KATHRYN F. MERCER

Support with experience and compassion

Parenting a child with extra-special  qualities, like Autism and communication delays, sometimes feels like walking (or stumbling) through a dark forest.

I know.

I have been a parent of a child with Autism for upwards of 15 years. I have also been a Speech

Language Pathologist for well over 20 years. On my path I have gained unique skills and perspectives both as a parent and professional. I have worked in a variety of educational and clinical settings while also parenting two incredible and unique children. 

Along the way I learned to look for guidance. Some professionals were helpful. And some left me feeling unsupported, frustrated, confused and lost (with a much lighter wallet.) With intentional practice I have learned that these experiences make me a better advocate for my own children--and the children and families I work with. 

After many years of living with  toxic stress, I found myself in need of healing the effects from a chronic illness.  I returned to my long-abandoned practices of yoga and mindfulness. These practices helped me realize that helping myself was necessary to be able to show up for others.  

As a lifelong learner, I have gathered more than 500 hours of yoga teacher training for children and adults of all abilities. For several years I have incorporated yoga and mindfulness into the way I work with children and families. My approach is also informed by research from Dan Siegel and others in the field of interpersonal neurobiology, which examines how our brains and bodies communicate with ourselves and others. 

And because many of us have experienced some form of trauma (including myself), I include trauma informed studies (and their many intersections) to my ongoing learning.

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Now I integrate all my experiences and my knowledge in order to support parents and children. I work with families to provide education and specific support for their child. I also teach families how to gently and mindfully approach the challenges that come up every day.  

Truthfully, my most important skill is one that I work on every day: to listen deeply and to accept myself and others just as we are. After many years of being a Speech Pathologist hired to correct a person's behavior or communication, I now believe that no one is in need of "fixing." Don't misunderstand me--that doesn't mean we don't have challenges to work on. When we meet ourselves (and others) where we are it allows us to build on the innate and unique strengths we all have. 

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