“You’re a pediatrician…you’re so lucky that you already know everything about being a mom!”

Man, this could not have been further from the truth! Following my pediatric residency training, I could intubate a 500g preemie. I could manage fluids in a postoperative pediatric heart transplant. I could perform a perfectly clean spinal tap on an infant in under 30 minutes, but no one had taught me how to manage difficult behaviors in my own child. This is the story of how The Listening Pathway was born.

Meet Dr. Tiffany Hernandez, Founder of The Listening Pathway

Hi! I’m Dr. Tiffany Hernandez. I am a pediatrician with more than 15 years of clinical experience taking care of infants, toddlers, and teens in my community.

My journey to become a physician started with a dream in elementary school that eventually led me to obtain my undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Florida (Go Gators!). I went on to pursue pediatric residency training at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. I've been honored to be named 'Best of the Bay' by my community and amongst 'Tampa's Top Doctors' by my peers.

In 2015, my husband and I gleefully welcomed a beautiful baby boy. We were blessed again with another boy in 2017. We were parents. I was a mother to two boys.

Our Years of Parenting Struggles

Like so many parents, our days of cuddling a chubby, smiley, giggly baby turned into years of struggles. We struggled with tantrums, complete and constant meltdowns, and even total defiance. Our son made frequent trips to the preschool director’s office because of his difficult behaviors in school. We desperately needed to change behaviors to improve our family life.

In 2020, when my eldest was 4, we underwent a full psychological evaluation to determine the etiology of his behavior difficulties. We walked away with an ADHD diagnosis. We started treatment, but treatment for ADHD alone wasn’t enough. As parents, we continued to struggle with non-compliance and defiance. It was really taking its toll on our relationship with our child, each other, his brother, and our extended family.

We Read the Parenting Books

Like so many of you, we read the parenting books too and I’m a pediatrician for goodness sakes! You would think that I should know how to handle this properly! We spent our days running around chasing our son trying to physically get him to do what we asked. Many times we bargained, we threatened, we negotiated without success. Of course we counted: 'you have until I get to 3!' we shouted. We removed privileges and we attempted traditional timeouts without success. We even explored various behavioral modification books, but nothing seemed to work.

Does any of this sound familiar? I’m sure you can understand when I say, it was absolutely exhausting!

Behavior Therapy Greeted Us With a Six-Month Waitlist

We eventually sought behavior therapy. Sometimes it takes a while to admit you need therapy, right? There, we were met with more challenges. The group we were referred to had a six-month waitlist. Six months? We’d never make it! We needed help NOW!

We live in Tampa Bay, a community rich in medical resources. After calling many child psychologists in the area, I found ONE other group trained to administer the type of therapy we needed, but we were met by another roadblock. They didn’t accept insurance and the total cost would be over $3,500. We all know this is not feasible for most families.

Thankfully, the therapy did provide the answers we needed. We are still reaping the benefits! We are now able to fully enjoy our son in all environments and have found a new peace within our family.

The Listening Pathway is Born!

During our therapy sessions, we were learning and applying scientifically validated skills. During these therapy sessions, I was constantly thinking about what a difference this approach would make for so many other families that I encounter daily in my personal and professional life. There are so many families struggling with defiance, children who don’t listen and other behavior challenges at home. I knew that I could teach these skills to families while overcoming barriers such as access, cost, and trying to coordinate busy schedules with a one-on-one therapist. I was excited about the possibilities.  I knew I could provide this training in a format that could be utilized by multiple caregivers and, even better, could be applied to multiple children in the family simultaneously while incorporating techniques similar to those found in programs like Parent Child Interactive Therapy (PCIT) and Helping the Noncompliant Child (HNC). Thus, after years of labor with my supportive husband and “inspirational” children by my side, The Listening Pathway was born.

Discover More About The Listening Pathway

The Listening Pathway utilizes play therapy skills and behavior therapy skills that have been repeatedly studied and validated through other behavior therapy and modification programs. It is intended for families with children ages 3-8 who are struggling with non-compliance and other difficult behaviors and aiming to change behaviors effectively.

This 10-session program is broken down into 2 phases. In the Positive Play Phase, I teach you skills that are utilized by many behavioral and play therapy programs to promote positive parent-child relationships and to build your child’s self-esteem. I also teach parents effective skills to manage their child’s disruptive behaviors.

In phase 2, the Command Compliance Phase, I teach you the carefully scripted and very effective Reinforcement Protocol that will get your child to listen to you! Once your child is a better listener, I will teach you how to apply these new skills to combat behavior challenges throughout your day.

Each session consists of a short instructional video where I will teach you a new skill or skills and demonstrate with my own son how to apply them. You will complete 5 minutes of homework daily to instill the skill(s) and receive accompanying handouts with clear and concise summaries of the material. 

Conclusion

The Listening Pathway teaches invaluable skills in a format that is cost-effective, easy to follow, efficient, on your schedule, and in your home. What are you waiting for? Let us bring a new peace and joy into your life!