Saturday Programs

January 24: Co-Regulation and Responsive Structure: Tools for Caregivers of Intense Children and Youth - Mary Wandrei, PhD, LP

Co-regulation means “we’re a team.” You and your child read each other and the situation, then both adjust so things go smoothly. It's a shared responsibility—not “I’m in charge” or “you’re in charge,” but “we each have a job.” Responsive structure is adjustment of adult guidance (cues and scaffolding) based on the child's strengths and vulnerabilities at a given time. Join us to discuss developmentally appropriate guidance of your child's emotional regulation using co-reg and responsive structure.

Bio: Mary L. Wandrei, PhD, is the founder of Cottonwood Center, where she specializes in psychotherapy with gifted, neurodivergent and multi-exceptional children and adults; autism screening/consultation; school adjustment and educational planning; and consultation around executive functioning, anxiety, depression, sensory processing, and temperament issues. She also supervises therapists in training, who often have openings when therapy is hard to find, and offers office space for multidisciplinary providers (therapists, nutritionists, coaches) who work with intense and gifted individuals.

January 31: Increasing Engagement and Success Through Creative Expression and Exploration - Erin Boltik, EdS

Being creative helps people become better problem solvers in all areas of life and work. Creativity helps people see things differently and better deal with uncertainty. Studies show that creative people are better able to live with uncertainty because they can adapt their thinking to allow for the flow of the unknown. As fast as our world is changing, it is imperative that our students are creative thinkers and producers! This session will provide ideas and resources that will help grow creative thinking skills.

Bio: Erin Boltik, Ed.S., is the Director of Gifted and Talented Programs and Services for Bloomington Public Schools and has over 30 years years of experience working with gifted and talented students and their families. In her previous role as G.T. Coordinator for Inver Grove Heights, she created a gifted program, Atheneum, that serves as a G.T. school-within-a-school model for many districts across the state of MN. She has since created a Humanities-based talent development G.T. creativity program, Nobel, in Bloomington. Being a creative producer herself, she is excited to engage with you in a morning of games and play that serve to grow your creativity! 

Recent Presentations:

• "Anxiety, Boredom, and Underachievement. How to Help Your Child Navigate School" - Dr. Mark Larson and Jodi Larson
• "Gifted Readers and the Science of Reading: What Parents Should Know" - Dr. Liz Fogarty
• "Decoding Puzzling Minds: Giftedness & Neurodiversity" - Dr. Megan Helmen
• "When Your Child’s Job of School is Taking Over Your Family" - Carol Malueg
• "Using Mind-Body Science to Enhance the Well-Being of Gifted Families" - Dr. Andrea Johnson
• "Recognizing Anxiety in Gifted Children" - Shelly Harvey
• "Supporting the Academic Success of the Visually-Spatially Talented" - Martha Palm
• "The Challenge of Being Good at Almost Everything" - Josh Chambers
• "The Parenting Journey" - Dr. Teresa Argo Boatman
• "Defining Success Your Own Way" - Tina van Erp
• "Easy Ways to Cultivate Critical and Creative Thinking at Home" - Molly Hammel
• "The Origin of Worries in Gifted Children" - Dr. Lori Migdal
• "Building Relationships And Self-Efficacy Skills To Support Academic Success" - Dr. Melissa Malen
• "ADHD: Symptoms, Superpowers, Self-Image, and Support" - Dr. Liz Adams
• "Guiding Principles For Raising Gifted Kids" - Dr. Danika Maddocks
• "If Gifted Kids Are So Smart, Why Can't They Just..." - Anne Tyler
• "Perfectionism, Passions, Problems, And Possibilities" - Pam McDonald
• "Executive Functioning in Gifted Children" - Jennifer Siebenaler
• "Navigating a Gifted Child's Educational Journey: Strategies to Support Parent-Teacher Collaboration" - Dr. Carol Hokanson