Calm and Connected Podcast

The Power of Independent Play: An Interview with Lenore Skenazy Oct 24, 2024

CALM AND CONNECTED - EPISODE 166

How do you encourage your kids to be more independent? When do you as a parent step back to give them the space to step up?

Lenore Skenazy joins Janine today to discuss some of these questions. They discuss:

The importance of play and how it relieves stress

Bodily reaction to fear and avoidance to fear

Playing across mixed age groups

The skills you learn when you play

The Let Grow Program

Setting tasks for your kids to do on their own without a parent there

Passive kids and problem solving

Kids having the concierge life

How Lenore likes to rest and relax

About The Guest - Lenore Skenazy

After her newspaper column “Why I Let My 9-Year-Old Ride the Subway Alone” created a media firestorm, Lenore got the nickname “America’s Worst Mom.” (Google it!) She went on to write Free-Range Kids, the book-turned-movement that says our kids are smarter, safer, and stronger than our culture gives them credit for!

Lenore has lectured everywhere from DreamWorks to Microsoft to Harvard Med School, Yale Child Study Center -- and the Bulgarian Happiness Festival! (For real.) On TV, you may have seen her on The Today Show, The Daily Show or her own reality show, World’s Worst Mom.

In 2017 Lenore co-founded Let Grow, the nonprofit promoting childhood independence, with three others, including Jonathan “The Anxious Generation” Haidt. She is its president.

Lenore lives in New York City with her husband and beloved computer. Her children are gainfully employed. (Phew!) And, for the record, she used to write for Mad Magazine. Yep. MAD. But now she's so serious that here is her piece on "Independence as Therapy" in The New York Times.

Website - https://letgrow.org/

For parents: https://letgrow.org/program/parents-and-families/

For schools/teachers/admins/counselors: https://letgrow.org/program/educators/

For therapists: https://letgrow.org/program/independence-therapy/

Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/759938234394061

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children, adolescents, and their families for over 20 years. She is the Founder of 'Coping Skills for Kids', where she creates products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. Janine also founded 'Encourage Play’ which dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play!

If you're interested in learning more about how to teach kids coping skills, download your free Coping Skills Toolkit:

https://copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter

If you're interested in joining the Coping Skills Community Hub, an ever-expanding resource library and community of families and professionals teaching kids how to cope, learn more at https://copingskillsforkids.com/hub

If you'd like to purchase Janine's products, including the Coping Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Skills for Teens Workbook, Social Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Cue Cards, and more, visit https://store.copingskillsforkids.com or https://amazon.com/copingskillsforkids

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Becoming a Tech-Intentional Family with Emily Cherkin, The Screentime Consultant Oct 03, 2024

CALM AND CONNECTED - EPISODE 165

What does it mean to be a tech intentional family? Now phones, ipads and other forms of technology are in most areas of life. There’s no size that fits all and what works for you and your family will look so different to your next door neighbor and the other parents you meet at the school gate. So where do you begin?

In today’s episode Janine speaks to Emily about:

How to get a balance of technology in our homes

How to talk to your child about tech

Mental health and bullying through tech

Talking our life out loud when we’re using our tech

Texting your child at school

Being a role model with how you use tech

The ‘I forgot’ technique

What Emily does to rest and relax

About The Guest - Emily Cherkin

Emily Cherkin, M.Ed., The Screentime Consultant, empowers parents to understand and balance family screentime by inspiring a movement around becoming tech-intentional. As a mother of two (12 & 16) and former teacher, she is intimately familiar with the daunting challenges facing families in today’s highly digitized world.

Emily’s book, The Screentime Solution: A Judgment-Free Guide to Becoming a Tech-Intentional Family, was published in January 2024 by Greenleaf Book Group.

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-screentime-consultant-llc/

Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/thescreentimeconsultant/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/thescreentimeconsultant/

Twitter/X - https://twitter.com/ScreentimeLlc

Resources mentioned in the podcast episode:

The Screentime Solution: A Judgment-Free Guide to Becoming a Tech-Intentional Family

Amazon book page: https://www.amazon.com/Screentime-Solution-Judgment-Free-Becoming-Tech-Intentional/dp/B0CB9JS5KB

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children, adolescents, and their families for over 20 years. She is the Founder of 'Coping Skills for Kids', where she creates products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. Janine also founded 'Encourage Play’ which dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play!

If you're interested in learning more about how to teach kids coping skills, download your free Coping Skills Toolkit:

https://copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter

If you're interested in joining the Coping Skills Community Hub, an ever-expanding resource library and community of families and professionals teaching kids how to cope, learn more at https://copingskillsforkids.com/hub

If you'd like to purchase Janine's products, including the Coping Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Skills for Teens Workbook, Social Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Cue Cards, and more, visit https://store.copingskillsforkids.com or https://amazon.com/copingskillsforkids

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Three Playful and Creative Ways to Explore Coping Skills with Kids Sep 19, 2024

Play is such a powerful way for kids you learn ANYTHING including coping skills. Games can also be a way to help us learn and identify the feelings we have. Plus being a lot of fun along the way!

In this episode Janine discusses 3 specific examples:

Playing Jenga® - The use of jenga as a way of discussing feelings or getting to know you or your child better

Make your own board game - Using questions and ice breaker questions to make your own games. Whether that's using poster board or a piece of software online called Genially.

Create a Cube - Print out a cube, build it, and write a coping strategy on each side. When you roll it, you have to do the coping strategy or activity you land on.

There are lots more games and activities you could try that are available in the Coping Skills Hub. Learn more by visiting copingskillsforkids.com/hub

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children, adolescents, and their families for over 20 years. She is the Founder of 'Coping Skills for Kids', where she creates products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. Janine also founded 'Encourage Play’ which dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play!

If you're interested in learning more about how to teach kids coping skills, download your free Coping Skills Toolkit:

https://copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter

If you're interested in joining the Coping Skills Community Hub, an ever-expanding resource library and community of families and professionals teaching kids how to cope, learn more at https://copingskillsforkids.com/hub

If you'd like to purchase Janine's products, including the Coping Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Skills for Teens Workbook, Social Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Cue Cards, and more, visit https://store.copingskillsforkids.com or https://amazon.com/copingskillsforkids

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Building Friendships and Social Skills with Caroline Maguire, PCC, M.Ed. Sep 05, 2024

Friendships are such a wonderful and special part of life. From memory making to going through the highs and lows with your peers makes life so much richer. As a child, learning social skills and how friendships fit is a huge learning curve as they go through their childhood and find their ‘people’. As a parent, how do you connect and how do you teach your kids basic social skills and about what a great friendship can be?

Today Janine is joined by Caroline Maguire and in this episode they discuss:

The importance of friendship

How as a parent you connect with your child

Talking about your friendships as part of teaching social skills

Being a social spy

What you want out of a friendship

The power of role play games

Resilience and friendship

The myths around best friends

How Caroline rests and relaxes

About The Guest - Caroline Maguire

Caroline Maguire, ACCG, PCC, M.Ed., is an award-winning author, coach, teacher, and keynote speaker whose work has inspired important conversations about social skills, friendship and belonging. She earned her undergraduate degree at Trinity College and her Masters of Education at Lesley University. Caroline has been a rock for thousands of people who struggle to make friends. Her book “Why Will No One Play With Me?” has won several awards, including the Best Book Award from American Book Fest, Mom’s Choice Award for Honoring Excellence, and Book Authority’s award for Best ADHD Books of All Time.

carolinemaguireauthor.com

https://carolinemaguireauthor.com/strengthen-executive-function-skills-early-childhood/

Caroline Maguire - YouTube

Caroline Maguire - Facebook

Caroline Maguire - Instagram

—

Resources mentioned in the podcast episode:

Why Will No One Play with Me? By Caroline Maguire

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children, adolescents, and their families for over 20 years. She is the Founder of 'Coping Skills for Kids', where she creates products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. Janine also founded 'Encourage Play’ which dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play!

If you're interested in learning more about how to teach kids coping skills, download your free Coping Skills Toolkit:

https://copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter

If you're interested in joining the Coping Skills Community Hub, an ever-expanding resource library and community of families and professionals teaching kids how to cope, learn more at https://copingskillsforkids.com/hub

If you'd like to purchase Janine's products, including the Coping Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Skills for Teens Workbook, Social Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Cue Cards, and more, visit https://store.copingskillsforkids.com or https://amazon.com/copingskillsforkids

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Replay: Processing Strategies for Adults Aug 22, 2024

What do you think of when you hear the word ‘gratitude’? Is gratitude something you display or practice each day? Practicing and looking for what’s gone well in the day is a great routine to get into in order to get past the tougher moments.

In this episode we discuss:

What emotions we display when we aren’t practicing gratitude

Saying the things we’re grateful for out loud

The power of Journaling

Looking at the small things beyond the ‘To Do List’ including:

Nature

Our friendships

Pets

Writing thank you notes to the people who you’re thankful for

Coping Skills for Adults: https://copingskillsforkids.com/coping-skills-for-adults

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children, adolescents, and their families for over 20 years. She is the Founder of 'Coping Skills for Kids', where she creates products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. Janine also founded 'Encourage Play’ which dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play!

If you're interested in learning more about how to teach kids coping skills, download your free Coping Skills Toolkit:

https://copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter

If you're interested in joining the Coping Skills Community Hub, an ever-expanding resource library and community of families and professionals teaching kids how to cope, learn more at https://copingskillsforkids.com/hub

If you'd like to purchase Janine's products, including the Coping Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Skills for Teens Workbook, Social Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Cue Cards, and more, visit https://store.copingskillsforkids.com or https://amazon.com/copingskillsforkids

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Replay: Movement Strategies for Adults Aug 08, 2024

During the week what physical exercise do you do? Or which would you like to do? Today Janine looks at movement coping styles, specifically big body movement and how exercise helps your mental health and not just your physical and cognitive functioning. Did you know that those who exercise have fewer days of poor mental health than those who don’t exercise. But what is the best activity for you and your lifestyle?

This episode discusses:

Thinking about the exercise type that makes you feel relaxed, something that you want to do and is sustainable in the long term.

The small day to day moments of movement, like kitchen dance parties

Group exercise and the social side that can come from being with people

How exercise needs to bring joy to the person

Other examples of physical exercise you could try.

Coping Skills for Adults: https://copingskillsforkids.com/coping-skills-for-adults

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children, adolescents, and their families for over 20 years. She is the Founder of 'Coping Skills for Kids', where she creates products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. Janine also founded 'Encourage Play’ which dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play!

If you're interested in learning more about how to teach kids coping skills, download your free Coping Skills Toolkit:

https://copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter

If you're interested in joining the Coping Skills Community Hub, an ever-expanding resource library and community of families and professionals teaching kids how to cope, learn more at https://copingskillsforkids.com/hub

If you'd like to purchase Janine's products, including the Coping Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Skills for Teens Workbook, Social Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Cue Cards, and more, visit https://store.copingskillsforkids.com or https://amazon.com/copingskillsforkids

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Replay: Sensory Strategies for Adults Jul 25, 2024

We don’t always have the time to relax and stop during a busy day when we head to work or school. Today Janine encourages us to take mini mindful moments and use our senses to create some pause points.

In this episode Janine discusses:

Sight - noticing things around you that you wouldn’t usually notice and look for

Taste - taking a mindful sip, whether that's your first sip of coffee in the morning or a bite at meal time

Listening - creating playlists for different moods and choosing when to put these on. Listening to audiobooks or podcasts

The book the Highly Sensitive Child by Elaine N. Aron, Ph.D.

Thinking about what overwhelms you via your senses and how to mitigate overwhelm

Coping Skills for Adults: https://copingskillsforkids.com/coping-skills-for-adults

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children, adolescents, and their families for over 20 years. She is the Founder of 'Coping Skills for Kids', where she creates products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. Janine also founded 'Encourage Play’ which dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play!

