(HS Rodriguez 150831 2026) Empty Nest: Integrative Tools from ACT and DBT to Support Shifting Parenting Roles

Course overview

Many midlife clients are surprised by the emotional impact of launching children into adulthood and transitioning toward an empty nest. And there are ways to navigate the changes well... and ways to make the adjustment of both parents and children worse. In this session, Keely Rodriguez -- specialist in women's midlife issues -- will show you the tools you need to work with the loss of identity and purpose, heightened parenting anxiety, and emotional fatigue embedded in this developmental transition. You'll learn: Practical strategies from ACT to support clients in redefining identity and adjusting to a parent-adult relationship A powerful DBT-informed distress tolerance sequence for anxious times and triggers, like an unanswered text Low-pressure ways for empty nest parents to reconnect socially and build community outside of parenting