Award winning author and parenting expert, Sandra R. Blackard, created the Language of Listening® parenting approach and founded the Language of Listening® company for parenting and personal growth. Her handbook, SAY WHAT YOU SEE® for Parents and Teachers, is a 2012 NAPPA Gold Winner (National Parenting Publications Awards). She is also co-author with Drs. Landreth, Bratton and Kellam of Child Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT) Treatment Manual (Routledge 2006).Sandy's down-to-earth perspective helps adults see the world through the child's eyes, making sense of what children say and do. Her writing makes complicated psychological concepts seem virtually self-evident.After receiving a master's degree in art conservation, Sandy worked at the Kimbell Art Museum in Ft. Worth, Texas, restoring paintings. The hours spent pouring over a microscope determining what was original and what was not honed her skills of scientific observation, which became the cornerstone of her future work in parenting and personal growth. Later, she became an independent collection preservation consultant, so she could work from home and raise her daughters, Colleen and Betsy. Faced with the challenge of parenting two children 18 months apart, she sought the assistance of a world renowned play therapist who became her mentor, Dr. Garry Landreth, founder of the Center for Play Therapy at the University of North Texas, Denton. His approach so radically transformed her understanding of children, that her overriding thought was, "Why doesn't every parent know this?!!" She spent the next 20 years dedicated to that mission.Through relentlessly sharing and refining what she learned - like how to help previously clinging Colleen skip off to Kindergarten without looking back, and help 3-year old Betsy go brush her teeth without crossed arms or a defiant, "No!"-- the Language of Listening® approach was born. It's a unique blend of proven parenting skills, play therapy principles, and scientific observation presented in a simple three-part model that always starts with saying what you see and ends with finding strengths regardless of the behavior.Sandy and her family now call Austin their home. She frequently leads parenting classes at Austin Montessori School and is available for private coaching and speaking engagements. To learn more about Language of Listening® or to contact the author, go to: http://www.languageoflistening.com