If you're interested in learning more about how to teach kids coping skills, download your free Coping Skills Toolkit:

https://copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter

If you're interested in joining the Coping Skills Community Hub, an ever-expanding resource library and community of families and professionals teaching kids how to cope, learn more at https://copingskillsforkids.com/hub

If you'd like to purchase Janine's products, including the Coping Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Skills for Teens Workbook, Social Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Cue Cards, and more, visit https://store.copingskillsforkids.com or https://amazon.com/copingskillsforkids

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Replay: Distraction Strategies for Adults Jul 11, 2024

Playing is one of the biggest stress relievers in adults just as much as kids. It can help us look at life differently, have a break from life, be creative and lift your mood. In this episode Janine mentions a book called Play by Stuart Brown and Christopher Vaughan and some of the areas of play which are helpful tips and reminders.

In this episode Janine discusses:

How play removes stress for adults as well as kids

The importance of taking a ‘play break’

How to integrate play in your day as an adult

What a playful attitude can look like

Thinking about what you enjoy and incorporating these back into life now.

Coping Skills for Adults: https://copingskillsforkids.com/coping-skills-for-adults

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children, adolescents, and their families for over 20 years. She is the Founder of 'Coping Skills for Kids', where she creates products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. Janine also founded 'Encourage Play’ which dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play!

If you're interested in learning more about how to teach kids coping skills, download your free Coping Skills Toolkit:

https://copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter

If you're interested in joining the Coping Skills Community Hub, an ever-expanding resource library and community of families and professionals teaching kids how to cope, learn more at https://copingskillsforkids.com/hub

If you'd like to purchase Janine's products, including the Coping Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Skills for Teens Workbook, Social Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Cue Cards, and more, visit https://store.copingskillsforkids.com or https://amazon.com/copingskillsforkids

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Replay: Relaxation Strategies for Adults Jun 20, 2024

What do you enjoy and makes you happy? Knowing what is really important to you, may be different to other people and how your mind and body works is really key to finding the best relaxation strategies for you. Some strategies will work some days and may work better on different days.

Today in the episode we’ll discuss the following strategies:

Imagining your favorite place

Tracing shapes and letters

Body Scan/Muscle Relaxation

Grounding techniques

Looking for different colors or shapes

Naming things around you

Coping Skills for Adults: https://copingskillsforkids.com/coping-skills-for-adults

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children, adolescents, and their families for over 20 years. She is the Founder of 'Coping Skills for Kids', where she creates products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. Janine also founded 'Encourage Play’ which dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play!

If you're interested in learning more about how to teach kids coping skills, download your free Coping Skills Toolkit:

https://copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter

If you're interested in joining the Coping Skills Community Hub, an ever-expanding resource library and community of families and professionals teaching kids how to cope, learn more at https://copingskillsforkids.com/hub

If you'd like to purchase Janine's products, including the Coping Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Skills for Teens Workbook, Social Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Cue Cards, and more, visit https://store.copingskillsforkids.com or https://amazon.com/copingskillsforkids

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Replay: Deep Breathing Strategies for Adults Jun 06, 2024

Have you ever felt like you’re in fight, flight and freeze mode? Does the situation you’re facing feel really intense and you need to take a moment to pause? Whether high stress situations or whether you’re doing a presentation, deep breathing strategies can help you get to the ‘rest and digest’ space.

In this episode Janine looks at deep breathing strategies and she discusses:

What fight, flight and freeze mode is

Getting to a place of ‘rest and digest’.

Taking deep breaths and using your hands to help slow your breathing down.

The difference 1 minute of doing an exercise can be

Using deep breathing in a small or large group to bring in focus

Breathing with numbers - 4, 7, 8 breathing

How to check your energy

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children, adolescents, and their families for over 20 years. She is the Founder of 'Coping Skills for Kids', where she creates products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. Janine also founded 'Encourage Play’ which dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play!

If you're interested in learning more about how to teach kids coping skills, download your free Coping Skills Toolkit:

https://copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter

If you're interested in joining the Coping Skills Community Hub, an ever-expanding resource library and community of families and professionals teaching kids how to cope, learn more at https://copingskillsforkids.com/hub

If you'd like to purchase Janine's products, including the Coping Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Skills for Teens Workbook, Social Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Cue Cards, and more, visit https://store.copingskillsforkids.com or https://amazon.com/copingskillsforkids

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Three Playful Ways to Explore Feelings with Kids May 23, 2024

What does happy feel like? What about being nervous? Sad or excited? Learning to identify feelings is so important for kids - when kids can label their feelings, it’s easier for them to self-regulate. One of the best ways to learn is through play, and you can work on feelings identification in fun and playful ways.

In this episode Janine discusses:

The importance of labeling our feelings

How learning about feeling can be fun

How to play games with your child to figure out what they are feeling

Three games she likes to play:

Feeling memory - a game with emoji’s

How would you feel?

Feelings jenga

How to tap into playfulness on the Coping Skills Hub

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children, adolescents, and their families for over 20 years. She is the Founder of 'Coping Skills for Kids', where she creates products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. Janine also founded 'Encourage Play’ which dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play!

If you're interested in learning more about how to teach kids coping skills, download your free Coping Skills Toolkit:

https://copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter

If you're interested in joining the Coping Skills Community Hub, an ever-expanding resource library and community of families and professionals teaching kids how to cope, learn more at https://copingskillsforkids.com/hub

If you'd like to purchase Janine's products, including the Coping Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Skills for Teens Workbook, Social Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Cue Cards, and more, visit https://store.copingskillsforkids.com or https://amazon.com/copingskillsforkids

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Practicing SEL through Play: An Interview with Yara Habanbou from Sea of Knowledge May 09, 2024

How do we teach our children social and emotional awareness in a fun and play filled way? Eventually our children will become adults so when they walk out into the world, we want them to step into their lives as aware and in control of their emotions as possible.

In this episode we discuss:

The resources Yara has put together to support social and emotional learning

The importance of playing and therefore learning how to self regulate

Crafts which help engage children in social awareness

How kids cope with anger and the tools to help them while learning this emotion

Different discipline options during transitional points

How to manage your own emotions as a parent

Communication points in your child's day so you can check in

How Yara relaxes

About The Guest - Yara Habanbou

Yara Habanbou has experience in the field of education, and is deeply passionate about nurturing social-emotional skills in children, helping them grow not only as students but as kind, compassionate, and resilient individuals. She is the creator of seaofknowledge.org, where she shares tons of printables, ideas and activities to nurture kids' social skills as well as their academic skills.

Website www.seaofknowledge.org

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCarolineM

Instagram @seaofknowledgeyara

—

Resources mentioned in the podcast episode:

Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul by Stuart Brown and Christopher Vaughan

The Power of Play - learning what comes naturally by David Elkind

Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life

Play=Learning: How Play Motivates and Enhances Children’s Cognitive and Social-Emotional Growth Edited by Dorothy G. Singer, Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, and Kathy Hirsh-Pasek

Calm and Connected Ep 154: Ways to Connect with Kids and Teens

https://www.janinehalloran.com/podcast/calm-and-connected-episode-154

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children, adolescents, and their families for over 20 years. She is the Founder of 'Coping Skills for Kids', where she creates products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. Janine also founded 'Encourage Play’ which dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play!

If you're interested in learning more about how to teach kids coping skills, download your free Coping Skills Toolkit:

https://copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter

If you're interested in joining the Coping Skills Community Hub, an ever-expanding resource library and community of families and professionals teaching kids how to cope, learn more at https://copingskillsforkids.com/hub

If you'd like to purchase Janine's products, including the Coping Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Skills for Teens Workbook, Social Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Cue Cards, and more, visit https://store.copingskillsforkids.com or https://amazon.com/copingskillsforkids

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Ways to Connect with Kids and Teens Apr 25, 2024

Building a strong connection with our children is really important and taking the time to invest in our relationships with them at each stage of childhood and into the teenage years. Today Janine considers the opportunities we create for them to share what they like and what you enjoy also in day to day life. How can we connect with our kids well so that when they face challenges or difficulties they feel like they can come speak with you, the parent?

In this episode we discuss strategies for connecting well including:

Word Games you can play together like ‘Would You Rather?’

Playing board games together

Playing video games together

Cooking and baking together

Arts and crafts

An activity jar

Geocaching

Connecting through reading the same books your child reads/shows they watch

Asking for youtube creator recommendations

Sharing music together

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children, adolescents, and their families for over 20 years. She is the Founder of 'Coping Skills for Kids', where she creates products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. Janine also founded 'Encourage Play’ which dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play!

If you're interested in learning more about how to teach kids coping skills, download your free Coping Skills Toolkit:

https://copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter

If you're interested in joining the Coping Skills Community Hub, an ever-expanding resource library and community of families and professionals teaching kids how to cope, learn more at https://copingskillsforkids.com/hub

If you'd like to purchase Janine's products, including the Coping Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Skills for Teens Workbook, Social Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Cue Cards, and more, visit https://store.copingskillsforkids.com or https://amazon.com/copingskillsforkids

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Helping Kids with Social Skills and Friendships: An interview with Caroline Maguire Apr 11, 2024

Have you noticed social skills missing in your kids? Caroline Maguire, author of Why Will No One Play With Me?, joins me to discuss how to support your child and build them up through play.

Here’s some of the areas we cover:

The importance of play

How to play with your kids in a role play situation

The power of storytelling to explain social situations

Debriefing with your kids and working on your bond together

Finding the organic moments to talk to your kids

Supporting them through childhood playdates to teenage hangouts

Figuring out their baseline and strengths

Using their interests to encourage and build them up

This is a clip from a live webinar.

If you’d like to hear the whole interview,

please join the Hub!

About The Guest - Caroline maguire

Caroline Maguire, is the founder of a revolutionary social emotional learning methodology that helps teach social skills to children, teenagers, and young adults. She holds a holds a Masters in Education degree with a concentration in SEL training and is the founder and director of The Fundamentals of ADHD Coaching for Families training curriculum at ADD Coach Academy (ADDCA). She is a former coach for the Hallowell Center in Sudbury, Massachusetts. She is the author of Why Will No One Play With Me?, the winner of the Best Parenting and Family Book 2020 as awarded by American Book Fest and co-collaborator on newly released HowToSel.com – a daily social emotional learning platform anyone can incorporate into daily life.

Why Will No One Play With Me? The Play Better Plan To Help Children of All Ages Makes Friends and Thrive by Caroline Maguire, PCC, M.Ed.

www.carolinemaguireauthor.com

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCarolineM

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/authorcarolinecm/

Twitter https://twitter.com/AuthorCarolineM

Pinterest https://www.instagram.com/authorcarolinecm/

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/authorcarolinecm/

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children, adolescents, and their families for over 20 years. She is the Founder of 'Coping Skills for Kids', where she creates products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. Janine also founded 'Encourage Play’ which dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play!

If you're interested in learning more about how to teach kids coping skills, download your free Coping Skills Toolkit:

https://copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter

If you're interested in joining the Coping Skills Community Hub, an ever-expanding resource library and community of families and professionals teaching kids how to cope, learn more at https://copingskillsforkids.com/hub

If you'd like to purchase Janine's products, including the Coping Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Skills for Teens Workbook, Social Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Cue Cards, and more, visit https://store.copingskillsforkids.com or https://amazon.com/copingskillsforkids

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Coping Skills for Teens Who Are Angry Mar 28, 2024

Has your child hit their teenage years and puberty has started? Have you noticed their emotions are changing? What about their most extreme emotions? Do you find that your teenager can feel really angry at times?

In today’s episode, Janine unpacks some strategies to help you as parents support your teenager and how to develop that connection between yourself as the parent and them.

Here’s what Janine discusses in today’s episode:

Connection being key and your teen feeling heard

How to notice emotions in their body

Breathing exercises

Making paper airplanes

Squeezing dough or slime

Cool compress on your neck

Drinking cold water to regulate body temperature

Talking through what you can and can’t control

Channeling energy into positive action

Making a plan for your child

Resources Mentioned in the Podcast

Coping Skills Community Hub

https://copingskillsforkids.com/hub

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children, adolescents, and their families for over 20 years. She is the Founder of 'Coping Skills for Kids', where she creates products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. Janine also founded 'Encourage Play’ which dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play!

