A Trauma Therapist Took Our Parenting Class — Here's What Surprised Her | Janet Bayramyan, LCSW

Janet Bayramyan, LCSW — a trauma therapist and owner of Road2Wellness Counseling in Encino — joined our new Mindful Beginnings program as a parent, alongside her one-year-old son. Mindful Beginnings is for parents and their little ones (walking age through 5), built on the Reflective Parenting curriculum and grounded in attachment theory. It's not a typical parenting class. Instead of only teaching skills to use on your child, it asks how you were parented — and how that shapes the parent you're becoming. Janet talks with Dr. Peggy Matson, LMFT (our Director of Parent Services) and Adelina Brisbois, LMFT about what shifted for her: making room for free play, validating a child's frustration instead of fixing it, the "little-t" traumas that surface when you have a baby, and the quiet power of staying regulated when your child falls apart. They also get into why it's never too late to repair a relationship, and the work Janet does with adults, EMDR, and IFS at Road2Wellness. Chapters 00:00 A therapist on the other side of the room 00:41 Welcome to Look for the Helpers 01:03 Part 1 — With Dr. Peggy Matson: "I thought I knew this" 04:36 Her son, slow-to-warm — and the curriculum 06:25 Taking it home: free play & validating frustration 09:55 Boundaries — with your child, and with your own parents 12:13 Part 2 — With Adelina: two moms, reflecting 14:50 What "mommy & me" misses: the mom's experience 18:00 Little-t trauma and learning to slow down 22:35 Prevention: support parents now, help kids later 24:35 "It felt like magic" — triggers, anger & repair 28:25 Empathy over judgment — and why it's never too late 31:55 New at Engage: grandparent & dad/partner support 34:11 How to explain Mindful Beginnings (hint: it's about you) 37:35 Real moments: the car seat & the bedtime narration 43:30 The oxygen-mask reframe — care for the parent first 47:15 Janet's work: trauma, EMDR, IFS at Road2Wellness 54:29 Why Conejo Valley clinicians lift each other up About Engage Therapy Engage Therapy is a clinician-owned, clinician-led practice supporting youth and families across the Conejo Valley — Agoura Hills, Westlake Village, Calabasas, Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley and nearby. Learn more about Mindful Beginnings and our programs at engagetherapy.com · (805) 497-0605 · @engagetherapy. Guest: Janet Bayramyan, LCSW — Road2Wellness Counseling, Encino · road2wellness.co · IG @therapy_with_janetb