Strengthening Family Relationships Holistically with Katie Crosby

Understanding the family in a holistic approach helps us address various issues and improve the well-being and the relationships within the family as a single unit. Since families are interconnected systems and so, the behavior and experiences of a single member of the family may affect everyone.

Join us in today’s episode with occupational therapist Katie Crosby as we talk about how she started guiding parents in nurturing and supporting their family to strengthen their relationships and promote a sense of security and how she supports both kids and adults to evolve into more of who they are.

How things have evolved for Katie

Katie started working as an occupational therapist in Chicago promoting well-being, healing, and independence. Her specialty is emotional and sensory regulation in relation to what she calls security as the basis of everything.

The idea is that if we don’t feel secure, it’s going to be hard for us to do as well as we can in life in any stage, role or anything else that we’re doing. Katie established a family based model for time and sensory integration looking at how relationships influence our level of security.

And even though we know the right thing to do, our bodies take over in stressful moments and react differently from what we know we should do. Katie wanted to share all the information she knows to help parents. And so, a little over five and a half years ago when sharing information on Instagram was still not a trend, she posted information about these things.

She also started to talk a lot on Instagram and that’s a big step to take considering that she’s recovering from a fear of being seen, heard or getting something wrong. It has somehow been a healing tool for Katie being able to conquer her fears.

Katie started mentoring groups of educators and professionals around the world. In fact, there are parents and other adults all over the world doing sessions about developing security by working through triggers and other things that come up.

When you have a sense of security, you can show up and your humanity isn't just tolerated but actually, it can be a really pivotal part of the process when we share and create a relationship around. Thus, it’s been a fulfilling journey for Katie moving into a paradigm of fullness and authenticity.

It’s really helpful walking alongside people and shining a light where blind spots may be and trusting that people can take it or leave it and carve their own path as we're strengthening the security to do so.

Working with parents and whole families.

Usually, most professionals focus on the child but it’s quite different for Katie. She works with the whole family system and not just singling out children when it comes to dealing with behavioral issues and strengthening the family.

The whole family system approach is based on the idea that we're all connected as a unit. This is true insofar as families are interconnected systems, and that the behavior and experiences of one family member can affect the entire family unit.

Is there a common issue that mothers or parents struggle with?

Dysregulation is a common issue that parents struggle with according to Katie. Dysregulation refers to difficulties in regulating one’s thoughts, emotions or behaviors. Thus, there are heightened emotions and overstimulation every time as a response to different situations.

And instead of being in the moment, we might be living with a sense of urgency. It can also be likened to having this underlying sense of insecurity. This is something many people struggle with – being able to take hold of their own emotions especially when there are many sensations all at once.

All women are capable of being a mother.

One of the foundational aspects of rewriting the mother code is that all women are capable of being a mother because motherhood is not just limited to having a child; there’s so much more than that. You can be a mother to your business, relationships, and dreams but most importantly, to yourself.

As has been said by Katie, there seem to be many rules imposed on women, particularly on what it means to be a woman in this world or what their roles are but women shouldn’t be strictly bound by that.

Mothering yourself makes you aware of your own fears and triggers. It helps you know yourself better instead of relying on others to define you. Other people’s perceptions of us do not define us.

Katie’s vision now is to lean into where she is now and celebrate that path where she’s headed to. And although such a path can be so exhausting, she trusts the process and will continue on taking a leap towards the next step.

What Rewriting the Mother Code Means to Katie

For Katie, rewriting the mother code means that we are on a path that we choose or on a path that feels unique to us and we can celebrate it. It highlights our freedom to have opportunities and make choices.

Of course, we also get to grieve when we don’t get to choose all the other paths and that’s understandable. What matters is getting to the fullness of everything, whether it's the joyful parts or the parts that aren’t, and acknowledging them as part of our own unique path.

Check out Katie’s website (https://www.thrivinglittles.com/) where you can access her blog and shop. You can also reach her via email (hello@thrivinglittles.com).