If you're interested in learning more about how to teach kids coping skills, download your free Coping Skills Toolkit:

https://copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter

If you're interested in joining the Coping Skills Community Hub, an ever-expanding resource library and community of families and professionals teaching kids how to cope, learn more at https://copingskillsforkids.com/hub

If you'd like to purchase Janine's products, including the Coping Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Skills for Teens Workbook, Social Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Cue Cards, and more, visit https://store.copingskillsforkids.com or https://amazon.com/copingskillsforkids

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Books to Help Kids with OCD: An Interview with Marin Canaday Mar 14, 2024

OCD can manifest itself in different ways with different obsessions and focus that are going on in your life. Children’s author, Marin Canaday describes OCD feeling like a monster devouring your emotions and feelings, where you could get to the point where you feel out of control and you begin to believe the lies the OCD obsessions tell you about yourself.

Marin joins me today in this episode and we discuss some of the following areas:

Marin discusses how the idea for her book, My Little Monster came about

Doubting yourself and OCD

Contamination and germs and OCD

Religion and OCD

Harm and OCD

Hiding symptoms and coping strategies

Getting diagnosed

How Marin likes to rest and relax

About The Guest - Marin Canaday

Marin grew up with OCD from an early age, although she was not sure what it was that she struggled with until her 30's. A lot of her struggle was internal. As a child, she found that studying and sports helped take my mind off of the OCD thought patterns. When she studied or played a sport, she felt like she had a brain break, so she threw herself into both with vigor. Her study habits paid off, and Marin graduated in the top of her classes in both high school and college. She also went on to play collegiate volleyball, earning All American honors in her senior year.

Her struggle with OCD really became more evident externally when she reached adulthood. Without studying or sports to hide in any longer, she came face to face with her anxiety disorder. She couldn't eat, sleep, or function in day-to-day tasks. Marin’s struggles with her thoughts were all that she could fight all day and night. It was grueling.

Today, with therapy and medication to help, she is much healthier and confident. Marin writes in her free time to inspire others who may be struggling with anxiety as well. She is the the author of two books, My Little Monster and The Very Best Me. Her OCD still whispers to her and at times begins to shout. She finds relief in gardening, crafting, reading, and writing.

Website - www.mylittleocdmonster.com

Facebook - My Little OCD Monster https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090423289366

Resources mentioned:

Marin has two books, My Little Monster and The Very Best Me.

Dr. Dawn Huebner - https://www.dawnhuebnerphd.com/

Natasha Daniels - https://www.anxioustoddlers.com/

When a Family Member has OCD by John Hershfield, MFT.

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children, adolescents, and their families for over 20 years. She is the Founder of 'Coping Skills for Kids', where she creates products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. Janine also founded 'Encourage Play’ which dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play!

If you're interested in learning more about how to teach kids coping skills, download your free Coping Skills Toolkit:

https://copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter

If you're interested in joining the Coping Skills Community Hub, an ever-expanding resource library and community of families and professionals teaching kids how to cope, learn more at https://copingskillsforkids.com/hub

If you'd like to purchase Janine's products, including the Coping Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Skills for Teens Workbook, Social Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Cue Cards, and more, visit https://store.copingskillsforkids.com or https://amazon.com/copingskillsforkids

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Seven Coping Skills to Use at an Elementary School Feb 29, 2024

A child at Elementary School will be learning and figuring out what emotions are and what’s going on in their bodies when their ‘big feelings’ appear. They’ll be learning to put names to their emotions and trying figuring out why they’re feeling what they are.

In the moments when they feel upset, overwhelmed and unable to put words to their emotions, there are some straightforward strategies we can have in our toolkit ready to use and support this age group with.

Here are some some of the strategies discussed in todays episode:

Deep breathing strategies like the ‘Cooling the Cocoa’ strategy

Imagining your favorite place

Helpful distractions like games like ‘Would you rather?’

Go for a walk to a water fountain to hydrate, get the body moving and helping to transition back to the classroom

Calming Jars with glitter and glue

Feelings Thermometers

Take 5 to Calm Down

Resources Mentioned in the Podcast

Coping Skills Community Hub

https://copingskillsforkids.com/hub

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children, adolescents, and their families for over 20 years. She is the Founder of 'Coping Skills for Kids', where she creates products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. Janine also founded 'Encourage Play’ which dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play!

If you're interested in learning more about how to teach kids coping skills, download your free Coping Skills Toolkit:

https://copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter

If you're interested in joining the Coping Skills Community Hub, an ever-expanding resource library and community of families and professionals teaching kids how to cope, learn more at https://copingskillsforkids.com/hub

If you'd like to purchase Janine's products, including the Coping Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Skills for Teens Workbook, Social Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Cue Cards, and more, visit https://store.copingskillsforkids.com or https://amazon.com/copingskillsforkids

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

A Conversation about School Readiness with Caroline Allen from Turning Little Stones Feb 15, 2024

The transition to preschool to elementary school can be such an anxious time for both parents and for the children.There’s a lot of unknowns to get them ready for and sometimes we think there’s lots we have to do to prepare them for starting. Today we discuss what you can do to help reduce anxiety for your little one with nursery practitioner, Caroline Allen.

In this episode they discuss:

Getting your child ready for school

How difficult transition can be for parents as well as children

What comments from family may or may not be helpful

‘Transistionitis’ - a phrase Caroline has come up with to describe the time before starting school

Tips on how to speak about going to school and what may be at a school setting

Does it matter if my child doesn’t write or read before they start school?

How your child can learn and being lead by a child's interest

Delving a Little Deeper

How Caroline rests and relaxes

About The Guest - Caroline Allen

Caroline Allen has run childcare settings in the UK, trained internationally and supported practitioners and carers for over 25 years. She understands how important it is to relate well with our young children, yet this is not easy, and few have the time to read or study. Caroline now hosts Turning Little Stones podcasts, which are for anyone (professionals and family carers) with young children in their lives. In each episode, snippets of sound childcare theory become accessible and relatable, helping us all to better support our children and delight in being part of their journey.

Website - www.turninglittlestones.co.uk

Resources mentioned: Delving a Little Deeper' (accessed from the website), which is for those wanting a little more theory.

Instagram - @turninglittlestones

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children, adolescents, and their families for over 20 years. She is the Founder of 'Coping Skills for Kids', where she creates products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. Janine also founded 'Encourage Play’ which dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play!

If you're interested in learning more about how to teach kids coping skills, download your free Coping Skills Toolkit:

https://copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter

If you're interested in joining the Coping Skills Community Hub, an ever-expanding resource library and community of families and professionals teaching kids how to cope, learn more at https://copingskillsforkids.com/hub

If you'd like to purchase Janine's products, including the Coping Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Skills for Teens Workbook, Social Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Cue Cards, and more, visit https://store.copingskillsforkids.com or https://amazon.com/copingskillsforkids

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Create a Coping Skills Toolkit to Use On The Go! Feb 01, 2024

It’s wonderful having a home set up where you have a reset or safe space where your kids can use strategies and process their emotions. But what happens when we go out? Having coping strategies ready is just as important. Whether that’s at school, traveling, out with friends, before a medical appointment or at parties knowing what you can do outside of the comfort of your own home is really helpful.

The topics we cover in this episode are:

Thinking about what situations could be tricky

How to create a plan for when you’re out

Items which are helpful to have in your ‘on the go’ bag. Including

Pens and pencils

Notebooks and coloring books

Music

Fidgets

Visual reminders of coping skills, like word games, breathing strategies, etc.

How to review your ‘On the Go’ plan for your family

Resources Mentioned in the Podcast

Coping Skills Community Hub

https://copingskillsforkids.com/hub

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children, adolescents, and their families for over 20 years. She is the Founder of 'Coping Skills for Kids', where she creates products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. Janine also founded 'Encourage Play’ which dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play!

If you're interested in learning more about how to teach kids coping skills, download your free Coping Skills Toolkit:

https://copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter

If you're interested in joining the Coping Skills Community Hub, an ever-expanding resource library and community of families and professionals teaching kids how to cope, learn more at https://copingskillsforkids.com/hub

If you'd like to purchase Janine's products, including the Coping Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Skills for Teens Workbook, Social Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Cue Cards, and more, visit https://store.copingskillsforkids.com or https://amazon.com/copingskillsforkids

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Getting Back on Track with Dr. Rebecca Jackson Jan 18, 2024

When you’re expecting a baby or experiencing the first year of their life, there are books which tell you all the key development growth points to be looking out for and what comes next. We don’t talk about these as well as we could as our children go through childhood and adolescents. What emotions should they be feeling at what point? Is this behavior or outburst normal?

As they grow and develop, one of the questions that gets asked is, “What does a healthy brain look like?” Our brain reacts to different pathways and it can affect our mood and responses. If we can understand the brain we can understand why we teach our children different skills and functions at key life stages and certain ages. Rebecca shares how if we can understand the brain then we can understand how to support our children’s next steps and if needed support getting them back on track.

The topics we cover in this episode are:

What Brain Balance is and how to strengthen the brain and pathways

How development impacts our brain pathways

Why Rebecca wrote Back on Track

The impact of the pandemic on development

Why having an action plan to help children is important

What developmental markers look like in childhood and as your child heads towards adolescence

Sensory development in children and how the senses affects our decision

The effects of tiredness on the brain

The practice of pausing

The Snow Angel Exercise

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

About The Guest - Dr Rebecca Jackson

Dr. Rebecca Jackson, Chief Programs Officer at Brain Balance, is a celebrated expert in brain health and optimization. In her role at Brain Balance she drives programmatic enhancements and creates new programs to meet the growing demands of people wanting to achieve more for themselves and their children. As the author of her new book, "Back on Track," Dr. Jackson is a media fixture, featured in respected outlets like Mayo Clinic Press, Forbes, Psych Central, and Business Insider. She's also been a guest on national and local shows, including The Doctor’s Show and NBC’s Nightly News.

Website - https://www.brainbalancecenters.com/

https://drrebeccajackson.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/drrebeccajackson/

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children, adolescents, and their families for over 20 years. She is the Founder of 'Coping Skills for Kids', where she creates products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. Janine also founded 'Encourage Play’ which dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play!

If you're interested in learning more about how to teach kids coping skills, download your free Coping Skills Toolkit:

https://copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter

If you're interested in joining the Coping Skills Community Hub, an ever-expanding resource library and community of families and professionals teaching kids how to cope, learn more at https://copingskillsforkids.com/hub

If you'd like to purchase Janine's products, including the Coping Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Skills for Teens Workbook, Social Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Cue Cards, and more, visit https://store.copingskillsforkids.com or https://amazon.com/copingskillsforkids

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Mini Moments of Self-Care for Adults Jan 04, 2024

Today’s question is, what can you do in 5 minutes or less that will make you feel happier, healthier or stronger? There are many moments in life when the day to day can feel stressful. Anyone can feel this. Whether you’re a working professional or a parent at home with kids in any stage of life. You may hit those moments and ask how can I take a moment for myself in the midst of the situation you face to give yourself some self care and revitalize yourself in those moments. Today’s episode covers some quick self care strategies to use during the day. These can make a difference to your day to empower and reset your mind as you go about your day.

The topics we cover in this episode are:

What a Power Up is and the benefits of it

Moments of self care we can do as adults

Breathing techniques

Mindful moments around you in the environment you find yourself in

The value of hydration

Short exercise

Doorway affirmations

Imagining your favorite place

Reading your favorite poem or quote

Spending time with animals

Stacking coping skills

How these strategies can be used by children too

Resources mentioned in the podcast:

Superbetter: The Power of Living Gamefully by Jane McGonigal

Jon Cunha’s interview on the Calm and Connected Podcast: https://www.janinehalloran.com/podcast/calm-and-connected-episode-88

Coping Skills Community Hub

https://copingskillsforkids.com/hub

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children, adolescents, and their families for over 20 years. She is the Founder of 'Coping Skills for Kids', where she creates products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. Janine also founded 'Encourage Play’ which dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play!

If you're interested in learning more about how to teach kids coping skills, download your free Coping Skills Toolkit:

https://copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter

If you're interested in joining the Coping Skills Community Hub, an ever-expanding resource library and community of families and professionals teaching kids how to cope, learn more at https://copingskillsforkids.com/hub

If you'd like to purchase Janine's products, including the Coping Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Skills for Teens Workbook, Social Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Cue Cards, and more, visit https://store.copingskillsforkids.com or https://amazon.com/copingskillsforkids

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Sensational Sensory Strategies with Dr. Varleisha Dec 21, 2023

Have you ever considered the neuroscience behind how we self-regulate our emotions? How do these two work together? Some children may respond in fight or flight mode in some situations. But how does your child’s body and emotions respond and why in these specific moments? What pathways are connecting in your child’s brain to cause certain reactions? Knowing your child and techniques to keep them calm can help moments like this - it’s more than just a behavior, but thinking about the child as a whole.

