About

You Plus 2 Parenting was born in June 2010 when I was about a year into being a mother of two young boys. I had a real sense of survival and accomplishment having gotten through one of the most challenging and difficult years of my life. Learning to juggle the needs of my two year old with the demands of an infant without neglecting all other aspects of our life or losing my own sense of self was a tremendous achievement. It wasn’t easy, but I quickly learned that with a little forethought, a lot of planning, patience and creative juggling, I was able to restore a sense of normalcy in our home over time.

It was about this time that a friend and new mom of two asked if I would sit down and “show her the ropes” of second time mommy-hood. She was overwhelmed trying to manage the drastically different needs of two children at the same time. She was worried about her toddler’s adjustment, feeling forgetful and unorganized, guilty and overwhelmed…all the normal feelings that most new moms go through. Only this time it was different because she felt like she should already know how to do it all–it shouldn’t be so hard, right?  But it was and no one talked about it.  It made us wonder why there wasn’t more dialogue about the changes and challenges that come along when you expand your family.

That is when the concept for You Plus 2 was created. Combining my real-time personal experience as a busy New York City mom with my professional training as a social worker and therapist, I’ve created a platform where second time parents receive support, information and guidance through a variety of channels.   Apparently we weren’t the only parents who felt this was needed!… In the last 2.5 years we have helped hundreds of expectant and new second time moms and dads via webinars, workshops and seminar events, support groups and private individual & couple sessions.

We learned over time that our conversations always seemed to center around the Big Kid in the family; namely how to help prepare him/her for the new arrival and help him adjust, how to balance normal age-appropriate challenges such a potty training and discipline issues that tend to occur around the same time that a new baby is born, and how to label and validate feelings around the changes and transitions that the older child is experiencing. It became clear that You Plus 2 is more than just a service for second time parents…we’re providing education, support and guidance for ANY parent of a toddler.

That’s when we knew it was time to expand our brand and services to include information and education about toddler parenting skills. We launched our exciting and unique workshop series “Beyond the Basics of Toddler Development” (BTB) in May 2012 and have since guided dozens of New York City parents through the challenging ages and stages of toddlerhood. We’ve had such a tremendous response to the BTB series that we have officially created a new branch of our business which focuses solely on toddler development and education and includes even more informative and original parenting topics. Together, You Plus 2 Parenting & Beyond the Basics of Toddler Development provide you with a comprehensive and holistic look at the development of your child and give you with the tools you will need to navigate these challenging (yet amazing!) years. 

My background:

I graduated from the University of California-Berkeley in 1999 with a BA in Psychology. Directly out of school, I worked as an Account Assistant for a promotion and marketing company in Los Angeles before moving on to become a undergraduate & graduate recruiter for a strategy consulting firm. While there, I also began my career as a career/life coach, working with prospective and recent hires to map out their personal and professional goals. I hosted continuing ed workshops featuring topics such as “Achieving Work-Life Balance” and “Time Management for Dummies” and led campaigns for diversity recruiting. In 2003, we moved to Boston and I began working in Career Services at Harvard Business School. More career & life mapping occurred there and led me to pursue my degree in Social Work at Columbia University in New York City. After working with young women and single mothers for two years as a clinical therapist, I graduated with my Masters in Social Work in 2007. Since You Plus 2 was conceived, I have facilitated private support groups for moms as well as groups with Mommybites, conducted numerous informational workshops and parenting skill workshops through the city, partnered with parenting organizations and networks such as New York Kids Clubs & The Prenatal Yoga Center and have built a small private practice working with individuals and couples on parenting skills and more..

I am a proud member of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW)