Help Your Child Handle Conflicts with Confidence.
Speak Up and Stay S.T.R.O.N.G. is a fun, live online class where children learn practical communication skills
to express themselves confidently, get their needs met, and solve everyday conflicts while staying
kind and respectful to themselves and others.
For children in grades 2–5 and their parents.
to express themselves confidently, get their needs met, and solve everyday conflicts while staying
kind and respectful to themselves and others.
For children in grades 2–5 and their parents.
It's harder to stay calm when you don't know what to say. Speak Up gives children practical communication strategies for handling disagreements, asking for what they need, responding to teasing, expressing feelings, and working through everyday conflicts.
Our goal as parents isn't to help our children avoid conflict. Instead, it's to teach them how to communicate skillfully during difficult moments, as well as to come back and repair the conversation if needed, after everyone's calmer.
Our goal as parents isn't to help our children avoid conflict. Instead, it's to teach them how to communicate skillfully during difficult moments, as well as to come back and repair the conversation if needed, after everyone's calmer.
The Skills Kids Learn
In Speak Up and Stay S.T.R.O.N.G., children don't just talk about communication, but learn and practice concrete tools for handling real-life conflicts with greater confidence and respect for themselves and others.
🙏 Polite Request — Ask clearly and respectfully
❤️ I Feel Statement — Express feelings and needs
🤝 Ask for a Win-Win — Find a compromise that works for both people
💪 Strong Ignore — Handle teasing and minor provocations confidently
🪜 5 Levels of Asking — Persist calmly when someone isn't listening
🔄 Set the Stage — Start difficult conversations with connection
🙋 Ask for Help — Know when and how to involve a trusted adult
Through games, role-plays, and guided practice, children learn when to use each tool and how to make it work in real conversations.
How Does It Work?
- Five weekly online sessions via Zoom (60 minutes each).
- For maximum effectiveness, as well as to positively impact parent-child communication and relationships, one parent/caregiver attends all sessions, learning and sharing alongside their child.
- Children and parents practice skills through role play and games, both in class and at home, for reinforcement.
- Children attend the first four sessions, with the final session dedicated solely to supporting parents and answering questions.
- The instructional portion of each class will be recorded for you to access throughout the course. The second parent or caregiver (if applicable) can review this material outside of class.
Who Is It For?
- Children in the 2nd to 5th grade who can read at a 2nd-grade level or higher (necessary for learning scripts).
- Children who have siblings, friends, and/or classmates with whom they want to get along better.
- Parents who want to help their child practice skills outside of class during the program.
What's the Evidence?
This class draws on decades of research showing that assertiveness training can reduce anxiety and strengthen confidence, self-esteem, and communication skills.
In addition, influential approaches such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) have treated interpersonal effectiveness (communicating needs, navigating conflict, and maintaining relationships) as an important aspect of emotion regulation.
The true innovation of Speak Up and Stay S.T.R.O.N.G. is it empowers you right along with your children, leading to greater skill transfer into real-life situations. Due to your child's age and level of development, they still need an adult to support them through conflicts when emotions run high. You will receive support in helping your child learn and practice these skills during their real interactions with you, siblings, friends, and classmates. In addition, at the conclusion of this class, parents often report enhanced communication and a closer connection with their child.
What's the Evidence?
This class draws on decades of research showing that assertiveness training can reduce anxiety and strengthen confidence, self-esteem, and communication skills.
In addition, influential approaches such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) have treated interpersonal effectiveness (communicating needs, navigating conflict, and maintaining relationships) as an important aspect of emotion regulation.
The true innovation of Speak Up and Stay S.T.R.O.N.G. is it empowers you right along with your children, leading to greater skill transfer into real-life situations. Due to your child's age and level of development, they still need an adult to support them through conflicts when emotions run high. You will receive support in helping your child learn and practice these skills during their real interactions with you, siblings, friends, and classmates. In addition, at the conclusion of this class, parents often report enhanced communication and a closer connection with their child.
Class fee: $475 for five 60-minute live online sessions. Also included is a child workbook, parent guide, home practice activities, and access to recorded instructional segments during the course.
Contact Dr. Leah: [email protected] with any questions.
Contact Dr. Leah: [email protected] with any questions.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. Is the class open to all genders?
Yes. If you have questions about the composition of the class, especially your child's cohort, please contact me at [email protected].
2. How large are the groups?
To keep the experience personalized, each group is limited to no more than 8 children. 2nd and 3rd graders are grouped together, and 4th-5th graders are in a separate group.
3) Will there be opportunities to continue working together after the class is over?
Yes! You will have the option to continue to receive support through continued meetings after the formal group is over.
3. Is this class reimbursable by insurance?
As an educational program, Speak Up and Stay S.T.R.O.N.G. is not reimbursable by insurance.