The topics we cover in this episode are:

An introduction to Dr. Varleisha and the work she does

The beauty of having a multidisciplinary team and how to support the kids in your lives

How does our brains work and what hormones are released

Techniques for self regulation

The power of sound and movement and self regulation

Using temperature for self regulation

Finding evidence based practice rather than what social media tells us

How Dr. Varleisha rests and relaxes

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

About The Guest -

Varleisha D. (Gibbs) Lyons PhD, OTD, OTR/L, ASDCS has been an occupational therapist for over 20 years. Dr. Lyons founded and operated a private therapy firm for over 10 years. She developed and founded Delaware’s first occupational therapy program and became the first Black Indigenous American woman to serve as the Scientific Programs Officer at the American Occupational Therapy Foundation. Currently, she is the Vice President of Diversity Equity Inclusion Justice Access and Belonging and formerly the Vice President of Practice Engagement and Capacity Building at the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). Varleisha continues to lecture internationally and has authored four books, one of which is a bestseller. She has dedicated her time to mentoring underrepresented individuals and desires to help shift others toward growth and healing despite traumatic experiences or diagnoses. Her research spans various disciplines and professions with grant funding in the areas of community-based services and interprofessional education and care. Through such efforts she has guided several into the profession of occupational therapy and supported families across the nation through her volunteer efforts. Her areas of expertise include neuroanatomy, self-regulation strategies across the lifespan, health inequities, and trauma responsive approaches.

Website: http://wasutsanctuary.com/

Instagram Page: https://instagram.com/drvarleisha

X: https://x.com/drvarleisha

Other resources:

https://www.amazon.com/Books-Varleisha-Gibbs/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3AVarleisha+Gibbs ;

https://www.pesi.com/speaker/details/00259440 ;

https://www.medbridge.com/instructors/varleisha-gibbs-otd-otrl-pediatric-occupational-therapy-sensory-integration/

Other Calm and Connected Podcast episodes mentioned:

Sophie Garner

https://www.janinehalloran.com/podcast/calm-and-connected-episode-99

Ryan Judd:

https://www.janinehalloran.com/podcast/calm-and-connected-episode-116

Lynne Kenney

https://www.janinehalloran.com/podcast/calm-and-connected-episode-106

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children, adolescents, and their families for over 20 years. She is the Founder of 'Coping Skills for Kids', where she creates products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. Janine also founded 'Encourage Play’ which dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play!

If you're interested in learning more about how to teach kids coping skills, download your free Coping Skills Toolkit:

https://copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter

If you're interested in joining the Coping Skills Community Hub, an ever-expanding resource library and community of families and professionals teaching kids how to cope, learn more at https://copingskillsforkids.com/hub

If you'd like to purchase Janine's products, including the Coping Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Skills for Teens Workbook, Social Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Cue Cards, and more, visit https://store.copingskillsforkids.com or https://amazon.com/copingskillsforkids

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Understanding Your Highly Sensitive Child Dec 07, 2023

Have you noticed your child doesn’t enjoy being at birthday parties? Do they struggle hearing loud noises? Does your child appear to not like the seams in their socks? Or have they felt overwhelmed by crowds and are very observant? Some people may read this list and think you’re describing the symptoms of Autism. They could be right but did you know it could also be the symptoms of high sensitivity? Today I speak with Maureen and how they have navigated learning about high sensitivity in her family.

The topics we cover in this episode are:

An introduction to Maureen and her two sons

What it means to be highly sensitive

What high sensitivity is not

How it can be misdiagnosed as something else

How to determine if my child is highly sensitive

What support to put around your family

How Maureen rests and relaxes

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

About The Guest - Maureen

Maureen is an author, anxiety and high sensitivity advocate, and web designer. Her online journey began with a boy, a big challenge and a blog. Back in 2014, her 3-year-old son was diagnosed with Selective Mutism, a childhood anxiety disorder which took her whole family on a wild journey of learning so many things, including being introduced to the term high sensitivity and Dr. Aron’s book, the Highly Sensitive Child. Discovering this term was a game changer. It answered so many questions about her son’s behavior as well as her own. She discovered that not only was her son a highly sensitive child, but that she and her husband were also highly sensitive people. She started blogging about her family's journey and quickly realized she wasn't alone. Parents all over the world started following her and began asking questions like, Why does my son have trouble with loud noises? Why are birthday parties difficult for him? How come he can’t join in with a group of kids like other children can? Why is he so emotional? In 2017, she created thehighlysensitivechild.com to help other parents who were looking to better understand their children and in 2021 had her first traditionally published children's book released for highly sensitive kids- I Don't Like birthday Parties. She now continues to help parents raising highly sensitive children via her Facebook group, as well as her membership community.

Website- https://www.thehighlysensitivechild.com/

Parents of Highly Sensitive Children Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/140237519964291

Parenting Highly Sensitive Children FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091859734934

X: https://twitter.com/sensitivekids1

Other resources: https://www.thehighlysensitivechild.com/

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children, adolescents, and their families for over 20 years. She is the Founder of 'Coping Skills for Kids', where she creates products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. Janine also founded 'Encourage Play’ which dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play!

If you're interested in learning more about how to teach kids coping skills, download your free Coping Skills Toolkit:

https://copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter

If you're interested in joining the Coping Skills Community Hub, an ever-expanding resource library and community of families and professionals teaching kids how to cope, learn more at https://copingskillsforkids.com/hub

If you'd like to purchase Janine's products, including the Coping Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Skills for Teens Workbook, Social Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Cue Cards, and more, visit https://store.copingskillsforkids.com or https://amazon.com/copingskillsforkids

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Eight Fidgets for the Classroom Nov 23, 2023

We all know those kids who can’t quite get settled in the classroom. They may have a hard time sitting down to get their homework done. They may be zoning off in the middle of a lesson in school. Or they may look like they are paying attention, but their mind is constantly wandering off. These kids might benefit from a fidget!

Today's solo episode of the Calm and Connected podcast is all about fidgets, and in particular, the ones I think are great for the classroom.

The topics I cover in this episode are:

How I use Fidgets

Fidgets are tools, not toys

The different types of Fidgets

How you can make cost-effective Fidgets from a pool noodle

Using Velcro and fabrics as tactile tools

Fidgets which are available buy

My own Fidget

Mentioned in podcast:

Calm and Connected Podcast about Coping Skills Toolkit at Dollar Tree

https://www.janinehalloran.com/podcast/calm-and-connected-episode-127

Coping Skills Quiet Fidget

https://copingskillsforkids.com/fidgets

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children, adolescents, and their families for over 20 years. She is the Founder of 'Coping Skills for Kids', where she creates products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. Janine also founded 'Encourage Play’ which dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play!

If you're interested in learning more about how to teach kids coping skills, download your free Coping Skills Toolkit:

https://copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter

If you're interested in joining the Coping Skills Community Hub, an ever-expanding resource library and community of families and professionals teaching kids how to cope, learn more at https://copingskillsforkids.com/hub

If you'd like to purchase Janine's products, including the Coping Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Skills for Teens Workbook, Social Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Cue Cards, and more, visit https://store.copingskillsforkids.com or https://amazon.com/copingskillsforkids

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

The Many Roles of a School Counselor: An Interview with Rachel Davis of Bright Futures Counseling Nov 09, 2023

Every school should have a school counselor and there are so many reasons why a school counselor may work with any student at any stage of their educational career. But what do they do? From individual 1-1 support to whole class workshops, a school counselor is there to see students thrive and support them with strategies so they can love and enjoy learning. They give the tools the student needs for the challenge in front of them at that moment. Today I speak to school counselor, Rachel Davis. The topics we cover in this episode are:

The work Rachel does

The role of a school counselor and how they support the students

Feelings and emotional regulation

How a counselor works out which student to support for the year

Keeping the lines of communication open between the counselor and parents

Organizational tips for counselors

Impact, a school’s counseling membership service which Rachel runs

How Rachel rests and relaxes

About The Guest - Rachel Davis

Rachel has nearly a decade of experience working as a school counselor at public, private, and charter schools in Southern California and most recently was the K-12 school counselor at an International School in Costa Rica! Currently, she is the counselor and curriculum designer behind Bright Futures Counseling with a top-rated school counseling podcast, School Counseling Simplified, and an engaged online community. She writes a blog for school counselors and is passionate about helping school counselors increase their impact and advocate for their role. She resides in Costa Rica, and when she's not working on her business you can find her at the beach playing with her family!

Website - https://brightfutures-counseling.com/

IG - https://www.instagram.com/brightfuturescounseling/

Other Resources discussed:

Rachel has a membership for school counselors. https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/impact

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children, adolescents, and their families for over 20 years. She is the Founder of 'Coping Skills for Kids', where she creates products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. Janine also founded 'Encourage Play’ which dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play!

If you're interested in learning more about how to teach kids coping skills, download your free Coping Skills Toolkit:

https://copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter

If you're interested in joining the Coping Skills Community Hub, an ever-expanding resource library and community of families and professionals teaching kids how to cope, learn more at https://copingskillsforkids.com/hub

If you'd like to purchase Janine's products, including the Coping Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Skills for Teens Workbook, Social Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Cue Cards, and more, visit https://store.copingskillsforkids.com or https://amazon.com/copingskillsforkids

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Bullying in Middle School Through the Lens of a Middle School Diary and Memoir Oct 26, 2023

Firstly I want to pre-warn you that my guest Meghan Joyce Tozer and I discuss some tough topics during this episode. Today’s podcast talks about sexual abuse and suicide. We encourage you to keep this in mind when listening to this podcast. Please be aware, especially if younger ears are listening, and please click play with care.

CALM AND CONNECTED - EPISODE 141

Sexual assault and harassment, sadly happens in schools on a too regular basis, whether that’s happening peer to peer or even between teacher to student. We hope our children never have to experience this. Knowing how to parent our children to take ownership of their bodies, so they know how to say no is key. We discuss how to navigate through abuse, bullying, harassment so they can get help is just as vital.

In this episode, I speak with Meghan Joyce Tozer, author of the critically acclaimed novel Night, Forgotten and her annotated middle school diary, UnSlut: A Diary and a Memoir, which she wrote under the pen name Emily Lindin.

The topics we cover are:

How Meghan came to work in this area

The catalyst for sharing her experience

The abuse and eventual suicide of Rehtaeh Parsons and Audrey Pott

Cyber bullying; how technology means bullying is beyond the school gate

The work of the non-profit organization called Stop Sexual Assault in Schools

Preventative measures schools can put in place including Sash Clubs

What parents can do to support their child at home

How Meghan rests and relaxes

About The Guest - Meghan Joyce Tozer

Meghan Joyce Tozer is an advocate for young sexual assault survivors and the author of the critically acclaimed novel NIGHT, FORGOTTEN (2022). She holds a B.A. from Harvard jointly in Music and in English and American Literature and Language, as well as a M.M. in voice performance and a Ph.D. in music history from the University of California Santa Barbara. Much of Meghan’s public writing has appeared under the pen name Emily Lindin, including her annotated middle school diary, UnSlut: A Diary and a Memoir (2015). As the founder of The UnSlut Project, she’s advocated for survivors of sexual assault and abuse on platforms such as ABC with Katie Couric, CNN, The Doctors, Al Jazeera America, and NPR. She’s led workshops in bullying prevention and media literacy at dozens of high schools and universities around North America. She was the 2017 recipient of the Community Leadership Award from Child Abuse Prevention Services. Meghan is also the director and narrator of the award-winning UNSLUT: A DOCUMENTARY FILM.

Website - www.meghanjoycetozer.com

IG: www.instagram.com/meghanjoycetozer

Meghan is on the board of the national nonprofit Stop Sexual Assault in Schools, which provides free toolkits about campus prevention, Title IX rights, bullying, and all kinds of related topics. Her critically acclaimed novel NIGHT, FORGOTTEN is available wherever books are sold.

