According to an analysis of 213 studies involving more than 270,000 students from kindergarten through high school, services to enhance social and emotional development accelerate school achievement as much as interventions targeted at academic subjects.

Hello and Welcome

Parents want the best for their children, and with all the demands of family life and work not all parents have the time to read the numerous books out there on child development. That's where I can help. My name is Sara Shaw, and I am motivated by a passion for learning and improving children's lives. For more than 10 years I have been studying research and writing articles, recently as a newspaper columnist, on social-emotional development, and I have been consulting with parents and teachers at schools in San Francisco and Paris. I have been in private practice for over 5 years with the aim of helping children achieve their highest potential, and I recently adopted the Kids' Turn curriculum to further support families in the Paris area.

Services in Paris, France

Kids' Turn: Kids’ Turn is the only support program of its kind. It was created by a judge in San Francisco in 1988 to help children and families through parental divorce. This successful program provides a safe place for children to discuss their thoughts and feelings, and gives them tools to cope with parental separation. It also helps parents learn the skills to successfully co-parent their child(ren). Kids' Turn, Paris

Parent Workshops: I conduct numerous parent workshops at both private and public schools, which allows parents to realize that they are not alone in their questions and concerns. Workshops also give parents the chance to role-play from a scripted exchange between a child and a parent that demonstrates different techniques of parenting, and provide the opportunity to discuss effective advice based on research as to how to handle challenging moments with children in order to enhance their full potential.

Social-Skills Groups: Research has found that happiness is a strong predictor of success, and what matters most to human happiness is the quality of our relationships. Social-skills groups are designed for children to learn and practice the skills necessary to establish positive peer relations. In the context of group discussions, activities, and play, children learn how to join a group and ask for what they need, manage difficult emotions, how to be flexible and work cooperatively with others, how to resolve conflicts and respond to others with empathy, all in efforts to build self-confidence and form strong friendships.

Family Consultations: Typically I meet with the parents and/or child once a week in my office or in their homes for 4-6 weeks. In cases of longer transition periods, such as adjusting to a loss of a parent in the home, consultations could extend for several months.

Classroom Observations: It's important to understand how children behave at school amongst their teacher and peers, therefore I am a available to make classroom observations and consult with teachers.

Common Childhood Challenges: