What is Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)?
What is Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)? Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive...
How NOT to Talk to Someone With Anxiety
It has been my experience that usually when we respond to those who are struggling, we are all trying our best to be as empathetic and kind as possible to our friends and loved ones. While our intentions are...
How to Keep a Routine with a Child in Treatment
It is important to understand that it may be inconvenient or near impossible to keep a routine while a family member is undergoing treatment, but we know that rhythm and routine creates feelings of safety and security. With the...
What to Do When Feeling Defensive
Defensiveness is a factor dealt with in many relationships, whether it be constant trouble or a road block you encounter every now and then. We see defensiveness when we try to talk to someone about our feelings, experience, or...
Gaining Connection with Your Child
We are all busy, let’s face it. As adults we are working, parenting, and squeezing in “adult time”; and children are studying in school, doing activities after school, and playing with friends. With our busy schedules, we feel guilt...
Expressing and Showing Gratitude
Gratitude is recognizing the good in our lives and being thankful for those positive experiences. It turns out that the ability to acknowledge the good in our lives and to express gratitude for the people, places and things that...
Handling Big Emotions and Helping Your Child Calm Down
Every child is different, and that includes their reactions to things. You may see that your child has a different reaction to their siblings, peers, or cousins. That is ok, some children just feel things more intensely than others....
5 Social Skills that Every Kid Needs to Master Part II
Social Skills are crucial to success. Without social skills, none of us would make it very far in life. In my last blog, I touched on the first skill: Initiating Conversation and Listening Attentively. In this blog, I will...
How to be Available for Friends Experiencing Grief
In Early 2019 my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Three short months later she would pass away at the young age of 50. Only 6 months earlier my best friend’s mom was diagnosed with ALS which...