Willows Academy is excited to welcome Julie Larkin, Ana Bethencourt Yrasquin, and Monica Hinderer of GirlTalk. Their talk, titled “Lost in Translation: Communicating with Your Teenage Daughter,” will take place on Friday, February 2nd at 7 PM as part of our Raising Great Girls series.
GirlTalk hosts programs for women of all ages and life stages–middle and high school girls, college students, mothers, and professionals. GirlTalk offers a range of resources and programming to build a community of confident women who radiate their true value. The website provides a brief history of GirlTalk’s founding and history:
“In 2012, Julie Larkin came face-to-face with a crisis of self-worth in the form of shame, insecurity, and self-harm amongst her female college residents. In response, she created Girl Talk, committed to combating the crisis of self-worth in every woman. In this sisterhood of self-worth, women discovered that they were not alone in their struggle, as they encountered friendship, hope, and healing. Girl Talk….[aspires] for every woman to know that she is enough, worthy, and loved.”
The organization’s mission aligned with needs and interests of the Willows community and the challenge of raising teenage girls today.
“Willows attends to the whole person–body, mind, and soul,” the speakers observed. “The faculty and staff are interested in forming integrated women of character, and Girl Talk supports this vision wholeheartedly!”
In today’s world in particular, there is a quicksand of identity issues facing girls that attack girls’ self-confidence and inner peace. Mentors and parents face the challenge of helping girls ground their identity on the foundation of being a beloved daughter of God and recognize their own strengths and talents are meant to be multiplied and shared for the good of their families, friends and the larger society.
“The advantage of GirlTalk is that they are experienced in reaching both the teenage girls and parents, who have very different needs,” explains Angela Fortunato, Assistant Head of School.
Last week the team led a session with Willows’ sophomore class on friendship and true confidence. The focus of this student session was in discovering one’s inherent worth as daughters of God and not in the opinion of others.
The parent workshop on February 2nd is open to any and all parents and will focus on strengthening communication between parents and their teenage daughters.
“The greatest predictor of a teenager’s mental well-being is the quality of the relationship with his or her parents,” Larkin emphasizes. GirlTalk hopes to provide parents with confidence and practical tools to build a relationship with their daughters.
Raising Great Girls: Lost in Translation featuring Julie Larkin, Ana Yrausquin, and Monica Hinderer will be taking place on February 2nd at 7PM. Reserve your spot below.
Julie Larkin
Julie Larkin is the founder and executive director of Girl Talk, a 501(c)3 organization confronting the crisis of self-worth in women. Girl Talk inspires teens, professionals, and moms alike to recognize their inherent dignity and radiate their authentic identity. Julie received her BA in psychology from The Catholic University of America, her masters in business from The Busch School of Business, and is currently pursuing her masters in clinical mental health counseling from Wake Forest University. She hosts the Love, Girl Talk podcast, was featured on EWTN News Nightly, and speaks regularly on self-worth, entrepreneurship, and mental health. She is a certified practitioner in Motivational Code (MCODE), coach for the DC Accelerator, and clinical intern for Vita Optimum Counseling & Consulting, practicing therapy under the licensure of Julia Hogan, LCPC.
Ana Yrausquin
Ana is a mother, wife, certified life coach, and resident counselor at Sunstone Counseling where she offers online and in person counseling. Ana holds a B.A. in Psychology from the Catholic University of America and a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Wake Forest University. Ana is passionate about mental health and has received extensive training in the areas of relationships, anxiety management, self-worth, motivations, and others. She is certified in the Gottmann method of couple’s counseling, she is an MCODE facilitator and is trained in Optimal Work. Her mission is to make mental health relatable and accessible to all. You can follow Ana’s work on Instagram @counselingforwomen. Ana’s writing has been published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Journal of Public Child Welfare, and Child Trends. She is an occasional contributor to How She Does It: The Professional Woman’s Guide to an Inspired, Intentional, Integrated Life. She is a frequent speaker on topics relating to mental health and work-life balance/integration.
Monica Hinderer
Monica is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) who truly believes in the healing and restorative nature of therapy. With a client centered approach, she provides evidence based interventions such as CBT, DBT, mindfulness, and motivational interviewing to help clients reach their goals. Her specialties include anxiety related disorders, OCD/Scrupulosity, faith/spirituality, motivation/resilience, gender/sex, and addiction. Monica works with adolescents 8-18, adults 18+, families, parents, and schools/churches. Her consulting and coaching are designed to help parents and organizations troubleshoot mental, emotional, and behavioral concerns that may arise.