In this second part of a two part series, Dr. Dueger is back with us sharing practical tips and tools on how to prepare for parenting examining the following extremely important conversation topics: Values (do you as a couple hold the same values and beliefs? If not, how can you compromise?) History (how were you raised, what were your experiences in the first years of life – because this will affect your parenting style) Pregnancy (how can you use the pregnancy time period to build a support network with other parents) Birth (what are the expectations for the birth experience: what is important to you as a couple for the experience) Postpartum (identifying support networks, what to expect in the first few weeks, how to communicate needs during this time).
Bio:
Dr. Stephanie Dueger, otherwise known as The Attachment Doctor, is a psychotherapist, parent coach, and educator, who works with expectant and new parents and their little ones. She helps individuals, couples, and families with young children heal relational challenges and resolve trauma using an attachment-based and somatically-informed background.
Stephanie received an MA from Naropa University in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Wilderness Therapy. After meeting her husband in the same program and falling in love with their first-born daughter in 2007, Stephanie turned her focus to early somatic attachment work, training and assisting with The Brook Institute. She then earned her PhD from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, with an emphasis in Somatic and Pre- and Perinatal Psychology in 2015, having a second, deeply-loved daughter along the way.
Stephanie is the Editor-in-Chief of the academic Journal of Pre- and Perinatal Psychology and Health, as well as a writer. Her first book—the one she wishes she’d had for herself when first becoming a parent—is currently in the publishing process, and has a “due date” sometime in January, 2020. Tentatively titled Preparing for Parenthood: 55 Essential Conversations for Couples becoming Families, the book is filled with conversation-starters and helpful action items for couples to complete prior to becoming parents. These conversations and action items help couples transition into parenthood in ways that best align with their own beliefs and values, creating greater connection, understanding, and confidence for the new family.
A lover of wilderness, travel, and all creatures, Stephanie spends most of her free time with her family outdoors. She lives in Boulder, CO with her husband and two daughters.