Empowering Parents of Children with Behavioral and Emotional Challenges
Meta-Construct that Describes a Personality Profile
Non-Formularity is a personality profile designed to describe and better understand the unique dynamics of people with a highly reactive stress response system. This personality profile was conceptualized primarily through my clinical work with children, adolescents and young adults.
Non-Formularity is a meta-construct that I have created to conceptualize a personality profile whose qualities have been explained by the research literature on sensitivity, creativity, and giftedness. Non-Formularity is found in 20-35% of the population based on research from the sensitivity literature.
More specifically, the Non-Formularity conceptualization focuses on the strengths embedded in this personality profile as a way to help the person manage the challenges that are part of non-formularity.
Not Understood by Society
The reason why I have taken an interest in this population is because since they don’t fit what we as a society consider to be the normative average child, the framework that traditional parenting and education utilizes to understand child development is not designed to support their needs.
They usually have above-average intelligence, are precocious learners and creative, think independently, and are sometimes very emotionally expressive. They also have a tendency to be labeled with several diagnoses including anxiety, depression, oppositional defiant disorder, intermittent explosive disorder, ADD/ADHD, and learning disabilities. While they exhibit the same personality profile, they are all very different. I have learned that some of them have an ability to hide their symptoms which results in some parents not quite realizing the extent of their challenges.
Predisposition for Self-Medication with Substances
Another reason why I have become an advocate for the needs of this population is because as they become adolescents, they have a tendency to self-medicate their feelings of inadequacy with substances and/or risky behaviors that might result in self-harm, addiction, and even suicide.
Childhood and Adolescence Challenges Impact their Ability to Launch
As they enter into adulthood, the feeling of being different and not fitting in becomes augmented and their relationships, education, and career suffers. Thus, the sooner parents are able to understand that their child is not designed to fit into the traditional environment, the sooner the environment can be adjusted to support the child’s needs.
Helping parents to better understand the non-formularity of their children, and using this knowledge to make changes to their environment while strengthening their relationship with them is my passion!
Get in Touch
If you would like to learn more about my approach, feel free to call me at 408-412-9530, e-mail me at thedyveliz@me.com or fill out this form and I will reach out to you. I like to schedule a phone conversation to learn more about your needs and to share how I might be able to support your family.