Books are a great way to start conversations about feelings with kids. In this podcast, I discuss six of my favorites.

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Whenever I sit down and talk with someone about their coping skills, one of the first things I ask is if they have tried writing about it, in particular, my middle school and high school clients. I do this for several reasons:

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This COVID-19 world is a strange place to be. I got en email recently where someone was talking about this being the best of times and the worst of times, and it rang true for me. This time is both challenging and good.

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Staying in touch and talking with others can increase our joy and lessen our sorrow. This time in our lives is challenging, and continuing to give and get support from friends and family is a way to cope with all the stress we feel. In this podcast episode, I discuss some ideas for keeping in touch with one another even when we’re physically apart. There are lots of ways to stay connected even when we can’t share the same space. Take a listen!

How are you doing?

This is such a hectic and strange time. I had plans to talk about something completely different during this podcast episode, but things have significantly ramped up in terms of school closures, working from home, and other disruptions due to the spread of COVID-19. In fact, I basically put some other things on hold, and I started writing in an effort to help families.

"Literally, it worked!"

Recently, one of my teen clients said about the coping skill I cover in this podcast. I'm always thrilled when a coping skill works for a client of mine. She struggles with anxiety, and we've talked about a ton of different coping skills, but this was the first time she ever used that phrasing. To hear more about what this coping skill is, take a liste

Can I tell you something? I LOVE working with teens. The conversations I have with adolescents can be full of sarcasm, but at the heart of every one of those talks is that they want to be heard. What’s interesting is that a lot of the same strategies I use for younger kids work for teens too (and even adults).

Whenever I’m speaking to families or professionals working with kids about their coping skills, I always get the question, “They aren’t using their coping skills! What do I do?”

In this podcast, I share a few tips and mindset strategies to use when working with kids who are having a hard time managing their feelings. The biggest thing to keep in mind is that it will not go smoothly the first time or 100% of the time. Please take a listen to hear some other helpful tips to help kids more consistently use their coping skills.

There are lots of places you can go to get items for a calm down kit. One of my favorites is Five Below. This store has only been in my area for a few years, and while their items change regularly, I can always find some awesome things to go into a calm down spot for home or school. On a recent trip, I took pictures of what I would put in a coping skills toolkit. Listen to what I found!