Free back-to-school resources for ROGD families

With back-to-school around the corner, parents of ROGD kids all around the country are feeling a pit of dread in their stomachs. While the kid may have relaxed over the summer, now their armor is going back on in anticipation of walking into that building. At home, kids might be ramping up insistence on the name and pronouns again, posturing like the opposite sex, and playing with grooming and presentation.

The beginning of a new school year — even more so when it takes place at a new school — marks an important juncture in every kid's life, and it sparks their defenses going up once more in anticipation of the challenges in their social environment. Pay attention to this behavior, because it tells you a lot about what they feel the need to defend themselves from.

In light of the unique challenges of late August, this week only, I'm making two of my biggest

So, Your Kid is Starting at a New School Next Week, empathically addresses youth's armor, the protective function that the identity (and all that goes with it) serves for a kid in the school environment. It helps parents differentiate between asking a kid not to push the identity further, versus asking them to walk it back, why this difference matters, why some parental demands may. backfire, and how to tailor your requests according to where your kid, and your relationship, stand.

A Request Is Not a Confession: Approaching Schools and Therapists Before the School Year Starts addresses how parents can work with the schools themselves, what to watch out for, and how to frame requests in a neutral, assertive manner so as to protect their kids without putting a target on their back.

I'm offering both of these lessons to the public for free for the next few days! They’re both a part of my new UNPACKED: Concept Animations series of bonus lessons featuring animated videos. In contrast, the core curriculum videos are of me talking. Both the core and the bonus curriculum include written material as well, plus reflection questions to help you personalize the concepts and apply them to your family.

Please share with parents you know who need the help.

To sign up for the program in full, you can enroll at

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