4. Can both (or all) my children participate?
As of now, siblings are not allowed to participate together in a live course. However, they can certainly watch recordings of instructional segments, and they can participate in the at-home activities.
5. What if we have to miss a class?
You will receive a recording of the class's content, along with the interactive activities and games to play offline.
6. What if my child doesn't want to do the program, but I want them to?
It can help to refer to past complaints and use language that your child has expressed in the past when discussing their concerns about getting along with others. Let them know other kids are participating and they are not the only ones who struggle with navigating the social arena. In addition, try to understand the underlying reasons your child doesn't want to participate. Are they shy of the camera? Do they assert that they don't have any conflicts with siblings or peers? When talking to them, ask clarifying questions first. Depending on their answer, validate the feeling and try to reassure them. Often, after the first session, children feel more comfortable and want to continue. If all else fails, you can still participate and review the recorded instructional segments with your child outside of class.
7. What's the cancellation and refund policy?
Because enrollment is limited and each family's participation contributes to the group experience, your registration reserves a place that may not be possible to fill if canceled.
If you cancel 21 or more days before the course begins, you may choose either:
1) A refund of the tuition paid, less a $100 nonrefundable registration fee, or
2) Course credit equal to the tuition paid, which may be applied toward a future Speak Up and Stay S.T.R.O.N.G. course offered within 12 months of the original course start date.
If you cancel fewer than 21 days before the course begins, you will receive course credit equal to the tuition you paid, less the $100 nonrefundable registration fee. The credit may be applied toward a future Speak Up and Stay S.T.R.O.N.G. course offered within 12 months of the original course start date.
Once the course begins, all tuition is nonrefundable and nontransferable.
1. Is the class open to all genders?
Yes. If you have questions about the composition of the class, especially your child's cohort, please contact me at [email protected].
2. How large are the groups?
To keep the experience personalized, each group is limited to no more than 8 children. 2nd and 3rd graders are grouped together, and 4th-5th graders are in a separate group.
3) Will there be opportunities to continue working together after the class is over?
Yes! You will have the option to continue to receive support through continued meetings after the formal group is over.
3. Is this class reimbursable by insurance?
As an educational program, Speak Up and Stay S.T.R.O.N.G. is not reimbursable by insurance.
4. Can both (or all) my children participate?
As of now, siblings are not allowed to participate together in a live course. However, they can certainly watch recordings of instructional segments, and they can participate in the at-home activities.
5. What if we have to miss a class?
You will receive a recording of the class's content, along with the interactive activities and games to play offline.
6. What if my child doesn't want to do the program, but I want them to?
It can help to refer to past complaints and use language that your child has expressed in the past when discussing their concerns about getting along with others. Let them know other kids are participating and they are not the only ones who struggle with navigating the social arena. In addition, try to understand the underlying reasons your child doesn't want to participate. Are they shy of the camera? Do they assert that they don't have any conflicts with siblings or peers? When talking to them, ask clarifying questions first. Depending on their answer, validate the feeling and try to reassure them. Often, after the first session, children feel more comfortable and want to continue. If all else fails, you can still participate and review the recorded instructional segments with your child outside of class.
7. What's the cancellation and refund policy?
Because enrollment is limited and each family's participation contributes to the group experience, your registration reserves a place that may not be possible to fill if canceled.
If you cancel 21 or more days before the course begins, you may choose either:
1) A refund of the tuition paid, less a $100 nonrefundable registration fee, or
2) Course credit equal to the tuition paid, which may be applied toward a future Speak Up and Stay S.T.R.O.N.G. course offered within 12 months of the original course start date.
If you cancel fewer than 21 days before the course begins, you will receive course credit equal to the tuition you paid, less the $100 nonrefundable registration fee. The credit may be applied toward a future Speak Up and Stay S.T.R.O.N.G. course offered within 12 months of the original course start date.
Once the course begins, all tuition is nonrefundable and nontransferable.
After taking this class, parents say:
After this class, children say:
- They like having a shared vocabulary with their child.
- Their children are showing new skills at home and feeling proud of themselves.
- They know how to support their child to work out problems with their siblings more effectively.
- Their child is showing more flexibility.
- Their child is talking to them about their feelings more often.
After this class, children say:
- It helps them stay out of the "red zone" more often.
- They can talk to their parents more easily.
- They feel more confident at school.
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Disclaimer: This class is considered educational in nature. As a universal prevention program, it is not a clinical service. While I am a licensed psychologist, my nonclinical services are not the practice of psychology, they are not psychotherapy, or counseling, they are not intended as healthcare of any kind, nor does your participation create a psychologist/client relationship. In addition, your participation in this group is not intended to diagnose or treat any physical or mental illness, dysfunction or condition, nor should it be considered a substitute for any healthcare services.