Imagine driving down a road and having no clue where you’re supposed to turn. As you continue driving, the town looks less and less familiar. You start to feel unsettled, confused, unsafe, lost, anxious, and so many more feelings. That is how a child with autism can feel when facing changes in their routines. Consistency allows the child to have a sense of familiarity and comfort. Developing anchor points takes time but enhances the child’s sense of security. Anchor points a

Meditation and mindfulness can seem intimidating to someone without prior experience. When approaching meditation, it is important to let go of a rigid mindset and go in without a goal or expectation. Let go of wanting to meditate the right way . The only goal of meditation and mindfulness activities is to make time for yourself. The hope is that you feel calmer and more relaxed afterward. Meditation will look and feel different each time. The goal is not to be still and quie

by Lindsay Snoke, LSW At the beginning of the month, I had an opportunity of a lifetime. I was sent to Charleston, South Carolina to...

While I was teaching a kids' yoga class the other day, I was awestruck when, without me specifically verbally instructing them to breathe, the students began, one by one, to each take deep, slow inhales through their nose as I was inhaling. I cannot express how excited I was. Although I had done this intentionally with teenagers and young adults, it wasn’t until this moment that I realized this practice was just as powerful with children. We know that children learn behaviors

There is a perception that today’s students show a general lack of respect for the rules and expectations of school. This has contributed to some students becoming disruptive in the classroom, falling behind on their academic expectations, and developing social anxiety or emotional trauma, requiring alternative educational settings with therapeutic support to achieve academic success. Unfortunately, students enter these alternative educational settings demonstrating disruptiv

When someone starts therapy, my initial question is often, “who do you turn to for support?” There’s a reason social history is listed on most mental health intake forms. Social support is linked to better mental health outcomes, greater trauma resilience, and lowered risk of early death. For better or worse, the people around us inevitably shape how we see the world, influencing what we perceive as normal or possible. Research from Yale University suggests that, if a friend

Mindful Breathing Earlier this week, I was teaching a yoga class for kids. As the class started and I encouraged a student to take a breath, he exclaimed, “I breathe every day!” Now, while this is certainly true for all of us ( or we wouldn’t be here ), this does not mean that we are all breathing the same way. Consider this: often do we think about breathing? How often do we intentionally direct our breathing? How often do we even just observe it? For me, the answer to all

We have previously discussed how to introduce mindfulness to kids and teens. In this article, we are going to examine two specific mindfulness practices that you can use with students, and yourself! First, we will come to our senses . 5-4-3-2-1 How often do we forget the familiar scent of home, until we go away for a time? How often do we forget to slow down and really taste the meal before us? Often, we neglect to give sufficient time to fully experience our senses in our da

by Josh Ramirez, LPC “I don’t know how I’m going to get through this!” “What was I thinking?” “I’m just not good enough…” Sound familiar?...

In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic interrupted the daily lives of people globally. Families sheltered in place, people who commuted daily to the office worked from home, and students who spent time in the classroom socially engaged with peers and learning from professionals found themselves thrust into chaos learning from home. From this, many students developed anxiety from traumatic events happening around them, and missed out on important growth and development opportunities f

As a young, 7-year-old child, I learned the hard truths of the cycle of life and death. At this age, I had not yet experienced grief firsthand, but was faced with the knowledge that one day my mother would meet the fate of death. This realization shook me and I became angry at my mother, thinking one day she would permanently leave me. More than anything, I hated not knowing how much time I would have with her. Even as I got older, the thought remained in the back of my mind

The new school year often presents new ways to help our students grow. In particular, one concept worth integrating into our day-to-day routines is mindfulness. However, as many of our students might be unfamiliar with it, starting with an introduction to mindfulness may be greatly influential in finding success throughout the year. Defining Mindfulness, Dispelling Myths First, we must define mindfulness . Depending on the age group, I prefer to start with asking the students

Close your eyes for a moment and imagine a sailboat in the ocean. The water is calm and the wind conditions are perfect for smooth sailing. However, there are several holes in the ships hull. Water begins pouring in. Do you think the ship’s captain is worried about sailing forward, as the leaks drag the ship under? Of course not. So, how can we expect our students to worry about grades, sitting still, or following classroom expectations if they are trying to keep their heads

by Sean Szeles, LPC As a therapist, I spend a lot of time talking about inner life. This means discussing concepts such as balance,...

It takes a village to raise a child – words of wisdom that, while being of unknown origin (although likely deriving from the proverbs of a number of African cultures), are profoundly truthful. Further, their sentiment made all-the-more evident by the efforts of the families, teachers, coaches, doctors, social workers, therapists, and so many others who may play a role in the development of a single child. Often, the duties that these individuals responsible with the wellbeing

Consider this: a high school student slams their book down and storms out of the classroom. Just prior, they had been raising their hand for quite some time but had not been called upon by the teacher. What do you think they experienced first? Anger at the teacher’s glancing them over? Perhaps, sadness of being unheard, yet again? Often, we do not give sufficient time to our emotions. Instead of truly giving them our attention and reflection to allow them to process, we simp

For most kids, school is out, and they are looking forward to summer vacation. Many parents, however, dread the extended time away from...

The past few years have been hard on kids, parents, and caregivers. The trauma experienced by children has, in many cases, translated...

When confronted with perceived threats, our bodies are wired to go into fight, flight, or freeze mode. Grounded in the emotional part of the brain, this response can send us into a spiral that turns small stressors, such as an annoying e-mail or a spat with a loved one, into a perceived catastrophe. Recently, I’ve been listening to some mindfulness classes from the people at 10% Happier . From their exceptionally helpful content on stress-management, here are three tools I’v

Working in a school is a challenging experience. Almost daily, staff are faced with juggling a gamut of tasks. These range from fairly mundane, like helping teach how to tie shoes, to exceptionally taxing, such as preventing a full-blown behavioral meltdown. Thus, to fulfill this plethora of duties, school-based staff are required to possess and routinely utilize their problem-solving, innovative-thinking, team-working, and decision-making skills. So, fittingly, to commemorat