Where parenting meets purpose
The Elara Institute works on family well-being, and on the professional practice that surrounds it.
That covers attachment and inherited patterns, neurodivergence, autonomy and demand avoidance, burnout and depletion, and how all of it impacts a partnership. The through-line is that families are capable, and that the barriers in front of them are usually structural rather than personal.
We believe cycles of intergenerational struggle can be interrupted, not by striving for perfection, but by equipping parents with knowledge, support, and community connection.
What we integrate
- Attachment theory and polyvagal theory
- The science of intergenerational transmission and resilience
- Self-determination theory and the conditions that support autonomy
- Practices of self-reflection, co-regulation, and values-based parenting
- A deep commitment to inclusion, identity, and systemic awareness
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Meghan Maynard
MA, RP, PhD (Candidate)
Registered psychotherapist, educator, and researcher in trauma and autonomy, with over twenty years of experience. She is currently completing her PhD, studying the disruption of intergenerational trauma transmission, social cognition, and autonomy needs.
Her research concerns autonomy: why some nervous systems register ordinary requests as threats to self-determination, and what follows for the people supporting them. That work is set out in Autonomy Sensitivity Theory, her proposed model of the demand avoidance spectrum, with the foundational paper available as a preprint. She writes and teaches on the PDA profile, autistic burnout, and autonomy-supportive practice with children and adults.
The Elara InstituteBreaking Cycles / Building Connection
meghan@elarainstitute.ca