Securely Attached
Securely Attached is your go-to parenting podcast, supporting moms and dads from pregnancy all the way through their child's adolescence and every stage in between.
Join us every Tuesday as clinical psychologist and mom of two Dr. Sarah Bren shares her expertise and interviews top experts in the field, simplifying complicated concepts and pulling back the curtain on the brain science and psychology that drives and shapes the parent-child relationship.
And now, every Thursday, Dr. Sarah Bren is joined by Dr. Emily Upshur and Dr. Rebecca Hershberg for a special segment, Beyond The Sessions. We’re answering YOUR parenting questions from the perspective of clinical psychologists highly trained in developmental science and real-life moms who get that parenting is messy, and sometimes we have to laugh, cry, and throw out the “rules.”
From toddler tantrums, to effective discipline strategies, to leaning into the principles of respectful parenting, and to managing your own mental wellness as a parent—this podcast is your ultimate resource for judgment-free, research-backed information you know you can trust.
About Sarah Bren, PhD
Dr. Sarah Bren is a licensed clinical psychologist and mom of two who helps parents understand the building blocks of child development and how secure relationships form and thrive. Her work is focused on helping parents find their inner confidence so they can respond to any parenting problem that comes along and raise kids who are healthy, resilient, and kind.
- Update frequency
- every 3 days
- Average duration
- 41 minutes
- Episodes
- 342
- Years Active
- 2021 - 2025
80. How a sex therapist strives to raise her children to be sex positive: Unpacking developmentally appropriate expectations, boundaries, body autonomy, and consent with Dr. Holly Richmond
One of the things that I hear time and time again from parents is that it feels like parenthood is a constant tightrope walk. And knowing how to meet our children’s curiosity about sex without projec…
79. Helping your child cope with anxiety: A conversation with clinical psychologist Dr. Terri Bacow
When our children feel anxious or afraid, it can be difficult for parents to know exactly how they should respond. Many parents put pressure on themselves to solve or fix this problem for their child…
78. What to do before, during and after we lose our cool: Helping parents navigate their own big feelings with Dr. Cindy Hovington
As parents, we don’t always get it right. But having the tools and skills to process our own big feelings and navigate emotion regulation in ourselves can have a big impact on how we support our chil…
77. Staying flexible, present and self-compassionate in early parenthood: Practical mindfulness tools for postpartum mental health with Dr. Kira Bartlett
While it’s wonderful that there is much more talk about postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, and other perineal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) than ever before, the flip side of that coin i…
76. Secure attachment is optimal, but insecure attachment may not be as bad as we think: A conversation with attachment researcher Dr. Or Dagan
We talk a lot about secure attachment on this podcast—which is certainly the best case scenario. But the reality is that not everyone forms a secure attachment bond. So what can we learn about insecu…
75. RIE in the real world: How two moms use and teach RIE with Courtney Dern
RIE, which stands for Resources for Infant Educarers, is a parenting philosophy created by Magda Gerber that has gained a lot of attention in recent years. Yet, there are still some common misconcept…
74. You can't sit with us: How to handle peer rejection in early adolescence with Dr. Emily Upshur
Were you uninvited to a birthday party, laughed at by a group of mean girls, or maybe even bullied? If you had some tough times in elementary, middle, or high school, it’s easy to inadvertently be pr…
73. I don't want to play with you: How to handle peer rejection in toddlerhood Q&A with Dr. Emily Upshur
When we hear our children say things like, “I don’t want to play with her” or “that’s my toy” it’s easy for us to feel flooded and want to shut down the situations with comments like, “that’s not ver…
72. Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE): How a new treatment for childhood anxiety and OCD is revolutionizing care with Dr. Eli Lebowitz
Human evolution is incredible. We come out of the womb knowing that our greatest chance of survival is to attach to a primary caretaker who will keep us safe. And that innate wisdom is what motiva…
71. The neuroscience of mindfulness and how teaching these skills to our kids has worldwide impact with Dr. Dan Siegel
When we teach our young children to slow down, to notice their emotions, then equip them with tools for navigating their tricky feelings like disappointment, impatience, boredom, sadness, or anger…
70. Helping children process, accept and understand death: With death doula Heather Hogan
It can be difficult and scary to talk about death as adults, so having to do so with our kids can cause us to freeze up and shut down. But by being open and honest about death, an inevitable part …
69. How to support children experiencing abandonment or separation from a parent: Q&A with Dr. Emily Upshur
There can be many reasons why children may experience prolonged separations from a parent. From planned separations like for military families or when one parent must take a job far away, to unpla…
68. Transitioning from one child to two: How to support everyone as your family grows with supermom Lindsay Ellingson
When we become parents for the second or third time, one of the most common experiences (that people often don't talk about) is the grief parents feel for their big kiddo and the changes that are …
67. Parents are burnt out: A breakdown of what went wrong and how we can prioritize our own mental health with Shelley Kemmerer
During the pandemic, "burnout" became a trendy buzzword getting thrown around social media, blogs, and moms groups. But what is the actual medical definition of burnout and how can learning about …
66. Busting parenting gender stereotypes: A dad's perspective on respectful parenting with Eli Weinstein
The stereotypes surrounding fatherhood often revolve around a disengaged father figure described as “baby-sitting” their own child, lacking deep emotions, and blindly following their wife’s advice…
65. Helping preschool parents prepare for drop-off, separation anxiety, and the development of social skills with Meredith Gary
In preschool, learning is far less about the ABC’s and 1,2,3’s and far more about developing an awareness of yourself and the world around you. Knowing how to best support your child and help them fe…
64. Moving beyond parenting scripts: Fostering deep, authentic and connected conversations with your kids with Rebecca Rolland
Science has shown that the best way to help our kids become independent, confident, kind, empathetic, and happy is by talking with them. But while we may know that what we say to our children matt…
63. Potty training, bed wetting and constipation: A conversation about pediatric pelvic health with Quiara Smith
Whether potty training isn’t going as planned, or you’re just nervous about gearing up to undertake your child’s’ transition out of diapers, that added pressure, frustration and anxiety can create…
62. Motherhood as advocacy: A conversation about paid family leave, abortion access and gun reform with Raena Boston
61. Giving our children enough space to grow and learn: Raising self-confident and resilient children with Nellie Harden
Being intentional about the way we parent our young children now can help lay critical groundwork that will allow them to flourish in adulthood. Lessons like independence, self-confidence, and resili…