Teaching individuals emotionally intelligent strategies that support healthy relationships with themselves and their children. Children do well if they can.
Emphasis placed on learning compassionate communication and Trauma Informed/Attachment centered strategies. I Heart Connection was created by me, Suzanne Couttouw. I am a mom juggling parenthood while healing from childhood adversity. I simply want my daughter's childhood experience to better than my own. I am a Certified Trauma Informed Nonviolent Parent Educator and I'm trained in Tier 1 Collabo
rative Problem Solving. I believe mindfulness, connection and compassionate communication are practices that can create great joy and more ease within the family. I teach Trauma Informed Emotionally Intelligent Parenting. Research and Brain Science tells us that when we honor and respect the feelings and needs of ourselves and those of our children, we can create a safe foundation where our children can learn and grow. Parents do well if they can. I help families address challenges and create change by focusing on an emotionally healthy framework that encourages the idea that there IS enough space for everyone to meet their needs. When families are clear about their needs, they can utilize their unique strengths and together, create sustainable solutions
I Heart Connection encourages parents to grow right along-side their children. Parents can learn ways of being that honor who they are and cultivate more connection with their kids. I want our time together to be: informative, fun, reflective and engaging. I created I Heart Connection because I want parents to have a safe space to talk about the struggles they face caring for their children and caring for themselves! I want parents to find more joy within parenthood. I Heart Connection provides parents with the support and resources they need to move towards a more balanced life. As a mom, I often felt isolated and overwhelmed with parenting. I was either frustrated with my child or frustrated with my ability to parent. I doubted myself all the time. The internet was my go to for advice on any behavior that was driving me nuts. As a child, I grew up in an environment that was unstable and often not safe. I did not learn from my parents how to be the parent I wanted to be. I found that my past experiences were getting in the way of my happiness, the relationship I wanted with my child and my parenting goals. Trauma Informed Nonviolent Parenting spoke to me as a human being. It helped me understand myself better so that I could connect more fully within and with my child. My perception of my child and her behavior changed. I was able to manage and regulate my own emotions and THAT was a huge turning point. Approaching my child with respect and openness created the space I needed to problem solve with intention. I no longer saw my daughter as the problem but saw her behavior as trying to meet a need. After working for nonprofits and government agencies for 20 years, I am dedicated to helping people navigate adversity and find their strengths. I am passionate about healing. To learn more about attachment and trauma I received my Graduate Certificate in Trauma Informed Care from PSU in 2017. I Heart Connection is dedicated to creating peaceful change in the world, one family at a time.
