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:
Take a listen!
The brain has to learn really specific skills when a child is little, like learning to pack a bag, organize themselves, tidy their room, personal hygiene, learning how to get a task done as well as learning how to finish a task too. These are all such key skills and are often learnt as a child goes through life and education and learning them well will make life easier!
In this episode Carrie and Janine discuss:
Have you ever wondered when is a good time to practice coping skills with your child? This is a really good question to consider and how this may look in your week. The first step is for the adult and child to be emotionally ready and calm and from this point, new skills can be learned.
In this episode Janine speaks about:
Have you ever considered sharing a journal with your kids? Sometimes your child may come home and isn’t ready to share about your day. Journaling is an opportunity to see how your child views the world while you’re living the same moments. It can open up opportunities to be empathic to situations that you weren’t experiencing in the same way. It can create a safe space for questions to be asked, that you weren’t aware that they were worrying about.
In this episode Katie and Janine discuss:
Where do you begin when you want to teach kids coping skills? Janine has a five step system she uses to help kids learn and use coping strategies, starting with connection, and finishing up with making a personal coping toolkit for kids.
In this episode Janine speaks about:
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!
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been getting requests for play ideas and coping skills kids can use, so I’ve been thinking about ways that I can get more information and resources available.
I’m going to be making short videos on YouTube with simple play ideas and simple coping skills kids can use. They are kid-appropriate, so they can watch and then try the play idea or do the coping skill.
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
On today’s podcast, I quickly re-visit one of my favorite ways to help kids see the impact their words can have on others. Then I talk about two more ways to help kids & teens understand the impact their words can have on other people. It's a great way to encourage them to think before they speak (or post). Here’s a sneak peek into what you’ll hear:
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.