Lisa Allred comes to SAS with a long history of working with families throughout the lifespan. After receiving her undergraduate degree at Wake Forest Universtity and her Masters in Social Work from UNC-CH, her career began as a child therapist focusing on parenting, anxiety and trauma. She then moved into college counseling where she emphasized student wellness and balance.
Lisa Allred, Senior Program Manager in Work/Life, is joined by her adult child, Finn Draper. Finn is a non-binary therapist at Three Oaks Behavioral Health in Wake County. This week is Transgender Awareness Week. If you want to find activities in your community, check with your local LGBTQ+ Center. In
With a little preparation, a sense of humor, and a lot of deep breaths, you can successfully navigate this season. Here are some tips to help parents start the new school year! Get Your Supports in Place It’s time to create (or re-engage) your support system. Consider reaching out to
Every June I try to write a blog post in honor of PRIDE month and in celebration of my wonderful LGBTQ+ colleagues, friends, and family members. This is for all the other parents and allies out there. It is about showing up. It is about aligning your words with your
As a child therapist, and as a parent, I believe in the power of bibliotherapy. Reading about worries, social challenges, and big life changes is one of the most effective strategies to help your child learn about and cope with their feelings. May is Mental Health Awareness Month and reading
After reading about the tragic attack and death of Nex Benedict, a 16 year old non-binary student in Oklahoma, I sat down to write another blog post about why we need to take care of our gender diverse community and how to support our gender diverse teens at a time
In 1990 I was a couple of years out of college, trying to support myself with multiple jobs, and navigating a relationship with a partner who could best be described as “non-committal”. I was also working in a domestic violence shelter and observing how often fear of being alone and
This year I am teaching a series of parenting classes called “Planful Parenting.” The goal of these classes is to give parents an opportunity to take a step back from the day-to-day challenges of parenting to think about their philosophy of parenting, their values related to parenting and how parenting your
This weekend I was in the car with my son and his spouse, and they were listening to one of their new favorite bands. When they got to a song I liked, I asked my son to add it to my playlist. His spouse had never heard of this playlist
This blog post was originally published in 2019 but recently I have been speaking with a number of parents who are struggling to parent as a team. It seems like a good opportunity to revisit this topic. There are a few common ways that parents find themselves on different pages:
This blog post was originally published in October of 2019 and the topic has come up so much recently in my conversations with parents, I thought now would be a good time to re-publish it. When it comes to internet safety, I often hear the discussion framed as "to monitor
"Finding and Making Time for Self-Care" is one of my most popular workshops because most of us want to take better care of ourselves but feel like we just don't have time. Here are some of the strategies I use to make time for self-care. Values and Time Exercise Spend
I have an anxiety disorder and 24 years ago when I decided to have a child, I was most worried about how I could parent in a way that didn’t stack the “nurture” part of the equation against my child. Anxiety disorders are thought to only have about a 30%
I guess it started even before Finn, my 22-year-old, was born. My sisters and I agreed to put our holiday budgets towards buying things for our parents that they needed rather than gifts for each other. One year it was a new mattress, one year a dryer, it was utilitarian,
Changes and conflict happening in our world impact each of us in unique ways, causing strife and uncertainty. This can leave us feeling unsure of what to say, who to say it to, and how to find support. I don’t keep it a secret that I am the parent of an
About a year ago, my adult child told their grandfather that they had chosen a new name and were using the pronouns “they/them.” This was the day before a family beach trip. My child told him that they would correct him if he got it wrong, not to be judgmental,
Blog post originally published in 2015 What is the difference between people who languish and people who flourish? People who flourish have at least 3 heartfelt positive emotional experiences for every heart-wrenching negative one. This might seem like a hard balance to strike, but think of it like you would
This blog post was originally published in November of 2018. I have continued to learn about motivating behavior change and would even consider myself an expert at this point (4 years later). Using social emotions to motivate change is still my strongest and most successful strategy so I am sharing
Parenting advice is often given liberally and freely by well-meaning relatives, friends, and sometimes even strangers. When you are having an issue with your child (potty training, sleep, tantrums, or anything else) it is difficult to know who to listen to or where to start. In this post, first I
Will you be around any children or teens this holiday season? Yes? This blog is for you!!! The Backdrop It has been a rough 21 months for all of us. For kids and teens, the pandemic has impacted a huge percentage of their lives. When you have been alive 660
I’m not ok and that is ok. One thing that I have learned from doing seminars on parenting with SAS employees across the globe this year is that none of us, no matter what country we live in or what language we speak, are ok. We have moments when we
One irony during this pandemic is that single people wish they were partnered and partnered people wish they were single. Today’s blog post is for the partnered people out there who are struggling with the increased stress and togetherness during this pandemic. I don’t need to tell you what
Last week I read an article that suggested writing a “done” list at the end of each day before identifying the 2-3 priority “to do” items for tomorrow. Ok, I’ll bite. Over the last several months I have been trying all sorts of organization and efficiency habits, so I decided
Recently, Dana and I had the opportunity to spend an hour with our HCC staff talking about managing stress and coping with change. We were grateful for the time to support our SAS Healthcare Heroes. We pulled together such great content that I want everyone to have access to it,
Nine months… that is how long some of us have been working from home with our spouse, managing the economic stress of the pandemic, homeschooling children, worrying about family members, social isolation and re-negotiating household roles. It is no wonder that people are wondering if their relationship will last. Whether
This is a repost of a blog I wrote early in the pandemic. It is even more relevant now and I hope it will be encouraging and comforting to all of you exhausted parents out there. As I sit down to write this blog, I really wish I had "the
This blog is reposted from March 2015. Many of our kids are dealing with high levels of anxiety related to the pandemic and online school so it seems like a good time to re-post it. I recently read an article I loved on how to explain anxiety to children. Even
Today’s blog post links to 3 podcasts recorded with Dr. Shanun Kunnavatana, the Clinical Director of Easterseals UCP Autism Services. Dr. Kunnavatana graciously joined me for 3 conversations about children with Autism (linked below). The first is about Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA), a therapeutic intervention. The second is about Managing Challenging
Lately, every time I talk to Natalie on the phone, I find myself walking outside to weed my garden. I weed with one hand and hold the phone with the other and sit in the dirt and enjoy the sun. It occurred to me today that weeding was a metaphor
Our children need us to comfort them but also to be honest with them right now. Comforting your child is where you are likely the most secure. You have been doing it since those first sleepless nights after they were born. The honesty is much harder. The honest conversation you
June is PRIDE month. Even before I joined the leadership team for the SAS PRIDE Employee Inclusion Group, I always used my Work/Life blog in June to write about LGBTQ youth and how we can support them. This year I struggle to find words that are adequate to educate,