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children, adolescents, and their families for over 20 years. She is the Founder of 'Coping Skills for Kids', where she creates products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. Janine also founded 'Encourage Play’ which dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play!

If you're interested in learning more about how to teach kids coping skills, download your free Coping Skills Toolkit:

https://copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter

If you're interested in joining the Coping Skills Community Hub, an ever-expanding resource library and community of families and professionals teaching kids how to cope, learn more at https://copingskillsforkids.com/hub

If you'd like to purchase Janine's products, including the Coping Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Skills for Teens Workbook, Social Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Cue Cards, and more, visit https://store.copingskillsforkids.com or https://amazon.com/copingskillsforkids

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

How to Talk To Kids About Anything: An Interview with Dr. Robyn Silverman Oct 12, 2023

Firstly I want to pre-warn you that we discuss some tough topics during this episode, like sex and consent, talking with your kids about death, and bullying. Please be aware, especially if younger ears are listening. Please click play with care.

All parents will face that moment when they have to have some of life’s hard conversations and speaking with your child to prepare them for what comes in life is key. We don’t really know when the right time is but in life we have to put the building blocks in place relationally with our children so that when that time comes, we can have proactive, sensitive and good conversations.

Take a listen to this episode where I speak to Dr Robyn Silverman about how to talk to your kids about anything.

The topics we cover are:

Dr Robyn discusses her book

The biggest mistakes parents make when discussing big topics

How to keep the conversation going once you’ve started

When is the right time to talk to kids about sex and consent

How to talk to kids about the mistakes and failures you make

Ways to fess up and repair your relationship with each other

How do you start talking with your kids on these big topics

How kids realize they can help and teach you too

Books which can be helpful tools

Navigating your child's friendships and bullying

How Dr Robyn rests and relaxes

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

About the Guest: - Dr Robyn Silverman

Known as the "Conversation Doc," Dr. Robyn Silverman is a child and teen development specialist and author of the [forthcoming] book, How to Talk to Kids About Anything, as well as the host of the popular podcast of the same name. She is a cofounder of the Powerful Words Character System, which gives educators the talking points they need to help children become kind, responsible citizens of the world. Dr. Robyn has appeared on The Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS Early Show and Nightline and has been quoted in the New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, CNN.com, and many other publications. She lives with her husband, two kids and fuzzy rescue dog who loves sunning himself on their front steps, even in the summer heat of North Carolina. Find out all about the book at DrRobynSilverman.com.

Website - https://parenting.drrobynsilverman.com/

Facebook: @DrRobynSilverman

X: @DrRobyn

IG: @DrRobynSilverman

Dr Robyn Silverman’s new book launches on October 10th! How to Talk to Kids about Anything. https://www.amazon.com/Talk-Kids-about-Anything-Conversations/dp/1728246989

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children, adolescents, and their families for over 20 years. She is the Founder of 'Coping Skills for Kids', where she creates products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. Janine also founded 'Encourage Play’ which dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play!

If you're interested in learning more about how to teach kids coping skills, download your free Coping Skills Toolkit:

https://copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter

If you're interested in joining the Coping Skills Community Hub, an ever-expanding resource library and community of families and professionals teaching kids how to cope, learn more at https://copingskillsforkids.com/hub

If you'd like to purchase Janine's products, including the Coping Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Skills for Teens Workbook, Social Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Cue Cards, and more, visit https://store.copingskillsforkids.com or https://amazon.com/copingskillsforkids

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Your Turn: How to Be an Adult - An Interview with Julie Lythcott-Haims Sep 28, 2023

Do you ever sit and think about how you actually became an adult? Think of all the skills you have from tying your shoelaces to presenting a report at work. How did we learn these skills? … with lots and lots of practice! And for us to practice, our parents or caregivers have to ease the control a little to allow us to make mistakes. Imagine if your parents still followed you around all day waiting to tie your shoelaces or stand up in front of your colleagues to make that presentation themselves, life wouldn’t be very fulfilling would it! Take a listen to this episode where I speak to Julie Lythcott-Haims about how parenting is about letting go of control.

The topics we cover in this episode are:

Julie discusses her book ‘Your Turn’

Outdated definitions of adulting

What “taking care of business” means with the 3 B’s; Body, belongings, bills

What it means to be an adult

The negative side of standing under the monkey bars, waiting to catch your child

How can parents best support their children going into young adulthood?

Using everyday activities as a way to practice being an adult

Why ‘Don’t talk to strangers’ is bad advice for children

Modeling behavior to show your kids you don’t have everything figured out either

How Julie rests and relaxes

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

About the Guest - Julie Lythcott-Haims

Julie Lythcott-Haims believes in humans and is deeply interested in what gets in our way. Her work encompasses writing, speaking, public service, and activism. She is a New York Times bestselling author of books on human development, a TED speaker, a former Stanford dean, and a lawyer, and she holds degrees from Stanford University (BA), Harvard Law (JD), and California College of the Arts (MFA). She serves on numerous nonprofit boards whose work focuses on equity, education, youth, wellness, and the arts. Julie lives in Palo Alto, California with her partner of over thirty years, their itinerant young adults, and her mother. She is a member of the Palo Alto City Council.

Website - https://www.julielythcotthaims.com/

Instagram - @jlythcotthaims

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens. ‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Sensory Based Strategies for Kids: An Interview with Claire Heffron from The Inspired Treehouse Sep 14, 2023

Does your child like to move and fidget a lot? Maybe lay upside down or spin around in circles? This isn’t just a random act of silliness or hyperactivity, they are likely gaining sensory input! In this episode, my guest Claire and I discuss proprioception, which is your body's ability to sense movement, action, and location. It's present in every muscle movement you have. Without proprioception, you wouldn't be able to move without thinking about your next step. We also discuss the vestibular system which functions to detect the position and movement of our head in space. This allows for the coordination of eye movements, posture, and equilibrium.

The topics we cover in this episode are;

Claire’s career background

Why it helps to work alongside different types of therapists

What differences therapists have noticed since COVID

Language skills and self regulation skills in children after covid

The challenges of moving from elementary to middle school

Our thoughts on teachers

Strategies that are helpful for children’s behavior and self regulation

The proprioception and vestibular systems

What is proprioceptive input?

Where is our vestibular system in our body? And how does it work?

How a weighted hall-pass can help you

What are Claire’s coping skills to find rest and peace?

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

About The Guest - Claire

Claire Heffron is a pediatric occupational therapist who has worked in school and community settings since 2005. She and Lauren Drobnjak (physical therapist) started The Inspired Treehouse in 2013 and have developed the business into one of the top online resources for pediatric therapists around the world. Claire and Lauren also opened a non-profit organization in Cleveland called The Treehouse, where they provide developmental playgroups for children of all ability levels.

Website - theinspiredtreehouse.com

Instagram - https://instagram.com/insptreehouse/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspired.treehouse/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Theinspiredtreehouse

Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/inspiredtreehou/

The Therapist Informed Classroom - self-paced, email-based course https://theinspiredtreehouse.com/the-therapist-informed-classroom

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens. ‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Seven tips to help kids use coping skills when they NEED them Aug 31, 2023

Let me ask you a question - if you had a magic wand and could fix one major problem or difficulty you have with teaching kids coping skills when they need them most, what would you change? I asked my email list this very question and got some interesting answers. This episode will give you 7 strategies to help kids use coping skills when they need them most.

The topics I cover in this episode are:

Practicing skills when your child is calm and the benefits

Create visual reminders like cue cards

Make a plan before anything happens or escalates

The importance of debriefing

Create a calm area or space

Have an ‘on-the-go’ calm down kit

Your mindset matters too - as the adult, parent or guardian

Your actions make such a difference, how important modeling is

How the Coping Skills for Kids Resource Library Community Hub can help you find coping skills

Visit The Resource Library Community Hub - https://copingskillsforkids.com/hub

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children, adolescents, and their families for over 20 years. She is the Founder of 'Coping Skills for Kids', where she creates products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. Janine also founded 'Encourage Play’ which dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play!

If you're interested in learning more about how to teach kids coping skills, download your free Coping Skills Toolkit:

https://copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter

If you're interested in joining the Coping Skills Community Hub, an ever-expanding resource library and community of families and professionals teaching kids how to cope, learn more at https://copingskillsforkids.com/hub

If you'd like to purchase Janine's products, including the Coping Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Skills for Teens Workbook, Social Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Cue Cards, and more, visit https://store.copingskillsforkids.com or https://amazon.com/copingskillsforkids

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Introduction to Zentangles: An Interview with Andrea Santogrosso Aug 17, 2023

When you are stressed, anxious or perhaps angry and need to calm down, what techniques do you use? There are so many out there, from yoga, meditation, exercise and mindfulness but today I will be speaking to my guest Andrea about one which you’ll love if you sit on the creative side of life. It’s a mix of art and mindfulness and it’s called ‘Zentangle’.

The topics we cover in this episode are;

What social anxiety actually is

How the pandemic affected children with social anxiety differently

How Andrea came to find mindful art

What is Zentanglement?

How Andrea’s website helps mental health and is backed up by science

Mindfulness and how it has grown in popularity over the years

What is the Zentangle method? What does it look like?

Don’t dismiss a tile by its final design - take it one step at a time

The benefits of Zentangle

Andrea’s introductory course on Zentangle

How Andrea likes to unwind

—

About The Guest - Andrea Santogrosso

Andrea Santogrosso has been an educator for 12 years, teaching Visual Arts and Special Education. She is also a Certified Zentangle Teacher and founder of the Children’s art blog, Lightly Sketched. Her mission is to provide an innovative outlet for children who may be experiencing mental health issues. She is passionate about helping kids deal with their emotions in creative ways, and drawing Zentangles is an exercise that she recommends they add to their coping toolkit. She has seen the transformative nature of creativity in the lives of so many of her students and witnessed it in her own life through her eldest daughter, who has anxiety. She currently lives in Toronto, Canada with her husband, 2 loving daughters, and their dog, Marshmallow.

Website - https://lightlysketched.com

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lightlysketched/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/lightlysketched

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmbb1JC5LX4sEwOkF2dXt3A

Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.ca/lightlysketched/_created/

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens. ‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Summer Book Series #3: The Highly Sensitive Child Aug 03, 2023

Today’s installment of my book series covers the book ‘The Highly Sensitive Child’ by Elaine N. Aron, Ph.D. I read this book over COVID and it totally changed the way I look at kids, how to spot what’s going on with them in order to help them. In this episode, I go over the 4 areas in which high sensitivity presents itself so you can better see if your child is highly sensitive.

The topics I cover in this episode are:

High sensitivity in children

The D.O.E.S acronym

The high sensitivity screening

Working through the book as a parent with high sensitivity

How the book works through different developmental stages

If you want to suggest a book to me, then you can do so here - https://www.instagram.com/copingskillsforkids/

Book recommendation: The Highly Sensitive Child: Helping our children thrive when the world overwhelms them by Elaine N. Aron, Ph.D.

https://hsperson.com/

The Highly Sensitive Child

https://www.thehighlysensitivechild.com/

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children, adolescents, and their families for over 20 years. She is the Founder of 'Coping Skills for Kids', where she creates products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. Janine also founded 'Encourage Play’ which dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play!

If you're interested in learning more about how to teach kids coping skills, download your free Coping Skills Toolkit:

https://copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter

If you're interested in joining the Coping Skills Community Hub, an ever-expanding resource library and community of families and professionals teaching kids how to cope, learn more at https://copingskillsforkids.com/hub

If you'd like to purchase Janine's products, including the Coping Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Skills for Teens Workbook, Social Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Cue Cards, and more, visit https://store.copingskillsforkids.com or https://amazon.com/copingskillsforkids

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Introduction to Montessori Philosophy: An Interview with Jeanne-Marie Paynel, M.Ed. Jul 20, 2023

Have you ever considered a different educational style for your children besides the conventional method? If so, perhaps you have heard of the Montessori method. It is based on self-directed activity, hands-on learning and collaborative play. In Montessori classrooms children make creative choices in their learning, while the classroom and the highly trained teacher offer age-appropriate activities to guide the process. In this episode, I spoke to Montessori Home Consultant, Jeanne-Marie Paynel about the benefits of this education style.

The topics we cover in this episode are;

Jeanne’s background

Co-working nursery spaces

Who is Doctor Montessori?

