“Dr. Tudbelly eyed the distraught Lionel. ‘What are your symptoms? Do you feel baffled? Bewildered? Confused? A little edgy? Frightened? Puzzled?’ ‘Yes, yes!’ cried Lionel. ‘All of that!’ ‘Good,’ said Dr. Tudbelly. ‘You’re quite normal.’ ‘But what shall I do?’ ‘Why, the same as any sensible person in the circumstances. Keep going. Hope for the …
5 Ways to Practice Self-Care When You’re Exhausted and Overwhelmed Read More »
This year, in addition to the usual back-to-school jitters, teens are getting hit from all sides during the pandemic: They may be hearing alarming misinformation about COVID, or have legitimate concerns about a highly contagious illness; They may be pawns in the competing agendas of parents, teachers, school administrators and government leaders about mask-wearing, vaccinations, …
6 Tips for Helping Teens Deal with Back-to-School Stress and Anxiety Read More »
There’s so much being published about mindfulness these days that it can be overwhelming trying to sort through all the different options. Of the dozens of books I’ve read over the past few years, here are four that I think are particularly useful for the helping professions. How to Train a Wild Elephant, & Other …
One day in a Roots of Empathy program, a young mother brought her six-month-old baby to the class and asked if anyone wanted to hold him. The first kid to volunteer was Darren, a tough-looking fifteen-year-old who had a shaved head covered with a large tattoo. Darren had been in foster care for more than …
3 Ways Compassion Can Help Youth Impacted by Trauma Read More »
Here are four books I’ve found particularly helpful in understanding the challenges of today’s youth and how adults can effectively support them. 1) What Works with Teens: A Professional’s Guide to Engaging Authentically with Adolescents to Achieve Lasting Change by Britt Rathbone, MSSW LCSW-C and Julie Baron, MSW LCSW-C Rathbone and Baron start with an overview …
We’ve all seen the photos of spring breakers gathering at crowded parties, in defiance of social distancing recommendations. Those types of images might make it seem that all youth are blithely unaware of the impacts of COVID, but that’s far from the truth. In fact, the pandemic has had a much bigger impact on youth …
3 Ways to Help Youth with the Emotional Impact of the Pandemic Read More »
Dr. Sam Himelstein recently described ‘4 Different Approaches to Leading Groups of Youth’: Presenter: includes lecturing and direct instruction Facilitator: includes guiding discussions and eliciting contributions from the group Supporter: includes empathizing with and encouraging students Confronter: includes intervening to stop disruptive or dangerous behavior. We each tend to have a preferred role, and it’s …
3 Ways to Make Sure You’re in the Appropriate Teaching Role Read More »
Many youth who’ve been impacted by trauma are resistant to therapy. Their self-protective behaviors and reactions are often misperceived as deliberately rebellious or disruptive. Because of this misunderstanding, the therapist may become angry, frustrated, anxious, or uncomfortable. These types of reactions tend to make the youth feel even less safe and therefore more aggressive or …
2 Tips for Working with Resistance and Traumatic Adaptations Read More »
Very early in my career, I began co-facilitating Mindfulness-Based Substance Abuse groups, with no training in how to lead groups of youth. My partner and I went from one extreme to the other, lecturing the first cohort and then having free-flowing discussions with the next cohort. We gradually realized that the groups were much more …
4 Different Approaches to Leading Groups of Youth Read More »
The expectation that we can be immersed in suffering and loss daily and not be touched by it is as unrealistic as expecting to be able to walk through water without getting wet. Kitchen Table Wisdom, Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen, p. 52 2020 was an overwhelming year for anyone who works in health care, counseling, …
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