Sabrina Ragan is an experienced and dedicated psychologist and play therapist who works with children and families facing challenging situations. She combines attachment theory, neuropsychology, and solution-focused techniques to build strong relationships and achieve positive results in counselling sessions. Sabrina's own experience of motherhood without family support led her to create the Empowered Mom's Membership Community, which offers a supportive space for like-minded individuals to connect. Sabrina's main focus is to improve the lives of children and families, and this commitment drives everything she does at Keystone Child and Family Therapy and in the Empowered Mom's Membership Community.
Sabrina Ragan, Child Psychologist
Introduce yourself! Please tell us about you and your life, so we can get to know you better.
I am a child psychologist and play therapist residing in Alberta, Canada. I am deeply passionate about my job as the founder and director of Keystone Child and Family Therapy, The Parents Connection, and the Empowered Moms Community. Through my work, I have the chance to research and discover the most effective parenting methods, as well as the reasons why certain strategies may not work. It brings me joy to share this knowledge with families and help them grow stronger. Witnessing parents and kids gain confidence and find joy in previously difficult situations is truly rewarding.
When COVID hit, I began homeschooling my three children, and it turned out to be an incredibly rewarding experience. We have bonded a lot as a family through this journey. Even though we were forced into it, we have all come to love it and have continued with it. I am grateful for the time we get to spend learning, exploring, and growing together.
In my free time, I enjoy golfing, running, hiking, gardening, learning about fitness and nutrition, and just chilling and drinking coffee on my deck. I am also a big animal lover and have two sweet dogs, three guinea pigs, and two fish that keep me company at home.
How did the idea for Empowered Moms Community come about, and what inspired you to create this platform?
I lost my mom shortly before I had my daughter. My mom was my greatest support and ally. Even though we lived in different cities and didn't get to see each other often, I knew she had my back and would be there to support and encourage me whenever I needed it. When I lost her, I was living in a new community and didn't yet know anyone or have friends in the community yet. Plus, as an adult, I find it much more challenging to make friends that you feel comfortable sharing the deeper, more personal side of you. So I became lonely, isolated, and struggled in my parenting because I lost my confidence, encouragement, and motivation. At work, I was fine because I could teach parents what was needed to change to make their family healthy and strong. But at home, I was suffering because I lost all social connections.
Through this challenging time, I became very close to my sisters. They became my best friends and my community. When this happened, I found my confidence again. My energy and my joy for life came back. I strongly believe in the significance of community. I believe we were created to be in a relationship. It is often said that it takes a village to raise a child, but I believe it also takes a village to keep a mother healthy and strong.
Recent research indicates that anxiety and depression are on the rise due to loneliness and isolation, which is a huge concern. Parenting while experiencing anxiety and depression can lead to the unintentional transfer of these feelings to our children. This can influence our parenting decisions and the way we interact with them, potentially leading to the continuation of anxiety and depression within the family across generations. This is not the legacy we want to leave for our families. Fortunately, there is a solution: community. We must prioritize building connections and supporting one another for the benefit of our families and ourselves. It's unacceptable that loneliness is causing anxiety and depression, especially when it affects our ability to raise our children. I created the Empowered Moms Community to end isolation and boost the confidence of mothers. In doing so, we can raise children who are also confident and resilient, creating a positive legacy for future generations.
What specific resources and support does Empowered Moms Community offer to its members, and how does it help them navigate the challenges of motherhood?
I can't emphasize enough how vital it is to surround yourself with a supportive, like-minded community that truly gets your struggles and celebrates your wins. This community empowers moms to tackle challenges head-on and come out stronger, more confident than ever before. They also build meaningful relationships with other phenomenal women who are experiencing a similar journey.
The resources available in this community include:
Therapist-designed programming on specific parenting topics tailored to the needs of the moms in the community
Monthly Challenges to inspire and encourage moms to take action and enhance personal growth as a parent.
Monthly Book Club for study and connection
Live Q&A's to answer all the pressing parenting questions moms have each month
Weekly Affirmations and Reflections to help moms stay grounded, motivated, and inspired throughout their journey.
Access to a private, exclusive, and supportive community of like-minded moms who empathize with the triumphs and tribulations of motherhood and will stand by you throughout your journey.
As so much more.
If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be and why?
One of the biggest struggles I have for parents is that the majority of programs, courses, books, and many experts in the field of parenting teach parenting as a set of strategies that, if you apply them the right way at the right time, should produce a child that behaves. These strategies are only focused on behavior management and stopping behaviors that parents don't like rather than on deepening the relationship between parents and children and teaching children lifelong skills to become confident, responsible, and well-regulated.
Because the strategies are focused on just stopping certain behaviors without understanding the environment or the source of the behavior, they actually cause children and parents to struggle more. Children's behavior increases because they are not getting their needs met. Parents' confidence decreases as they try the strategies with no success and oftentimes triggering more challenging behavior in their children. I believe that this is causing relationships to become more strained. Parents are working harder than ever before, and we have an increase in behavior and mental health issues. Something is very wrong with the approach our industry is taking. It is not working.
Parenting should get easier with time. Period. There should be increased joy in families. The change is that we need to focus on attachment relationships within the family which is the foundation of all parenting. And parents need to understand a bit about what is happening in their child's brain to take the mystery out of why specific parent strategies work, and others don't.
To learn more about the strategies I am so passionate about sharing with parents, follow me on Instagram and Facebook.
Who inspires you to be the best that you can be?
My children are my source of inspiration. They motivate me to strive for excellence, both as a mother and a role model. Being responsible for them is a huge privilege, and they constantly amaze me with their remarkable personalities. They ignite a fire within me to live life with passion and joy, to keep learning and improving myself.
My dedication to personal growth and development also comes from my clients in my private counseling practice. Despite facing family challenges and sometimes lacking confidence as parents, they possess incredible wisdom. Each family I work with teaches me valuable lessons about life, love, attachment, and parenting. I am always amazed at the creative solutions they come up with. This is another reason I created The Empowered Mom's Community Membership. Each Mom has so much to offer, and I believe if we collaborate all of our wisdom, then we can truly make a difference in our own lives and the lives of others. It is so inspiring to be around these incredible Moms!
For more information or to join the best community on earth, visit The Empowered Mom's Community website!