What we used to think of new born babies brains

How we see children and education now

The differences of a Montessori school and conventional education

Mixed age classes and the benefits

“Help me to do it by myself” the Montessori Moto

Why the Montessori method doesn’t use a crib

Getting your child to help with food prep

The red flags to look out for when finding a Montessori school

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

About The Guest - Jeanne-Marie Paynel

Jeanne-Marie Paynel, M.Ed, is a Parenting Mentor, Montessori Home Consultant, and Doula supporting parents to confidently raise the next generation of good-hearted humans. She’s the host of The Art of Parenting podcast and founder of Your Parenting Mentor where she guides expectant parents, caregivers, and parents of young children to better prepare their homes and themselves for their children to thrive during the first six crucial years of life. She believes that a supportive and peaceful home atmosphere will allow every child to flourish as an independent, confident and capable learner. She combines her many passions to serve her community: Montessori, RIE, Conscious Parenting, Positive Discipline, and Mindfulness. Her mission is to help parents appreciate the true importance of their role - not as servants or teachers, but as supporters and guides of their children's natural development.

Website - https://voilamontessori.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jeannemariepaynel/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/jeannemariepaynel.yourparentingmentor

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1J0xiJZgzhF2z6TQig3tiw

Calm and Connected Podcast episodes mentioned:

Ned Johnson

https://www.janinehalloran.com/podcast/calm-and-connected-episode-124

Nicole Schwarz

https://www.janinehalloran.com/podcast/calm-and-connected-episode-97

Sarah Moore

https://www.janinehalloran.com/podcast/calm-and-connected-episode-125

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens. ‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Five Books about Anger for Kids: Summer Book Series #2 Jul 06, 2023

This episode is the second installment of my book recommendation series. This week I want to focus on books dealing with anger since I have seen a lot of kids showing up to school with big emotions like anger lately. It is an emotion we have all felt many times, but we’re not always sure about how to deal with it so perhaps a bit of light reading can help!

The topics I cover in this episode are:

Don’t Rant and Rave on Wednesdays by Adolph Moser

Angry Octopus by Lori Lite and Max Stasuyk

Progressive relaxation techniques

Deep breathing techniques

When I Feel Angry by Cornelia Maude Spelman

Staying safe while having big emotions

How to Take The Grrrr Out of Anger by Elizabeth Verdick and Marjorie Lisovskis

Chillax!: How Ernie Learns to Chill Out, Relax and Take Charge of His Anger by Marcella Marino Craver

Other podcast episodes that will help with big emotions like anger

If you want to suggest a book to me, then you can do so here - https://www.instagram.com/copingskillsforkids/

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children, adolescents, and their families for over 20 years. She is the Founder of 'Coping Skills for Kids', where she creates products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. Janine also founded 'Encourage Play’ which dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play!

If you're interested in learning more about how to teach kids coping skills, download your free Coping Skills Toolkit:

https://copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter

If you're interested in joining the Coping Skills Community Hub, an ever-expanding resource library and community of families and professionals teaching kids how to cope, learn more at https://copingskillsforkids.com/hub

If you'd like to purchase Janine's products, including the Coping Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Skills for Teens Workbook, Social Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Cue Cards, and more, visit https://store.copingskillsforkids.com or https://amazon.com/copingskillsforkids

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Building Connections with Kids Through Play: An Interview with Kim Feeney Jun 22, 2023

When was the last time you had a dedicated playtime with your child? Life gets so busy so we can’t blame parents for not being able to squeeze this in-between school, dinnertime, sports or dance at the weekend but it is vital to a child’s development. Kim Feeney is the guest on this episode, she is a licensed independent social worker and a registered play therapist supervisor. I wanted to discuss playtime with her and how to build a connection with your child.

The topics we cover in this episode are:

Why play matters so much?

The benefits of having a dedicated playtime with your kids

How to set up a dedicated playtime with your kids

Validating your child during playtime

The four crucial C’s; Connection, Capable, Count, Courage

Modeling the courage to be imperfect

How can we build empathy with sibling relationships?

How Kim relaxes and recharges

About The Guest - Kim Feeney, LICSW

Kim Feeney is a licensed independent social worker and a registered play therapist supervisor in Davenport, IA. She has over ten years of experience helping children and families lead healthier emotional lives so that they can effectively cope with big emotions. Believing all behavior is purpose-driven, she works with parents and children to find alternative ways to meet social and behavioral needs.

Website - https://www.butterflybeginningscounseling.com

Instagram - www.instagram.com/butterflybegin

Facebook - www.facebook.com/butterflybeginningscounseling

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/coachingcaregivers/

6 Ways Parents Can Help Their Kids Cope With Big Emotions: www.butterflybeginningscounseling.com/coping

Parenting class- Being With https://www.butterflybeginningscounseling.com/beingwith/

Book- Emily's Emotional Empathy. https://fanatic4feelings.myshopify.com/products/copy-of-emilys-emotional-empathy-softcover

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens. ‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Two Highly Recommended Books: Summer Book Series #1 Jun 08, 2023

I have always been a reader ever since I was a child but sometimes life gets in the way and I have found I don’t make much time for it so I used a recent vacation to spark my love for pleasurable reading again. After posting about this on Instagram, I was really inspired by one of my comments; to make a list of books to read over the summer and start a podcast series about it!

The topics I cover in this episode are:

I start with 2 book recommendations, one for fun and one for work

Book 1 - The Book of Awesome by Neil Pascricha

A gratitude practice and seeing the beauty in the small stuff

Book 2 - Your Turn, How to be an Adult by Julie Lythcott-Haims

My favorite parts of this book, especially lessons learned when things don’t go to plan

If you want to suggest a book to me, then you can do so here - https://www.instagram.com/copingskillsforkids/

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children, adolescents, and their families for over 20 years. She is the Founder of 'Coping Skills for Kids', where she creates products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. Janine also founded 'Encourage Play’ which dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play!

If you're interested in learning more about how to teach kids coping skills, download your free Coping Skills Toolkit:

https://copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter

If you're interested in joining the Coping Skills Community Hub, an ever-expanding resource library and community of families and professionals teaching kids how to cope, learn more at https://copingskillsforkids.com/hub

If you'd like to purchase Janine's products, including the Coping Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Skills for Teens Workbook, Social Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Cue Cards, and more, visit https://store.copingskillsforkids.com or https://amazon.com/copingskillsforkids

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Raising a Mindful Generation: An Interview with Suzanne Tucker May 25, 2023

This week, Janine speaks to Suzanne Tucker a Parent Educator about the do’s, don’t’s, the should’s and shame that comes with parenting. Suzanne started Generation Mindful as she saw societal problems within herself and her own family, as well as in friends and family and she knew something needed to change. Listen into this episode to make yourself feel a whole lot better about living life as a parent!

The topics we cover in this episode are;

Suzanne’s background

Shame free parenting

The difficulties of using the word “should”

Name it, feel it, heal it

Doctor Stuart Brown and his research on play

Parent guilt and shame of not being perfect

Getting children to understand every emotion is okay

You can be complete and growing at the same time

What coping skills Suzanne uses for herself

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

About The Guest - Suzanne Tucker

Suzanne Tucker has been a physical therapist, Parent Educator, and Certified Educator of Infant Massage for more than 25 years. She's a mom of four and the founder of Generation Mindful, an international community bringing early emotional education and positive child rearing practices into the mainstream for young families and early childhood classrooms. Suzanne believes the most impactful thing we can do as a society to bring about a more peaceful and compassionate world is to evolve the way we discipline our children, replacing fear and shame with practices that nurture safety and connection.

Website - www.genmindful.com

Instagram - Instagram.com/GenerationMindful

Facebook - Facebook.com/GenMindful

Twitter -Twitter.com/Gen_Mindful

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens. ‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Two Hands-on Activities to Help Kids Practice Solving Problems May 11, 2023

Throughout your life growing up, have you ever come up against a problem you just couldn’t solve? We learn very valuable skills at school but we don’t learn every single skill needed for everyday life so in this episode, I teach you some hands-on ways to practice problem solving with your child.

The topics I cover in this episode are:

The 5 steps to problem solving

The benefits of learning and playing simultaneously

A newspaper and tape challenge - what is it?

The interesting side to different children groups doing the same exercise

My second strategy with play dough and toothpicks

Practicing smaller problems help with bigger problems in real life

Problem Solving Steps from Encourage Play

https://www.encourageplay.com/blog/a-simple-5-step-process-for-problem-solving

Creative Problem Solving Prompts - Calm and Connected Podcast 102

https://www.janinehalloran.com/podcast/calm-and-connected-episode-102

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens. ‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?
The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Helping Teens with Stress and Depression: An Interview with Elliot Kallen Apr 27, 2023

Firstly I want to pre-warn you that my guest Elliot Kallen and I discuss the topic of suicide. This might be an uncomfortable topic for you or perhaps younger ears are listening so please click play with care.

Sometimes life throws us the most difficult of situations which stop us in our tracks and make us believe it’s too difficult to carry on. This was the unfortunate case for Elliot Kallen’s son and in turn for Elliot himself. But the impressive resilience of human beings allowed Elliot to carry on past his heart ache in order to help other families in similar situations so they wouldn’t have to feel the pain he went through. The strength he possesses is nothing short of amazing so I encourage you to listen to Elliot’s story and how he can help you and your child through depression.

The topics we cover in this episode are;

Elliot tells the story of how his company ’A Brighter Day’ got started

How his business evolved to support more people through COVID

Elliot explains how his company has partnered with BetterHelp to offer free therapy to teenagers

How his company are looking at other organizations like AA to replicate the help but for depression

What signs should we be looking out for with depression in teenagers?

Parents can have great intentions but sometimes make bad decisions

Social media and how it affects your teenager

How a conversation over dinner can help

Opening up to your kids and being vulnerable

Tools and strategies that teenagers can use for stress and depression

Elliot’s own coping skills

About The Guest - Elliot Kallen

Elliot brings 25 years of leadership and management experience from the business sector to his role at A Brighter Day. He co-founded A Brighter Day in 2016 with his wife Tammy after the loss of their son Jake, to support young adults in their transition to adulthood and to help prevent teen suicide. Elliot formerly served as Board President of The Boys and Girls Club of the Diablo Valley, and remains actively involved today. He has helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for this organization, which is on the front lines in providing athletic, social and cultural programming to the children of Diablo Valley. Elliot is also active with The Fallen Heroes Charity.

Website - http://www.abrighterday.info/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/abrighterdaycharity/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/uniteforabrighterday/

Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCix1ywbqDiVW2VvKhMFMlw

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliotkallen/

Email - Elliot@abrighterday.info

Phone - If you need to call him (as a parent) - 510 206 1103

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens. ‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Making a Coping Skills Toolkit at Dollar Tree Apr 13, 2023

In this episode, I am talking about coping skills tool kits that you can make at the Dollar Tree. I have previous similar episodes based on different stores such as Five Below, Target, Michael’s and Oriental Trading and one more general episode right back when I started this podcast. I talk about different styles of coping skills like relaxation, distraction, movement, sensory and processing.

The topics I cover in this episode are;

How coloring books can be relaxing OR a distraction

Building bricks as a calm down kit

Playing Word finds

Playing Uno Go!

The different games and activities you can play with large dice

Fidgets and how they can help on a sensory level

Why journaling is one of my favorite tools for kids

Coping Skills Toolkit at Five Below

https://www.janinehalloran.com/podcast/calm-and-connected-episode-55

Coping Skills Toolkit at Target

https://www.janinehalloran.com/podcast/calm-and-connected-episode-41

Coping Skills Toolkit at Michael’s

https://www.janinehalloran.com/podcast/calm-and-connected-episode-44

Coping Skills Toolkit at Oriental Trading

https://www.janinehalloran.com/podcast/calm-and-connected-episode-49

How to Make a Coping Skills Toolkit

https://www.janinehalloran.com/podcast/calm-and-connected-episode-23

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens. ‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?
The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Using TV, Movies, and Books to Spark Conversations about Coping Skills Mar 30, 2023

Starting a conversation with a child about their own struggles and coping skills can be difficult. The best way around that in my opinion is to show through examples in books and TV. We all know how hard direct feedback and critique can be, yet if it is explained in a lighter way using someone else as an example, it can be much easier to digest and a perfect way to teach children.

