By Kari Loya 

Last spring, Austin Jewish Academy (AJA) hosted two parent education events on important topics related to developing social and emotional intelligence in children.  

Just before the Pesach holiday, Shayna Feldman Barksdale, LCSW-S, presented at a lunch workshop in AJA’s library entitled “Raising Resilient Girls.” Feldman Barksdale is the founder and owner of Austin Therapy for Girls and works regularly with families across Austin in both private and public schools. During the 2023-24 school year, Feldman Barksdale facilitated small-group discussions with AJA students, guiding them through the ups and downs of what she describes as “Girl World.”  

“In Girl World,” Feldman Barksdale explained, “Girls face numerous challenges, from societal expectations regarding their appearance and behavior to their achievements. This exposure can lead to anxiety, depression and other mental health issues.” Her talk with parents, in which she frequently quoted professor and author Brené Brown, provided parents with important perspective and tools to help their daughters develop the ability to bounce back from setbacks.  

In early May, Dr. Michelle Natinsky, a child and school psychologist with a private practice in Northwest Hills, presented at a breakfast workshop entitled “Navigating Peer Friendships.” She shared that children can develop essential skills in communication, problem-solving, perspective taking, negotiation and compromise and emotion regulation.  

“When we are supporting them through tricky, conflictual moments,” Dr. Natinsky added, “We can ask ourselves: what is the lacking skill being demonstrated here? Once the lacking skill is identified, we can scaffold those skills.” She strongly encouraged parents to focus on helping children become confident and strong in “their ability to weather the social storms rather than trying so hard to control the weather.”  

When asked about trends, both Feldman Barksdale and Dr. Natinsky lamented the overuse of the word “bullying,” which is often quickly applied to social conflict. They also highlighted how COVID-19 had denied most students one to two years of developing these relationship skills.