Connection with Kids

Two fathers play educational games with their children,

Connection with Kids In her book, The Good News about Bad Behavior, the author, Kathryn Lewis, identifies three steps that are taught in the Parent Encouragement Program. It will come as no surprise to counselors of all types that the first step is connection. Establishing rapport with a student is always the first necessary step…

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Kids and Loss. How to Help.

Sad child

How to help kids cope loss A grandparent is sick and in hospice. A parent or sibling has terminal cancer. A close friend or relative is undergoing treatment for a chronic disease. Children are not protected from loss and grief any more than adults are, yet they often have fewer emotional resources or coping mechanisms…

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What to Do About a Student with Angry Outbursts

Angry upset boy,

Angry Outbursts: Prevention and Coping Skills On a School Counselor Facebook page, a school counselor asks for help with a 5th grader who regularly has angry outbursts over such things as forgetting his work at home or his Chromebook is missing from the class. During sessions focused on helping him calm down, he’s still very…

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Are Kids Less Disciplined than Ever?

Young girls playing or working on a computer

Kids and Discipline If you have any connection to the educational system as I do, it’s not unusual to hear teachers complain that children today are much harder to teach than in years past. In fact, the job of the teacher has become so difficult that the average length of time that new teachers stay…

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Where Negative Thoughts Come From and How to Change Them

stressed kid

Negative thoughts… we’ve all got them. But where do they come from? Kids and adults alike probably think that negative thoughts just happen but in actuality there are four places that they may come from. We fail at something or make a mistake: Instead of seeing failure as a necessary part of success, instead we…

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Five Steps to Teach Kids to be Kind

kids sharing

We all want and expect others to be kind but exactly what is kindness, how is it developed, and why does it matter? There are 5 steps to teaching kindness: Define what kindness: Teach that kindness is being friendly, generous and considerate. Next teach that  based on our environment, our family of origin, and our…

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