The topics I cover in this episode are;

I give multiple examples of books you can use for really little children

Using characters in tv shows to work out what they can do when they have big emotions

What works for older children?

I will explain my new resource library called ‘The Coping Skills Hub’.

Make sure you check out my new resource library here - copingskillsforkids.com/hub

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens. ‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?
The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Peaceful Discipline: An Interview with Sarah Moore Mar 16, 2023

After an unbelievable routine check at the pediatrician’s office, Sarah’s life changed forever. The experience she talks about in this episode made her get serious about parenting and educating other parents about peaceful discipline. Yes, it is helpful to look at evidence based research on parenting but ultimately, you need to find out what works for you specifically. Listen to this episode to find out how…

The topics we cover in this episode are;

Sarah’s life-changing pediatrician story

Sarah’s book ‘Peaceful Discipline: Story Teaching, Brain Science, and Better Behavior.’

Evidence based research vs what works for you

Fear based practices and how it affects a child’s brain

Talk to kids when they’re little and have little problems… but why is that helpful?

How games can challenge in a playful way

Using stories to teach

How healing the world can start at home

How Sarah relaxes

About The Guest - Sarah Moore

A decade ago, an uninformed doctor advised Sarah R. Moore to "never pick up her baby when she cried" and to let him know when she was ready to "get serious about parenting." Sarah's gotten serious about parenting, alright, as evidenced by her new book, "Peaceful Discipline: Story Teaching, Brain Science, and Better Behavior." Now a certified Master Trainer of conscious parenting, she's as serious about parenting as it gets. In addition to being a parent, Sarah has coached hundreds of families around the world, using her training in child development, trauma recovery, interpersonal neurobiology, executive negotiation, classroom experience, and improv comedy. Her book is endorsed by the amazing Drs. Tina Payne Bryson (Whole-Brain Child and No-Drama Discipline), Mona Delahooke (Beyond Behaviors and Brain-Body Parenting), Michele Borba (Thrivers), Jessica Joelle Alexander (Danish Way of Parenting), Elizabeth Pantley (No-Cry Sleep Solution), Raffi (children’s troubadour and founder of The Raffi Foundation for Child Honouring), Andrew Newman (Conscious Stories), and others. Get your copy today.

Website - https://www.dandelion-seeds.com

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/dandelionseedspositiveliving/?hl=en

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/DandelionSeedsPositiveParenting/

Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/c/DandelionSeedsPositiveParenting/featured

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sarah_r_moore?lang=en

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DandelionSeeds5

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/dandelionseeds5/

Resources

Book: https://a.co/d/1yNmvx8

Mini-Courses: https://dandelion-seeds.com/courses/

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens. ‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

The Self-Driven Child: An Interview with Ned Johnson Mar 02, 2023

In this episode, Ned and I discuss the “parent as consultant” way of approaching raising children. It’s important to not solve all your kids' problems, they need to build those skills themselves to face issues in a constructive and thoughtful way.

We also discuss stress and how we all need to learn how to deal with it. As a parent, guardian or teacher, we all need to model self-care to manage our stress levels so our children can watch, learn and mimic that behavior.

The topics we cover in this episode are:

Why it’s important for kids to feel a sense of control

Being the parent and a consultant

How important play is

Why you should let young people solve their own problems

How to be that non-anxious presence in a Child's life

Remaining calm in stressful situations

Understanding that your kids want their lives to be great too

About The Guest - Ned Johnson

Ned Johnson is an author, speaker, and founder of PrepMatters, an educational company providing academic tutoring, educational planning, and standardized test preparation. A professional “tutor-geek” since 1993 and battle-tested veteran of test prep, stress regulation and student performance, Ned has spent nearly 50,000 one-on-one hours helping students conquer an alphabet of standardized tests, learn to manage their anxiety, and develop their own motivation to succeed. With Dr. William Stixrud, Ned co-authored The Self-Driven Child: The Science and Sense of Giving Your Kids More Control Over Their Lives and What Do You Say? How To Talk With Kids To Build Motivation, Stress Tolerance, and a Happy Home. Ned is the host of the PrepTalks podcast: conversations with parenting and education experts. A sought-after speaker and teen coach on study skills, sleep deprivation, parent-teen dynamics, and test anxiety, and his work is featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, BBC, and many others.

Website - theselfdrivenchild.com

Instagram - @theothernedjohnson

Ned’s Resource - Top 10 Tips from The Self-Driven Child: https://prepmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SDC_Talk_Handout-1.pdf

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens. ‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

A Delicious Way to Practice Mindfulness Feb 16, 2023

Did you know that mindfulness practice can shrink the amygdala which is the part of the brain that is responsible for fight, flight or freeze? While I know the benefits of mindfulness, I sometimes struggle to actually practice it. But several years ago, I was able to finally start on my mindfulness journey - by using food!

This can be done with any type of food but I particularly love using berries or chocolate. Take a listen to learn how to use this technique…

The topics I cover in this episode are:

How mindfulness with food can help

I run through an exercise with you from ‘The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook’ on mindful eating

How I used this strategy during lockdown to help my clients

Please keep in mind that clients may have food allergies or sensitivities so I encourage you to check with families before you do this activity.

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

Resources mentioned in the podcast

Taren, A. A., Gianaros, P. J., Greco, C. M., Lindsay, E. K., Fairgrieve, A., Brown, K. W., … Creswell, J. D. (2015). Mindfulness meditation training alters stress-related amygdala resting state functional connectivity: a randomized controlled trial. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 10(12), 1758–1768. http://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsv066

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens. ‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?
The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Updated Neurodiversity-Affirming Whole Body Listening Larry: An Interview with Elizabeth Sautter Feb 02, 2023

In this episode I am joined by Speech Language Pathologist Elizabeth A. Sautter to talk about ‘Whole body Listening Larry’. For our communities to evolve and grow, we have to constantly look at ourselves, the way we speak and how and what we teach children in schools about diversity. Not every brain is created biologically the same, so why do we think we could learn, listen, work or play the same way? I hope this episode opens your mind up to the positivity and brilliance that comes from people with neurodiverse brains.

The topics we cover in this episode are;

What is ‘Whole body Listening Larry’?

How has ‘Whole body Listening Larry’ changed over the years?

What is on the new poster?

How Elizabeth was trained to be a Speech Language Pathologist

What masking can look like

How can a teacher deal with so many children with so many different needs?

What is neurodiversity?

What is neurodivergent?

Thoughts on the name ‘ADHD’?

Elizabeth's coping skills

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

About The Guest - Elizabeth Sautter

Elizabeth A. Sautter, M.A., CCC-Speech Language Pathologist, is an international speaker, author, and trainer with expertise in social-emotional learning and executive functioning. She is a co-author of the original Whole Body Listening Larry series and poster. She collaborates on the Zones of Regulation curriculum as a presenter and co-author of Zones products, including children’s books, card decks, and games. She has authored the parent activity book, Make Social and Emotional Learning Stick along with two card decks for social-emotional support for parents. She has co-created an online course for parents and is passionate about supporting families (just like hers) with additional needs.

Free Whole Body Listening Larry Poster at everydayregulation.com

Elizabeth’s Website - Elizabethsautter.com

Instagram - instagram.com/elizabeth.sautter

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethSautterMACCCSLP

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens. ‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Coping Skills for Adults: Movement Strategies Jan 19, 2023

This episode is the next installment of ‘Coping skills for adults’ and I want to focus on the movement style. Movement and exercise is a strange one. Before doing it, you really don’t want to, it takes a lot of momentum but once you’ve completed a workout don’t you just feel amazing with all those feel-good hormones running through your body? This isn’t just a feeling, it’s been scientifically proven! Movement helps your physical functioning, studies also show it improves your cognitive function but most interestingly exercise improves your mental health.

The topics I cover in this episode are:

How can exercise help?

What types of exercise are best?

Working out what works for you with exercise

Different exercises to try out; boxing, swimming, hula hooping, golfing etc

Keeping exercise sustainable

The ways I enjoy exercise

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

Resources mentioned in the podcast

Chekroud, S.R., Gueorguieva, R., Zheutlin, A.B, Paulus, M., Harlan M Krumholz, H.M., Krystal, J.H., Adam M Chekroud, A.M. Exercise is known to be associated with reduced risk of all-cause mortality. (2018, August 8). Association between physical exercise and mental health in 1·2 million individuals in the USA between 2011 and 2015: A cross-sectional study. The Lancet Psychiatry. Retrieved December 19, 2022, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221503661830227X

Falck RS; Davis JC; Best JR; Crockett RA;Liu-Ambrose T; (n.d.). Impact of exercise training on physical and cognitive function among older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neurobiology of aging. Retrieved December 19, 2022, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31051329/

NY Times Article - What's the best type of exercise

https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17exercise-t.html

Kettlebell strength training and bodysurfer - Wendy Snyder

https://www.janinehalloran.com/podcast/calm-and-connected-episode-108

Barre 3 and kitchen dancing - Marcelle Waldman https://www.janinehalloran.com/podcast/calm-and-connected-episode-101

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens. ‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?
The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Collaborative and Proactive Solutions: An Interview with Kim Hopkins Jan 05, 2023

We can learn a lot from history and luckily as humans we can learn to progress and right our wrongs, to be more ethical or helpful. In regards to caring for children, in the past we used restraint techniques when a child was displaying negative behavior and some were even paddled! In fact I was stunned to learn that, as of 2022 paddling is legal and being practiced in 15 U.S states. You don’t need hard scientific evidence to know this isn’t right. My guest Kim Hopkins joins me to talk about safer, kinder techniques we can use with our children to help them learn effectively.

The topics we cover in this episode are:

Old school restraint techniques and how we feel about them now

Why do some kids have such concerning behaviors?

What happens when kids lack skills

What is an upstream model?

How being a parent can change you as a therapist

Why rewards and consequences don’t work for some kids

The great side of teenagers

Modeling and how you can use your power differently as the parent / adult

What length of time does the modeling technique take?

Resources you can discover from Lives in the Balance

How Kim rests and recharges

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

About The Guest - Kim Hopkins

Ms. Hopkins is an independently licensed clinical social worker who has specialized in working with behaviorally challenging kids for more than 20 years. She has managed the clinical departments of two organizations serving youth and families in residential facilities, foster homes, therapeutic day schools, and homeless shelters. She has been a Collaborative & Proactive Solutions (CPS) Trainer since 2007 helping schools, residentials, hospitals, and parents to successfully implement the CPS Model. Ms. Hopkins is also the Director of Outreach & Communication for Dr. Ross Greene’s non-profit, Lives in the Balance.

Website - www.livesinthebalance.org

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/livesinthebalance/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/livesinthebalance

Twitter - https://twitter.com/LITB_

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_vZVcW8jPRhoWy85a6yv8g

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens. ‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Coping Skills for Adults: Sensory Strategies Dec 22, 2022

This episode is the next installment of ‘Coping skills for adults’ and I wanted to explore some sensory strategies we can use to cope, destress, and relax throughout our days. We’re all busy people so if we can take these mini relaxation moments to destress then it won’t feel like another item to add to the to-do list, you can do it while you’re at the supermarket or working at your desk.

The topics I cover in this episode are:

Recognizing everyday things to be mindful and present

Using different senses from sight to taste

Being mindful with that first sip of coffee in the morning

Taking a mindful bite

How music can influence how you’re feeling

Using podcasts to soothe yourself

Are you a highly sensitive person?

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

Resources mentioned in the podcast

Elaine Aron - www.hsperson.com

Calm and Connected Podcast 116 - Ryan Judd

https://www.janinehalloran.com/podcast/calm-and-connected-episode-116

Calm and Connected Podcast 99 - Sophie Garner

https://www.janinehalloran.com/podcast/calm-and-connected-episode-99

Free resource for adults to explore their coping skills

https://copingskillsforkids.com/coping-skills-for-adults

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens. ‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Digital Media Wellness for Kids & Teens: An interview with Julia Storm Dec 08, 2022

How many times have you found yourself in a tech hole where you’ve been scrolling for what feels like an eternity yet you still can’t switch off the device? After you feel groggy and unmotivated to do anything. If it happens to us… then surely that same feeling happens to our kids and some of them don’t have the skill to recognize what’s going on. This episode is all about keeping children safe online, teaching them to look after their mind and body to use tech in a useful way without damaging their health. My guest Julia Storm is a Los Angeles-based Digital Media Wellness Specialist, the perfect person to talk to on this subject! Let’s dive in…

The topics we cover in this episode are:

Do kids really want to talk about their life online?

