On November 16 at 1:00 PM, Dr. Lavinia Ekong is presenting “Running on Empty: Childhood Emotional Neglect” as part of the MSP Continuing Education Workshop Series. Dr. Ekong offers the following as a workshop preview. Register for this workshop here.
“Running on Empty” workshop is based on the book by Dr. Jonice Webb who pioneered the work of identifying and treating childhood emotional neglect.
Childhood emotional neglect is growing up not having your feelings acknowledged or validated. It occurs when parents fail to pay enough attention to their child’s emotional needs. It is the “I love you” that was not said, the hugs that were not given, and the demand to “stop crying” when hurt. It is about being dismissed for wanting attention and being shamed for needing help. Emotional neglect is growing up never being asked, “How do you feel?”
Children growing up with emotional neglect feel shame for having vulnerabilities, and they feel weak for expressing them.
When caregivers notice their child’s feelings, it helps the child feel seen. When parents name their child’s feeling, it teaches the child how to identify his/her emotion. When parents effectively manage their emotions, the child learns how to do this for him/herself. When children do not learn affect regulation, they grow up feeling disconnected from themselves and others.
Being connected to your emotions is more valuable to success in life and work than general intelligence. It’s vital that you know how to manage your feelings so that you can feel comfortable with yourself and others. This workshop will enable you to learn how to identify and treat childhood emotional neglect.
This workshop is not about bashing parents; it is about healing your clients.
I invite you to attend this workshop to learn about this ground breaking work.
Dr. Lavinia Ekong is a Certified Imago Relationship Therapist and a member of the Executive Board of Imago Therapy of Michigan. She has conducted several clinical trainings for masters and doctoral students on Imago Therapy at the Michigan School of Psychology. Her clinical practice at Ekong Counseling Center focuses on helping clients develop healthy intrapersonal and interpersonal relationships using Imago Relationship Therapy.
