Seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another, and feeling with the heart of another. -Alfred Adler Do you ever feel like you are using all the parenting strategies one could possibly ever try and frustrated because you’re not getting the results you hoped for? In recent years, “emotion coaching” … Continue reading »
Resource: How to Talk to Kids About the Bombings in Boston
Looking for quality resources to help you talk to and support your child in light of the tragic bombings in Boston? Visit the following links: From Dr. Gene Beresin, child psychiatrist and director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Mental Health and Media. From The National Child Traumatic Stress Network From The National Association … Continue reading »
Babies and Toddlers Podcast Series
Check out a podcast series from the organization ZERO TO THREE! Little Kids, Big Questions is a series of 12 podcasts geared to answer common questions that parents have regarding parenting babies and toddlers. Topics include: The importance of fathers Partnering with your children’s caregivers How self-esteem develops and what you can do to promote … Continue reading »
Sleep Resources
How’s the bedtime routine going? Are you and your partner on the same page with expectations, limits, and enforcing them? Did you cut back on or eliminate caffeine? Did your child exercise, but not too late in the day? Did you have a “de-clutter” time to make the sleeping space more inviting? I hope … Continue reading »
Getting good Zzzzzzz’s
How has your sleep been in the last week? How about your child’s? Did you have a chance to jot down notes regarding when you and/or or child goes to bed, falls asleep, and wakes up? Notice anything surprising? I notice that I feel much better if I stick to a schedule of going to … Continue reading »
Sleep: How Much Do Kids Need?
One spring, a new dog came to live in my home—a welcome addition to my family. That autumn, I noticed change in his “bedtime routine.” He was putting himself to bed earlier than he had in the spring and summer seasons. Some nights, I’d watch perplexed as he padded off around 6PM and settled himself … Continue reading »
Responding to and Coping with Tragedies: Resources
This past week my thoughts and heart have been on the Newtown, Connecticut community, as well as the all-too-many communities who have experienced tremendous loss and trauma from violence committed with firearms over the years. I am also recalling my years as a school psychologist in Oregon and my work at a high school that … Continue reading »
Social and Emotional Learning
Unless students are given strategies to regulate their emotions and direct their energies toward learning, it is unlikely that added instructional hours or days will eventuate in corresponding amounts of academic learning (Elias, 2001, p. 131). Social and emotional learning (SEL) is a term that was coined in the mid-1990s to describe mental health promotion … Continue reading »
Resilience-building Strategies: Now or Later?
Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony. – Mahatma Gandhi Recently, I, along with three community mental health professionals, gave a presentation at a local conference. We talked about promoting resilience in kids and shared information based on our own areas of professional experience. During a … Continue reading »
Annual Physicals: A Great Time to Talk Resilience
Every year, thousands of children visit medial offices for an annual physical. It is generally a time to ask questions about your child’s development, discuss anticipated phases he or she will go through in the coming year, have sports physical forms signed, update immunizations, and strategize on how to manage chronic health conditions. It’s also … Continue reading »
