ORLANDO, FL – As nearly half of American parents report feeling completely overwhelmed by stress on most days, children's mental health expert Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge is bringing a message of prevention to Orlando: support parents before they reach their breaking point.
Dr. Roseann, a licensed therapist and board-certified neurofeedback practitioner with more than 30 years of clinical experience, will speak at The Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida and the 2026 Florida Prevention Convention. The convention, themed “Stronger Families, Stronger Florida,” gathers professionals focused on Healthy Families, early intervention, and child abuse prevention.
The urgency is underscored by recent data. According to the American Psychological Association, 48% of parents say their stress is completely overwhelming on most days, and 41% say their stress is so high they can't function. The U.S. Surgeon General has issued a national advisory on the mental health and well-being of parents and caregivers, calling it a public health priority.
“We can't wait until a family is in crisis to decide they deserve support,” said Dr. Roseann. “Prevention means reaching the parent while they're overwhelmed, not after they've reached their breaking point.”
Central to her approach is the concept of nervous system regulation. Dr. Roseann explains that when a child is dysregulated, their stress response can activate the parent's stress response, creating a cycle of escalating reactivity. Traditional parenting advice often focuses on consequences, but her Regulation First® framework suggests a different order: regulate, connect, then correct.
“When a child's brain is in a stress response, more correcting isn't necessarily the first thing that brain needs,” she said. “We regulate so the brain can do what we're asking it to do.”
This message resonates with prevention organizations that work upstream. The Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida invests in programs to strengthen families before problems require intensive intervention. Healthy Families Florida supports parents facing significant life challenges by building on strengths and providing education and community support.
Dr. Roseann emphasizes that supporting parents is not separate from supporting children. “When we give parents tools to understand their own stress response and their child's nervous system, we're strengthening the entire family,” she said.
Her forthcoming book, The Dysregulated Kid, is set for release on September 22, 2026, by Page Two Books. It offers practical tools like the Love Pause®, CALMS Protocol®, and 10-Minute Resets, helping parents understand what lies beneath a child's behavior.
Dr. Roseann will be available for media interviews while in Orlando, addressing topics such as parent burnout, nervous system co-regulation, and why kids may hold it together at school only to fall apart at home. She is also available for speaking engagements and organizational trainings.
“Every hard moment isn't a crisis,” she said, “but every hard moment is an opportunity to change what happens next.”
