Strategies to Help Your Child With Anxiety

Guest Post by:Janine Halloran, MA, LMHC Founder & CEO of Coping Skills for Kids If your child is struggling with anxiety, it can feel like that challenge overtakes everything in your child’s life – and yours! We can feel lost and helpless. What can we do that will actually help them?    Here are some […]

Managing Emotions During Elections: How to Support Your Family Through Stressful Times

Election seasons can be intense and emotionally charged for everyone, including children. The heightened emotions and stress that often accompany political campaigns and discussions can spread through households, leading to anxiety, frustration, and even conflict. As parents and caregivers, it’s essential to create a safe space where all family members can express their feelings and […]

Supporting Emotional Awareness at Home with the Zones of Regulation

The Zones of Regulation is a great tool that helps kids (and even adults!) understand and manage their emotions. Created by Leah Kuypers, OT/R, the Zones of Regulation is a simple way to help your child identify what they’re feeling and why, so they can learn to respond in healthy ways. This isn’t about discipline—it’s […]

Navigating Transitions: Bridging Home and School for a Smooth Back-to-School Experience

Transitions can be challenging, especially for children who thrive on routine and predictability. With the back-to-school season here, many children and parents face the anxiety and uncertainty of this significant shift. Understanding and supporting these transitions is crucial to ensuring a successful start to the school year. Why Transitions Are Difficult Transitions, whether from one […]

Kickstart the School Year: Reflecting on the Past and Planning Ahead for Executive Functioning Success

As we approach a new school year, it’s the perfect time for children and learners to engage in an essential practice that can significantly boost their social-emotional learning (SEL) and executive functioning skills: reflection and review. Reflecting on the past school year helps children and teens process their experiences and lays a solid foundation for […]

From Morning to Night: Incorporating Social Emotional Learning in Homeschool

Navigating the world of homeschooling can be as rewarding as it is challenging, particularly when it comes to incorporating social emotional learning (SEL) into the daily curriculum. In the latest episode of our podcast, “The OT is in,” we had the pleasure of speaking with Elizabeth Sautter, an expert in social emotional learning and a […]

Understanding the Impact of Stress, Grief, Trauma, and Overwhelm on Executive Functioning

Over the past two years, the stress has been even more intense than usual. I could go on with the various reasons but one of the biggest has been caring for my mom, who recently passed away.  This personal journey of grief and responsibility has been incredibly challenging, especially as I approach the second anniversary […]

Embracing Neurodiversity: Nurturing Unique Strengths While Prioritizing Self-Care

In our wonderfully diverse world, the concept of neurodiversity lights up the incredible spectrum of how our minds work. As a mom of two amazing sons who are wonderfully unique in their own ways, I’ve come to understand the depth of this journey. It’s not just about nurturing their strengths and passions; it’s about weaving […]

Stress-Free Morning: 9 Secrets to Calmer Mornings with Your Neurodivergent Child

Mornings can be hectic for any family, but for those with neurodivergent children, they can involve extra layers of challenges and stress.    Picture this: you’re rushing to get breakfast on the table, your child refuses to get out of bed, and the clock ticks louder with every passing minute. Let’s explore how applying the 9 […]

Unleashing Genuine Engagement – It’s Much More Complex than ‘Are You Listening to Me?’

In today’s society, the expectations around listening are often confined to visible behaviors and outward compliance, overshadowing the deeper aspects of genuine engagement and understanding. Traditional directives like “sit still,” “look at the speaker,” “pay attention,” and “be quiet” have long been considered the benchmarks or standards for listening. However, genuine engagement and processing go […]