in 2013 and is available in 5 different languages. It’s a best seller in China, but here in the US you can only get it now on Kindle until the next edition.

If you would like to set up a presentation or training for your child’s preschool or your workplace, you can contact me at 

Is That Me Yelling? is:

“Engaging and practical, humorous and evidence-based, prescriptive but not preachy, authoritative yet never stuffy, Is That Me Yelling? quickly rises to the top of the many parenting books I’ve ever read. Rona Renner provides thoughtful and achievable solutions. If you’re a parent who has ever yelled at your kid and wished you hadn’t, this book is for you.”
—Stephen P. Hinshaw, PhD, professor in the department of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley; and vice-chair of psychology at the University of California, S.F.

Is That Me Yelling? is a complete and compassionate companion for every parent and educator. With excellent examples from her extensive professional and personal experience, nurse Rona illustrates fundamental psychological principles and functional parenting practices with empathy and enthusiasm.”
—Marisol Muñoz-Kiehne, PhD, clinical psychologist, parent educator, radio host, and author.

Managing Our Anger and Outrage During Difficult Times

Listen now: https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=342829

KPFA 94.1FM 10/12/20

People are under a great deal of stress these days, which can easily lead to frustration and angry outbursts. Anger is a normal emotion that can help us understand what’s wrong, but problems occur when we don’t know how to handle the anger we feel. Is anger causing health, school, work, or relationship problems for you?

Join us to talk about ways to manage our reactions to frustration, worry, and stress. There is so much division and conflict in our country, it’s no surprise that tempers flare and feelings get hurt.

Guest: 

Michael A. Tompkins, PhD, is a licensed psychologist, co-director and co-founder of the San Francisco Bay Area Center for Cognitive Therapy, Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of California at Berkeley, and an adjunct faculty member for the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy. Dr. Tompkins serves on the Advisory Board of Magination Press, and he is the author or co-author of 12 books, including My Anxious Mind: A Teen’s Guide to Managing Anxiety and Panic and his newly released book Zero to 60: A Teens Guide to Manage Frustration, Anger, and Everyday Irritations.  He lives in Oakland California, and you can find out more at sfbacct.com and on Twitter at @drmatompkins.

A Better Divorce

According to the American Psychological Association there is one divorce approximately every 36 seconds.  That’s nearly 2,400 divorces every day, 16,800 divorces every week, and 876,000 divorces a year.

Listen now to show aired 9/14/20 on KPFA.org—94.1FM with Ann Gold Buscho, PhD, author of “The Parent’s Guide to Birdnesting, A Child-Centered Solution to Co-Parenting During Separation and Divorce

https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=340955 

Ann Gold Buscho, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in family issues and issues related to divorce, parenting, parenting planning, and coparenting counseling. She is the author of the newly released book, “The Parent’s Guide to Birdnesting.” She has professional and personal experience in nesting, coparenting, step parenting, and single-parenting issues. She works closely with family law professionals to help clients resolve their divorce privately and respectfully. She presents widely at state and national conferences for lawyers, mental health and financial experts on Collaborative Divorce, forgiveness practices, nesting during divorce, and consensual dispute resolution. She co-founded a treatment program for emergency responders where she volunteers regularly. Her husband is a retired police officer and psychologist. When not at work, she enjoys her children, grandchildren, hiking, and writing her next book.

Toxic Chemical Exposures

Listen Now to our show on About Health @KPFA.org— 94.1FM

https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=340172 

We discussed health issues facing our firefighting heroes, and also looked at common chemical exposures that occur in your home, school, and work. We are all exposed to chemicals in our homes that are harmful, but in fact these chemicals can cause great harm to our families and to firefighters.

“Air, water, food, and consumer products should be free of dangerous and untested chemicals. We believe that chemical makers have no right to expose you to concoctions that affect your family’s health. That’s why we work with parents, communities, businesses, workers, and government to protect children and families from toxic chemicals in our homes, workplaces, schools, and neighborhoods.Center for Environmental Health.

