National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management

Self-Care During "Interesting Times": Beyond the Advice to Eat Better and Get a Good Night's Sleep

Presented by: Amy Szarkowski, Ph.D.

Webinar date: July 16, 2020

(Registration form available below the description on this page)

Webinar start times (by time zone)

  • 10:00 am - 11:00 am PT
  • 11:00 am - 12:00 pm MT
  • 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm CT
  • 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm ET

Webinar Description

A quick search for "self-care" brings up an image of a woman in her 20's, dancing in a field of bright yellow flowers under a bright blue sky, wearing a flowing dress on her lithe, firm body. Another image is that of a hyperflexible man (who can actually pull off "skinny jeans") with his yoga mat, meditating on a rocky outcrop, overlooking an amazing mountainous vista. None of the images in the "self-care search" show images of people wearing a mask to avoid spreading a virus. Nor are there pictures of children pulling on their caregivers' pantlegs, needing attention. None of the pictures show parents communicating with their child who is deaf or hard of hearing; in fact, from the pictures, one gets the impression that "self-care" is incompatible with having children at all! 

No doubt you have heard that eating healthy foods and getting enough rest are important, right?! You also probably know, from lived experience, that these things can be challenging to do during "interesting times" (such as global pandemics or working-from-home + home-schooling + summer-activities-are-canceled + all-the-other-things). Join me - a psychologist with real-life flaws whose flowing dress is currently too tight and whose last solo trip to see mountain vistas was too long ago - to ponder the rationale for prioritizing self-care, to consider what self-care might look like during these interesting times in which we find ourselves, and to explore some realistic options for self-care for "the rest of us." 

Learning Objectives 
Following this presentation, participants will be able to: 
1. Describe two or more brain-based benefits of incorporating self-care into one's regular routine 
2. Identify one "emotional trigger" that disrupts one's own self-care 
3. Generate a two-step plan of action to improve self-care 

Bio: 
Amy Szarkowski, PhD, is a psychologist who currently serves as the Director of The Institute at the Children's Center for Communication/Beverly School for the Deaf. Established in 2019, the mission of The Institute at CCCBSD is to generate and disseminate transformational ideas, practices, and services which advance outcomes for individuals – deaf and hearing – who have developmental or communication challenges and the professionals who engage with them. The work of The Institute at CCCBSD is guided by the desire to have a positive impact and advance the field across three pillars: Professional Excellence, Partnerships & Community Engagement, and Scholarship. 

Dr. Szarkowski is also on the faculty for LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities), through Boston Children's Hospital/Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. She is an adjunct Associate Professor at Gallaudet University, where she teaches online in Deaf and Hard of Hearing Infants, Toddlers and their Families: Collaboration and Leadership Interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate Program. Dr. Szarkowski holds an appointment as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. 

Dr. Szarkowski is proud to serve as a Core Team member for Fostering Joy (#DHHFosteringJoy), a movement to celebrate the joy and wonder that children who are deaf or hard of hearing bring to their families and the professionals who work with them. She has contributed as a member of the scientific advisory to the Hands & Voices' FL3 program (Family Leadership in Language and Learning), now the FL3 Center. She serves on the International Advisory Board for Family-Centered Early Intervention (FCEI), and has been appointed to the Research Committee for the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children. 

 

Once you have submitted the registration information, a confirmation email will be sent to your email address with additional webinar participation/ login information. Please contact Mandy Jay if you have not received a confirmation email two days prior to the webinar.