This post contains affiliate links. Our second graders this year are at lots of drastically different levels…both academically and socially. And in their English fluency! It means that 1) we’re having to differentiate lessons by classroom way more than usual and 2) we’re needing to break concepts down a bit more. This, paired with the […]

Polyvagal theory in a gist. I love illustrating concepts and putting them into understandable chunks. Hope this helps. POLYVAGAL THEORY When we’re threatened our Sympathetic nervous system is activ…

A recent study, published in the journal Psychological Science , has discovered a link between the way in which couples' recover from confli...

The different types of memory each have their own particular mode of operation, but they all cooperate in the process of memorization. Click for more facts.

We all make bad decisions sometimes, but have you ever wondered what mental obstacles can lead you astray? This infographic goes over 20 of the most c

This is something new that I've started in my individual counseling sessions. It serves a few purposes - it helps me gather data on how effective the sessions are, helps students self-reflect, and wor

A Blog for Moms of Boys: Activities, recipes, DIY, Science projects and Crafts for Boys.

Childhood Fears by Age As children grow they have different worries and fears. There are common childhood fears that tend to coincide with different stages of development. Below are the most common childhood fears by age. As with most things – this list isn’t exhaustive and some children will have different fears – or will have a

In this article, Dr. Janice Walton, discusses how Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) strategies can change behavior.

While each individual’s path of healing is unique, this “healing flame” is a visual representation of factors that contribute to healing for youth who have experienced abuse. It has been adapted fr…

5 key reasons to teach students to analyze differing perspectives

ContentsWhat is the Impact of Beliefs on the Experience of Change?The Story of Viktor Frankl“The Whole is Greater Than the sum of its Parts”The Sigmoi...

What are cognitive distortions? Cognitive distortions are also known as thinking errors, thinking distortions, irrational thoughts, distorted thoughts, and negative automatic thoughts. Cognitive di…

I had a mentor who kept drilling into me, to make the unconscious mind our “best ally.” Initially I scoffed at the idea and thought that mentor had lost it, and with age, was out of this planet. Li…

In this article a series of tips to practice the Milton, inclusive of an infographic and a video for you to use.

Social Emotional Workshop offers practical tools for social emotional learning and counseling.

DBT Self-Help Resources: maladaptive coping styles - behavioural pattern-breaking stage

If you believe disruption is coming for most companies (it probably is), then change management is absolutely crucial. But most companies are flippin' terrible at it. How can they get better?

Which common thinking biases do you suffer from? And how can you overcome them? Here are tips from research.

| Cyberbullying, it's not a game! It's your Life!!!

This post contains affiliate links for your shopping ease. If you make a purchase using my link, Amazon credits me a very small percentage. But don't worry, it doesn't cost you any extra! One of my favorites books for teaching the difference between tattling and telling is A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue. I read this book at the beginning of each school year and throughout the year when my students need a gentle reminder. A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue is about a young boy named Josh who doesn't have many friends. In fact, everyone at school called him "Josh the Tattler." His mom grew tired of the tattling and warned him of getting tattle tongue. With the help of Tattle Prince, Josh learned the difference between tattling and telling! You can learn more about the author, Julia Cook, by clicking the book cover below. I love this book because it describes scenarios that happen in all of our classrooms each and every day. Sometimes it can be very hard for students to distinguish when they need to tell or when it is best to solve the problem on their own and the examples Julia included illustrate it very clearly. I really like the Tattle Prince's Tattle Rules--what a great way help our students become independent and proactive problem solvers! I've created a visual reminder that I display in my classroom. When I notice a student that is just dying to tell me something I remind them to look at the poster to make sure that they really need to tell me. Want to download the tattling poster? Grab this visual reminder by dropping your email address below. Click here! We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time. Powered By ConvertKit There are lots of great ideas to curb the tattling in classrooms. Some teachers have a stuffed animal that students can talk to, students can "tell the shell" and whisper into a conch shell, or create a tattle pledge that all students sign to remind them of their responsibility in contributing to the caring classroom. What are your tips and tricks for dealing with tattling in your classroom?

What are cognitive distortions? Cognitive distortions are also known as thinking errors, thinking distortions, irrational thoughts, distorted thoughts, and negative automatic thoughts. Cognitive di…

After attending an inspiring training on play therapy last week, I have really been reexamining how I and my team conduct therapy with our clients. In the "high-energy" setting of daytreatment, it is easy to get focused primarily managing behaviors, attempting to scratch the surface of the paperwork pile, and essentially just try to get through the day without someone getting punched out or seriously physically injured. It seems like this focus increases in the winter months when the therapists are feeling the seasonal affect changes as well as the kids. It's not a great time. After listening to Paris Goodyear-Brown's stories, techniques and tips on how to help clients succeed in treatment through play therapy, I had several realizations. #1. I remembered why I am in this field. Therapy with kids is where I am drawn. It excites and inspires me. #2. I have been letting the environment of my job have too much influence over how I conduct therapy with my clients. That needs to change! #3. I have a multitude of skills that I bring to the table. For the purpose of this post, the focus will be on my organizing and planning abilities. I excel at both, to a point that if I lose sight of what my goal and purpose is with a particular client or group if my lists, sub-lists and sub-sub-lists are not current and put in some sort of meaningful order. Being a therapist, especially in my setting, requires that I put on the following hats all in a given day (or on an hourly, or minute-to-minute basis): group and individual therapist, coach, nutritionist, life-skills teacher, social skills teacher, caregiver (this should never be the focus, but is occasionally necessary), reading/writing teacher, conflict mediator, care coordinator, secretary, message carrier...the list goes on. That is a very long list, and is reflective of my harried emotional state at the end of many days. Then I remembered a novel thing: planning! If I am a teacher of many different sorts, I should look at what teachers do after they go home at night. "Lesson" planning for group, individual sessions and skills work. I constantly walk a fine line of doing my job and my work leeching into every aspect of my life in an unhealthy way. My resolution, however, is the following: Only work on researching and planning for treatment, activities, etc at home. I really love doing this part, and there is not time during the day to do it at the office. Now, that means I must have a boundary around how much time I commit to this endeavor per day/week. I don't know what that is yet, but I will figure it out. As part of my planning sessions, I spent part of this very snowy snow day (the first in a year and eight months of working at my job!) compiling a list of children's books with therapeutic topics to use in groups during our reading (therapy nerd term: bibliotherapy) day. During these days I read a book to the kids who then reflect on the message behind the topic and apply it to their current lives or situations. Sometimes the most they are aware of is that Dr. Seuss uses really weird words. But we persevere, and I use my overdeveloped thinking on the spot skills to relay that, "Yes, Dr. Seuss does use really weird words and pictures. What do you think people thought of him in a time that everything was "proper" and much more structured? It took a lot of courage to give his strong messages in a fun way!"...and on I go. Although I can think on the spot rather quickly with no child the wiser, I prefer to have a structure in place. That structure is reflected in my list. I have a bunch more books at the office to add to this compilation, and hope to get all the Berenstain Bears books someday. I use the suggestion of ages 4 and up very generously. These books are just as much for me as my 9-12 year olds. I will be updating this list and adding more all the time. Please write suggestions of any books with therapeutic topics that you may have! I'm grateful for all the information I can get my hands on! I also have the PDF file of the book list (my techie skills are not enough to upload a PDF online). If you would like a copy, you can direct message me at my twitter account JillEHDamron with your email address. Happy reading!