This interview was conducted by Integrative Family Medicine of Asheville’s Health Coach, Ariana Figueroa, as part of our series focused on “Parenting during the Pandemic.” In this conversation, Kriya shares what our kids are going through right now. She offers a special insight into the experiences of tweens and teens — sharing which parenting choices are unhelpful, and what we can do to best support our kids. She also gives ways for us to help build our kids’ resilience and confidence, even in the midst of what is challenging right now.
Kriya received her Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling in 2003. Her career has mostly been in school settings, working with pregnant and parenting teen girls, juvenile justice, high risk girls, expelled students, conducting substance abuse and wellness education with college students, and more. Kriya is currently the Middle School Counselor at Evergreen Charter School in Asheville NC. She also conducts private therapy with adolescents and has provided drug and alcohol education to dozens of schools across NC. She brings a particular insight into understanding pre-teens and teens — both what their experience is like, as well as how to understand them and what they are communicating through their more challenging behaviors. To learn more about Kriya, visit her website at www.kriyalendzion.com.
In this excerpt, the conversation focuses on what the pandemic is like, from our kids’ point of view.