I am Jenn Bulka, an Executive Function Therapist and love my job because of the daily growth and satisfaction in seeing minds grow. I am the author of MemoryConfident.com (and its companion workbook) a website to help young and mature thinkers improve their working memory.
This blog will focus on key material for individuals (children and adults) and parent coaching to provide ideas to optimize your efforts in growing executive functioning skills.
The key areas for therapy in Executive Function at The Talking Playhouse, A Place for Social Learning in Redwood City, near Palo Alto California are:
Working Memory
Self Regulation
Time Management and Planning
Organization
Self-monitoring
Attention
Impulse Control
Cognitive Flexibility
Habit-forming Behavioral, Scientific-based (proven) system for new habits
Psychology of how the cognitive side (thinking) makes you achieve your goals
If you're on hunt for therapy that helps your Executive Function (EF), here's what you need to know:
EF therapy truly works when you are an active participant, not just in therapy session but during the week in various activities at school/home/work.
EF therapy is different than homework support. Yes, of course it can be to help you with homework/project planning, delivering on time, remembering to sync up with other assignments due, but the real work is in the cognitive (thinking) exercises that you practice such as sensing time, using a reminder behavioral system that creates new habits, learning a sense of direction, and understanding the attention required that is specific to these kind of brain growing exercises (see https://www.memoryconfident.com/blog for more info on attention and memory).
For Executive Function parent coaching: You as 'partner in therapy' with your kiddo, become the facilitator or executive function coach -- all week long -- in order to carryover the skills to real life tasks. However, beware: it's not your same 'ol parenting technique. When you talk to an executive (dys)functioning brain the way it needs to be coached, then you start seeing the changes.
And finally, Executive Function Coaching, Executive Function Therapy truly does work. It takes a village for sure but the brain can grow and change at any age.
Bonus: increased Executive Function helps social skills, engagement, planning and building a community.
I am always delighted in the results that I see with my clients, which is why I haven't retired. It's a wonderful journey to see someone overcome executive function difficulties. Stay tuned for more info to help you establish and use the executive function skills you deserve!
-jenn bulka, SLP, Ca license 14,006
Executive Function Therapist, Pragmatic Language Therapy , Social Skills Therapy , Written Language Therapy, New Habit Therapist!
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