"People say to me, 'Oh, you’re so lucky to have such a bright child! How easy it must be for you.' She sighed, and said to me,'They have absolutely No idea how hard this is."
You Are Not Alone

“Connie Wax saved my family’s sanity. She understood our children, our struggles, and offered support, knowledge and wisdom.”
Sue L.

Office at:
3551 Florista St., Suite 1-D Los Alamitos, CA 90720
Or Home-based counseling
(i.e. in your home in Orange or L. A. Counties)
connie.wax@gmail.com
(714) 300-3163

 Certified SENG Facilitator, member of SENG (Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted), http://www.sengifted.org/
CAG (California Association for the Gifted) and NASW (National Association of Social Workers)

My Mission:

To provide consultation and therapy for individuals and families, with the hope that I can alleviate some of the pain with which both gifted parents and gifted children live. The overall goal is to assist gifted individuals in understanding and accepting themselves, find their paths and develop the trust, persistence and discipline to be their best and accomplish their chosen goals.

Potential Goals of Counseling

• CREATE a happier, enjoyable and healthy home life

• BECOME competent in parenting your children in a loving and effective manner

• LEARN effective ways to communicate, cooperate and solve problems

• GAIN a sense of control over your household

• DEVELOP a better understanding of giftedness and what it means to you and your family

Click the image or the text for the
10 Week Parenting Gifted Children
Guided Discussion Group pdf

Download the SENG Parent Group Registration pdf

Is My Child Gifted And Talented?

Gifted people have certain unique characteristics and emotional needs. As with other special needs populations, they are often misunderstood, ignored, mistrusted, or ridiculed. This can lead to interpersonal difficulties and emotional distress when their differences are not understood, valued, or accepted.

Traits You May See:

• Advanced vocabulary
• An ability to focus intently on a subject of interest for long periods of time
• Intellectual curiosity as demonstrated by endless questions and inquiries
• Learns rapidly
• Wide range of interests
• A need to explore subjects in surprising depth
• Perfectionism
• Extreme intensity
• Extreme sensitivity (physically and/or emotionally)
• High energy levels
• Nonconformity – questions rules and authority
• A vivid imagination
• Keen sense of humor

Please note:  This list is only a guideline and does not describe all gifted children nor do gifted children possess all of the characteristics.  The uniqueness of individual children defies any attempt to categorize them into well-defined groups.

As A Parent You May Feel:

• Alone/isolated – Many times, when parents try to tell their friends about what they are dealing with at home, they are treated as if they are bragging
• Overwhelmed
• Inadequate
• Angry
• Stuck in unhealthy patterns of conflict with your child
• Manipulated
• Tired of power struggles
• Unappreciated
• Unsure how to help your child reach his/her potentials

How Can Connie Wax Help You?

I love to help Create Confident, Competent, Caring Families.  I believe Success for parents is to know that their children have enough self-esteem to trust and be able to live with their own decisions.
I provide consultation and therapy for individuals and families.   I am “dedicated to fostering environments in which gifted adults and children, in all their diversity, understand and accept themselves and are understood, valued, nurtured, and emotionally supported…” (SENG publications:  “Selecting a psychologist or psychiatrist for your gifted child.”)  I can help you help your child maintain his/her strength of true individuality, while learning to function within society’s constraints.  My overall goal, in working with families and individuals is to assist all people to Develop Positive Self-Esteem, Thrive And Utilize Their Talents.

WHY DO GIFTED INDIVIDUALS HAVE DIFFERENT EMOTIONAL NEEDS?

The uniqueness of the gifted leaves them vulnerable to being misunderstood by others and to emotional difficulties of their own. Gifted individuals may feel out of step or out of place intellectually, socially and emotionally. They often prefer unusual, original and creative responses to problems and may not readily accept the status quo. They often do not know why they are different or why they upset other people. They may be exceptionally perceptive without understanding why others don’t catch on as quickly, and may, therefore, feel entirely alone, with no one to understand them. In gifted children, asynchronous development may leave them emotionally unequipped to manage their advanced awareness. They may not conform well or fit in with peers. Their strong sense of self leads them to appear stubborn, rebellious, unmotivated, inattentive or tactless, and this may cause difficulties for parents who don’t recognize behaviors that are “normal” for gifted children.

When to Seek Counseling for Your Gifted Child

• Is your child's extreme sensitivity to things such as emotions, smells, noises, tastes, textures, schedule changes, etc. causing strain in the household?
• Does your child seem to be stubborn and argumentative to the extreme?
• Is your child intensely critical of self and/or others?
• Does your child's drive for perfection cause anger, freezing up on projects and/or depression?
• Have you noticed a significant change in your child's social behavior? Has your talkative, outgoing child suddenly become quiet and withdrawn? Is your normally quiet child having uncharacteristic outbursts?
• Does your child seem to have lost her love of life? Is he/she dropping out of activities she formerly enjoyed, avoiding friends, skipping school, or are her/his grades dropping? Do you suspect he/she may be depressed?
• Has there been a recent change in the family such as a death, divorce, move or change of schools that seems to be affecting your child more than you would expect?

THIS IS MY STORY

Before my first child was identified as gifted and talented, I thought all kids were like him – fascinated by everything, a quick learner, high energy, stubborn and wonderful...

Read More...