Straight Forward Parenting

Welcome to Mrs. Hegerty's Website

Mrs. Hegerty is an Elementary School Counselor at Wilson Hill and Brookside Schools. She has her Bachelor of Science degree in Human Ecology Education from The Ohio State University and her Master of Education degree in School Counseling from University of Dayton. She also has mediation training from the Interfaith Center for Peace, Second Step Training, Intervention Assistance Training Level II, Active Parenting Instructor Training, Advanced Meditation Training, and Integrative Yoga Therapy Teacher Training.

Jen loves the outdoors and being active. You can find her running her dogs Tug and Sadie in Worthington, biking on the bike trail, or swimming at the local pools. She enjoys competing in triathlons, 1/2 marathons, and 5K races. She and her family enjoy walks, biking, lacrosse, football, auto racing, and skateboarding.

She is also in the process of trying to publish two children's books, Jorge's Journey, about international adoption and I Will Remember You about a child's experience with grief and loss. She is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and Central Ohio Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

At Brookside and Wilson Hill Schools, Jen works with the children and staff individually, in small groups, and classrooms on social and emotional issues within the school. She also works with parents on parenting issues as well as meeting the social, emotional, intellectual, and developmental needs of their children.

Groups: Jen offers small groups to children within the schools that she works. If you are interested in having your child participate, please contact Jennifer at jhegerty@worthington.k12.oh.us. These groups include:

New Student Group- a transition group for new students, first grade through sixth grade, to introduce them to making new friends and new beginnings at a new school.
Friends Group- working on communication, understanding feelings, and building relationship skills.
Volcano Group- working on anger management and handling strong emotions in a constructive manner.
Family Changes Group- working with children whose parents are going the different stages of divorce and remarriage.
Chicken Little Group- working with children who worry or are anxious about life.
Study Skills Group- working with children who are having problems with organizational skills, study habits, and focusing skills.
Good Grief Group- this is a support group offered in conjunction with Riverside Hospice Outreach Program. Mrs. Hegerty and a social worker from Riverside co-lead the group to help students who have lost a loved one.
Girlfriend Group- this group covers information on bullying and relational aggression (targeting other girls and using the relationship of others against them). If you have read Mean Girls or Odd Girl Out, this group covers strategies for stopping relational aggression as well as understanding the roles girls take in social groups.
General Support Groups- offering a time of discussion, activities, and dialogue on current events that may affect a group of children.

Jen teaches classroom guidance activities at each grade level. She uses Steps to Respect: Bully Prevention Curriculum, Second Step: Violence Prevention Program on problem solving, handling strong feelings, and impulse control, and many other media and lessons to help students work on various social, emotional, and life skills.

Yoga and meditation have had a significant impact on her personal and professional life. With Jen's love for teaching and sharing information, she integrates yoga and meditation principals into her lessons to help students become learn different ways to relax, de-escalate strong emotions, and calm down through movement, deep breathing, self-talk, and guided imagery.

Parenting 101 Newsletters:

Parenting Booklist: Jennifer created a Parenting Booklist as a service to adults and children who need resources ASAP!!!! Over the years she has needed parenting resources on various topics and have always had to hunt for them. The books are broken down into different categories and different reading levels from primary grade level, intermediate grade level, and adult. In conjunction with www.Amazon.com , this site provides resources to view, evaluate, and even purchase without leaving your home. Included is a diverse multicultural booklist compiled by Worthington teachers who participated in the Dreamkeepers book talk Winter, 2003. Check out what interesting reads we have found!

Parenting Articles: Looking for quick and easy information about parenting? Check out this site for articles on everything you need to know as a parent! http://www.fci.org/parenting.asp

Additional Information Offered:

For more information, please call 614.883.2750 (Brookside) or 614.883.3300 (Wilson Hill) or e-mail: jhegerty@worthington.k12.oh.us . Thank you for visiting Jen Hegerty's website!

If you have any questions or have any problems with this site, please send a message to webmaster@hegerty.com