“Firefighters face occupational hazards on a daily basis. Now, new research shows they face additional risk just by gearing up. Through research and advocacy we aim to improve public health and end this threat of job-related cancer in the firefighting profession.”   —San Francisco Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation. 

 

Judy Levin is the Pollution Prevention Director at the Center for Environmental Health. For the past 10 years she’s been leading the Center’s campaign to reduce the use of toxic chemicals in a variety of products. Most recently, Judy has focused on healthier furniture, carpeting, and flooring. She has amassed hundreds of millions of dollars in buying power from government, higher education, and private businesses who want healthier furnishings, and this in turn has incentivized manufacturers to create these products. Judy was awarded the International Interior Design Association Leadership Award of Excellence for her work in the area of reducing the use of toxic flame retardant chemicals in furniture.

Tony Stefani is a retired Captain with the San Francisco Fire Department. In 2001, after 27 years of service, he was diagnosed with Transitional Cell Carcinoma in his right renal pelvis. After successful treatment Captain Stefani retired in 2003. Three years later he founded the San Francisco Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation, a foundation that has been dedicated to the early detection and prevention of cancer in both active and retired San Francisco Firefighters. Captain Stefani has also been involved with the Women Firefighters Biomonitoring Collaborative for the past 3 years and is a dedicated advocate supporting legislation on both the State and National level to reduce toxic chemical exposures to Firefighters and the population in general. He has been the recipient of many awards, including the Heroes and Hearts award, given by San Francisco General Hospital Foundation, which recognizes exceptional community service.

 

 

Pandemic Grandparents

Listen now to me and my guest Allison Briscoe-Smith for a discussion about what grandparents and families are dealing with during the Covid-19 Pandemic.

8/17/20, KPFA.org—94.1FM

https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=339302

 

In the US there are approximately 70 million grandparents, and for too many, physical contact with their young grandchildren has been cut off. Other grandparents have stepped into the role of childcare providers, and some have opened up their homes to their kids and grandkids full time.  How has this pandemic changed your role, and how are you dealing with the anxiety, isolation, or exhaustion from all the changes that have occurred?


Allison Briscoe-Smith, Ph.D., is the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and a full-time faculty member at the Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA. She is also a senior fellow at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, where she serves as one of the hosts of the center’s popular Science of Happiness podcast. After earning her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from UC Berkeley, Dr. Briscoe-Smith’s research has focused on trauma/Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and how children understand race. She lectures widely and leads workshops on these issues for parents, educators, and many others. 

Pandemic Parenting

There is so much to consider during this pandemic as parents and grandparents do the best they can to keep their relationships with their children healthy and loving. There is no “right way” to get through this time in our lives…but if we can put our children at the center of our decisions, then we will nurture and keep safe the next generation. And in order to do this, parents MUST take care of themselves with enough sleep (your laughing now) healthy food, a little time each day to move your body, and deep gratitude for being alive and building your capacity to thrive in the face of adversity.

Many different events, thoughts, and emotions can trigger your yelling and frustration, but they are all modified or intensified by three unique and important factors: Your temperament, your child’s temperament, and how they fit together.

To learn more check out the links below:

-Article on temperament 

-Temperament survey to look at your temperament and also your child’s-

https://www.nurserona.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/PDF_ImpressChildTemp.pdf

-To learn more and to get a temperament assessment for a child 4months to 5years go to www.preventiveoz.org. 

-You can also read the classic book, “Raising Your Spirited Child,” by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka, or my book “Is That Me Yelling? A Parent’s Guide to Getting Your Kids to Cooperate Without Losing Your Cool.”

-You can also listen to a show on Temperament with Nurse Rona and Mary Sheedy Kurcinka http://ia802205.us.archive.org/0/items/childhood-matters-10-03-21/chilhood-matters-10-03-21.mp3