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LOCAL Friday 29 November 2019
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Dr. Ellen Braaten, an HMS associate professor of psychol-
ogy at Massachusetts General Hospital was quoted in an
article titled Holiday Stress and the Brain saying: “People
who feel stressed during the holidays should decide what
they want the holidays to mean to them and keep their
expectations for the season realistic.” Remember the rea-
sons you’re celebrating the holidays in the first place and
let that be your focus.

We hope these ideas make you feel empowered and
ready to take on the holidays. As always, we appreciate
your feedback. Send us a message and let us know what
you think.

“So I’m offering these simple tips
For kids from one to ninety-two
Although’ it’s been said many times, many ways
Happy Holidays to you!”

ABOUT CINDY HERDE

“I was born and raised in Aruba, which fostered my
fluency in four languages and my passion for the lan-
guage arts. After graduating with my master’s degree
from the University of Central Florida – GO KNIGHTS! – I
had the opportunity to move around the country and
work in Orlando, Boston, and Chicago, before settling
in sunny Miami with my husband and 2 kids. At each
of these career stops I was fortunate to be part of
extensive pediatric medical teams, working closely
with and learning from fellow speech therapists, physi-
cal therapists, occupational therapists, nutritionists,
lactation consultants, pediatricians, gastroenterolo-
gists, neurologists, early developmental specialists, re-
spiratory therapists, behavior analysts, nurses, special
education teachers and of course, parents and care-
givers. Throughout my career I’ve enjoyed being an
advocate for families whose primary language is not
English, and treasured the opportunities that I’ve had
to help these and multiple other families along their
feeding journey.
However, becoming a parent in the spring of 2015
completely transformed my career perspective and
approach. I now understand the anxieties and con-
cerns that come with parenthood, and it has allowed
me to become a different type of clinician… one
who’s more empathetic and focused on educating
families and providers. Spurred by this new found pas-
sion, and armed with 14 years of pediatric field experi-
ence, I’ve decided to venture into a new approach
to therapy.”