This section is divided into three parts.  You can scroll down the page or click on the section you wish to see.

  ·   About Parenting Conversations

  ·   About the Directors of Parenting Conversations

  ·   About the Advisors to Parenting Conversations

ABOUT PARENTING CONVERSATIONS

The story of Parenting Conversations began over 30 years ago.  At the time, parenting workshops were so rare that New York Magazine cited our program as one of its "Best Bets." 

Founded in Manhattan by Naomi Siegel and Joanna Strauss, Parents’ Workshop connected new mothers with each other and with experienced parent educators. The first parenting workshop, offered at St Luke’s Hospital, expanded into different settings over time. Today, these live workshops continue as Parenting Conversations in Manhattan and Westchester County, NY.

Now we are delighted to introduce telephone parenting workshops, available no matter where you live. You can

  ·   Find friendship with other parents

  ·   Enjoy a supportive context for raising child(ren)

  ·   Deepen your insight about parent-child interactions and development

A mother in the very first group advised that no parent should miss out on this opportunity for mutual support and helpful learning. She suggested, "After our babies are born, an ambulance should come to the hospital, and drive us straight to our parenting group." Now there is no need for the ambulance – just dial a phone number.

ABOUT THE DIRECTORS

Naomi Siegel, MS

Relishing every moment, Naomi Siegel has been working with parents for more than thirty years. It's no wonder she loves what she does. Her parenting groups often magically transform into extended families. Mothers repeatedly agree they feel less stress, worry and anxiety; they know they are not alone.

Naomi’s enthusiasm gives parents the feeling of being on a light hearted parenting adventure that combines sweet, gentle moments with sage advice. Her perceptive leadership can only come from many years of experience. Naomi is noted for her openness, telling mothers about what did not work in her own family as well as what did work.

Known for bringing practical, real life ideas to parents. Naomi taught other parent educators at the Bank Street College of Education in Manhattan. Her experience comes from leading parenting groups in nursery schools, hospitals, and a pediatrician’s office, as well as privately. She is especially delighted that she has learned to live in the moment with her two granddaughters, and only wishes she had known how when she was raising her own three children.

Naomi graduated from the University of Illinois and received her MS from
Bank Street College. She has studied with Sirgay Sanger, MD, T.Berry
Brazelton, MD and Stanley Greenspan, MD. She lives in New York City with her husband, not far from her children and grandchildren.

Joanna Strauss, LCSW

Sometimes seen as the Sherlock Holmes of parenting, Joanna Strauss is known for untangling the complex relationships between parents and children. She helps parents look at issues more clearly and make effective changes without being too hard on themselves.

Her warm and thoughtful approach instantly endears her to mothers, who are comfortable chatting with her right off the bat. Even after working with parents for many years, she still gets excited when mothers learn to tune into themselves and their children – and figure out how to resolve stressful situations.

A graduate of Harvard and the Smith College School for Social Work, Joanna has brought her education and natural abilities to her work in many different settings; including clinics, an early childhood center, private practice, and a pediatrician’s office. She supervised the Stay in School Program and taught child development at the Fordham University School for Social Service. Her years of additional training in adult, child, parenting, and group psychotherapy, prepared her to work with parents and children as a therapist, group leader, and educator.

Joanna, who lives in Westchester County with her husband, found that raising their two children together was an eye opening experience in which she learned more than she ever could have imagined. Her work gave her access to many child experts while she was raising her children, and she realized that she wanted other parents to have similar opportunities.

ADVISORS TO PARENTING CONVERSATIONS

Susan Rose, PhD, Professor of Pediatrics, Psychiatry and Behvarioral Science.  Dr. Rose is an infant research psychologist at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.  She specializes in infant cognition, risk, and the relation of infant abilities to outcomes in later childhood and adolescence.

David Siegler, MD, pediatrician.  Dr. Siegler is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of New York-Presbyterian, Columbia University Medical Center and in private practice in Yonkers, New York.  He has a specialty in adolescent medicine.

Ellen Handler Spitz, PhD, is Honors College Professor of Visual Arts at The University of Maryland.  An expert on children and the arts, she is an internationally acclaimed author and lecturer on children’s cultural lives. 

Barry Stein, MD, pediatrician. Dr. Stein is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Mt. Sinai Hospital as well as in private practice in Manhattan.

Production credits:

Roberto Gonzalez Rey, website designer (www.gonzalezrey.com)

Annie Watson, portrait photographer (www.anniewatson.com)

DISCLAIMER

Please note that Parenting Conversations is designed to help parents learn about parenting and child development, and to think about how this information relates to their own situation.  We do not provide healthcare, nor is participating in Parenting Conversations a substitute for a consultation with appropriate healthcare or psychological professionals.