Parenting Series 2023-2024: “Encouraging Independence in Kids”

The Parenting Series is an Office for Women’s Careers initiative focused on well-being and work-life balance for MGH faculty and trainee parents.

This talk explored questions about how parents can foster independence in their children. Questions addressed included when and how children should be encouraged to take on certain responsibilities, as well as specific parenting strategies that can be helpful. Potential obstacles and developmental considerations were also discussed.

Speaker:
Elana Kagan, PhD, is a psychologist in the Child Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Program at the Massachusetts General Hospital. She completed her undergraduate work at Yale University and earned her doctorate in clinical psychology at Temple University. She completed her predoctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine/Kennedy Krieger Institute. Dr. Kagan specializes in CBT for children, adolescents, and young adults with anxiety, mood, and behavioral disorders. Her research interests center on ways to effectively involve parents in the treatment of anxious youth.