How should parents deal with screen time?

How the way we interact with technology changes throughout our lives

How to talk to your child to ensure their online safety

Having a curious attitude about your child’s online habits

Mind / body awareness around screen use

How can we support our kids with learning on tech in schools?

Phones in schools - a good or bad idea?

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

About The Guest - Julia Storm

Julia Storm is a Los Angeles-based Digital Media Wellness Specialist. She is an educator, writer, public speaker and the founder of ReConnect, a whole child and whole family approach to preparing kids for life in the Digital Age. Prior to launching ReConnect, Julia served as Director of Production for the award winning children’s media production company, The Mother Company. During her tenure at The Mother Company Julia produced children's media content for Netflix, Amazon, iTunes and PBS in partnership with the top child development specialists in the country. Since the founding of ReConnect, Julia has become a highly sought after go-to source for parents, schools, community organizations, corporate and non-profit companies who want to help their children understand, navigate, and thrive in the digital world. Julia is also a consultant on tech and parenting for the KTLA Morning News and has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, Parent Magazine, LA Parent, Wired, OnAir among others. Julia received her BA from Princeton University and earned a Masters from UCLA's School of Film, Television, and Digital Media. When she's not working, Julia spends most of her time keeping up with her two very active and beautiful sons.

Website - www.reconnect-families.com

Instagram - @reconnect4u

Taming Tech: Online Class For Parents - This Foundational class teaches parents of kids age 5-12 everything they need to know to tame screen time drama and start kids on the road to a balanced relationship with technology.

https://www.reconnect-academy.net/taming-tech-course

Resources mentioned in the podcast:

The Power of Play: learning what comes naturally by David Elkind, Ph.D.

Chapter 3 - Screen Play & Iconic Literacy

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens. ‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Coping Skills for Adults: Processing Strategies Nov 24, 2022

Have you ever taken part in your own gratefulness experiment? Perhaps you have written a small list every day for a month to see how it impacts you? Studies show that practicing gratefulness can benefit your psychological well being, improve relationships, increase empathy, reduce toxic emotions and is just in general good for your wellbeing. Whether you’ve done this before or you’re a first-timer, then is there a better time to do this than in the month of Thanksgiving? I think not!

The topics I cover in this episode are;

The processing coping style

A story about Oprah’s gratefulness practice

The benefits of writing things down

My gratefulness list

Watching nature unfold

The benefits pets can bring

The beauty of thank-you notes

Research and Links I mentioned in this episode:

Research about gratitude

Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(2), 377–389. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.84.2.377

Froh, Jeffrey & Sefick, William & Emmons, Robert. (2008). Counting blessings in early adolescents: An experimental study of gratitude and subjective well-being. Journal of School Psychology. 46. 213-33. 10.1016/j.jsp.2007.03.005.

Wood, A. M., Froh, J. J., & Geraghty, A. W. A. (2010). Gratitude and well-being: A review and theoretical integration. Clinical Psychology Review, 30, 890 – 905.

Wood, A.M, Maltby, J., Gillett, R., Linley P.A., Joseph, S., (2008). The role of gratitude in the development of social support, stress, and depression: Two longitudinal studies. Journal of Research in Personality, 42 (4) 854-871, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2007.11.003.

Article on gratitude

https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/giving-thanks-can-make-you-happier

Oprah on gratitude

https://www.oprah.com/spirit/oprahs-gratitude-journal-oprah-on-gratitude

Calm and Connected episode mentioned

Episode 70 - Using Dominoes to Demonstrate How Kindness Can Have a Ripple Effect

https://www.janinehalloran.com/podcast/calm-and-connected-episode-70

Free resource for adults to explore their coping skills

https://copingskillsforkids.com/coping-skills-for-adults

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens. ‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Using Music Therapy to Teach Skills at School: An Interview with Ryan Judd Nov 10, 2022

his episode is all about music. Have you ever felt anxious and put on your favorite calming song? Or perhaps sad and delved into a heartfelt playlist? I would guess most of us use music to fuel our tough workouts! My guest on this episode Ryan Judd is an internationally known music therapist who uses the power of song with children - mainly in the school setting. Research shows music produces Oxytocin in the brain which is the hormone associated with social bonding, a very important skill to learn as a child. Listening isn’t the only part that is beneficial, but playing music can help children bond further and release any emotions through sensory play.

The topics we cover in this episode are:

How Ryan found Music Therapy

What music therapy looks like in a school setting

How powerful it is to work in a group

Singing produces Oxytocin in the brain

The bonding experience of singing with others

Music and anxiety - are there any links?

The sensory side of playing music

How Ryan likes to rest and recharge

Being present with your children

About The Guest - Ryan Judd

Ryan lives in Exeter, New Hampshire with his wife and their two young boys. He is an internationally known music therapist, Billboard Chart Topping recording artist, and ChildLight Yoga® & Mindfulness Instructor. Ryan has a master’s degree in music therapy and counseling psychology from Naropa University, one of the top contemplative education schools in the country. Ryan has a private practice in music therapy and has been helping kids find fun ways to relax and de-stress through music and mindfulness for more than 20 years. His two albums of research-based sleep music for children are the top-selling sleep CDs for children on Amazon and they have both won the "Parents' Choice" silver medal award. Ryan's soothing instrumental music has reached the top ten of Billboard charts, is featured on SiriusXM's Spa Channel, and has been added to numerous editorial playlists on Spotify, Pandora, and Amazon Music. His recordings bring together his skills as a music therapist and accomplished fingerstyle guitarist and have been streamed more than 250 million times. Ryan is committed to making music and meditations to improve the well-being of others.

Ryan’s Website’s - www.TheRhythmTree.com / www.RyanJuddMusic.com / www.CoolKoala.co

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/coolkoalabedtime

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/coolkoalabedtime/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/RyanJuddMusic

Resources from Ryan

Cool Koala iOS app: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/cool-koala-bedtime-meditations/id1615557294

Soaring Together Album:

Streaming link: https://songwhip.com/ryanjudd/soaring-together

Physical CD on Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Soaring-Together-Relaxation-Meditation-Well-Being/dp/B08TMSHD9C

Music Therapy Resources: https://www.therhythmtree.com/store

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens. ‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Coping Skills for Adults: Distraction Strategies Oct 27, 2022

Today I want to focus on the coping style of distraction. Distraction is really focused on play and fun activities to help us manage big thoughts, emotions and feelings, but let’s focus on the adult piece of play in this episode. Play is a natural stress reliever which can have a big impact on relationships and work therefore we could all do with a little more fun and play in our lives. I want you to consider; what is fun for you? What can you do today to help relieve some stress?

The topics I cover in this episode are;

Meeting Stuart Brown at a play conference

What kids can learn through play

Play isn’t just for kids so why is it frowned upon for adults?

What does play look like for adults?

Why play at work is essential

Examples of adults adding joy to their work in the airport and with UberEats

How play can resolve disagreements

Links I mentioned in this episode;

Play and Coping Skills

https://www.janinehalloran.com/podcast/calm-and-connected-episode-12

Interview with Sophie Garner

https://www.janinehalloran.com/podcast/calm-and-connected-episode-99

Helpful Articles

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/moral-landscapes/202012/how-play-adult

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/14/smarter-living/adults-play-work-life-balance.html

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/adult-lego-masters/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/01/16/legos-toys-for-stressed-adults/

Free Resource for Adults:

https://copingskillsforkids.com/coping-skills-for-adults

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens. ‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Give me some space! Helping children self-regulate at school, home, and anywhere! Oct 13, 2022

This week I spoke to the lovely Jana York, a certified mindfulness and meditation teacher about how we can help our kids through the power of the breath. Mindfulness thankfully is everywhere these days, it may have started in the east but it’s definitely being adopted in the west. Speaking of geography, Jana York has taught children in Japan and Thailand, from her experience there she learned a lot of ways to use sensory toys and games to help children self-regulate and be more at peace with their anxiety.

The topics we cover in this episode are;

How Jana first found mindfulness

Teaching army bases in Japan and Thailand

The difficulties army children face when moving countries

The Calming Corner and its benefits

It’s not about punishment, it’s about self regulation

How sensory toys can help

Breathing props

Why Jana decided to write her book

Jana’s firefly analogy

How Jana likes to relax

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

About The Guest - Jana York

Jana York is a certified mindfulness and meditation teacher and has been a mindfulness practitioner and children’s mindfulness educator for more than a decade. She has conducted research and written on mindfulness. Her main passion is teaching children how to reduce anxiety and self-regulate while being in the present moment. Ms York is a special contributor in the Teaching Mindfulness book. She is the author of U Is for Understanding – Claire’s Journey toward Mindfulness and is featured in the book Educating Mindfully – Stories of Transformation through Mindfulness. She hosts workshops for parents and teachers and loves taking part in podcasts and mindfulness summits to help share her love for mindfulness.

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/jana.york.16

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janayorkmindful/

Jana’s Book - U is for Understanding - https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Claires-Journey-toward-Mindfulness-ebook/dp/B08KWJ3BTR/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=u+is+for+understanding+claire%27s+journey+toward+mindfulness&qid=1659994640&sr=8-1

Jana’s Book - Teaching Mindfulness - https://www.amazon.com/Teaching-Mindfulness-Amoneeta-Beckstein-ebook/dp/B0B5HSZJXL/ref=sr_1_1?crid=162CJTWXC7XHQ&keywords=Teaching+Mindfulness+Amoneeta+Beckstein&qid=1659994694&sprefix=teaching+mindfulness+amoneeta+beckstein%2Caps%2C153&sr=8-1

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens. ‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Coping Skills for Adults: Relaxation Strategies Sep 29, 2022

This is the second episode in the ‘Coping Skills for Adults’ series, today I’m focusing on relaxation strategies. It’s so helpful to have a variety of coping strategies because each one will work better for different times. This episode is all about tapping into yourself, working out what works specifically for you, ignoring what you’re told should work on social media or by other people. The beauty of the human race is that we’re all different so listen to yourself and tap into what works for you.

The topics I cover in this episode are;

Thinking about what actually works for you, not what instagram or the outside world is telling you

Imagining your favorite place strategy

What is tracing? And how can it help anxiety?

What actually is a body scan? And how can it help?

Progressive muscle relaxation

The grounding technique

My free brainstorming worksheet to help you figure out your own coping skills

Free brainstorming worksheet - https://copingskillsforkids.com/coping-skills-for-adults

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens. ‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Raising Happy Kids - An interview with Maureen Healy, Author of The Happiness Workbook for Kids Sep 15, 2022

Award-winning author, Maureen Healy is my guest on this week’s episode to talk all about emotions. When you think that our brains aren’t fully developed until our mid-twenties, it puts into perspective how difficult it is to deal with ever-changing emotions at the age of, say, 8 years old. My guest, Maureen, talks about her book ‘The Happiness Workbook for Kids’, and how it can help you as a parent or teacher to teach kids how to deal with emotions in a healthy way.

The topics we cover in this episode are;

Why Maureen decided to write the book

Emotions are temporary so how do you deal with them at that moment?

There are no bad emotions

Patience is key with learning how to let difficult emotions pass

Why you should celebrate wins

How thinking of the science of brain development can help

What are the best activities in getting kids to stop, think and make better choices?

Thinking about your ripple effect

Breathing exercises

Having the students as the teacher

Different forms of Meditation

About The Guest - Maureen Healy

Maureen Healy is an award-winning author, sought-after speaker and leader focused on children’s emotional health. She writes a popular blog for Psychology Today, which has reached millions worldwide. Tal Ben-Shahar said, “Maureen has provided an important antidote to the difficult times so many of our kids are going through these days” describing her new book: The Happiness Workbook for Kids. Healy’s prior book, The Emotionally Healthy Child (preface from Dalai Lama), won the Nautilus Book Award, Book Excellence and Forward Indie in 2019.

With 15+ years of experience, Maureen has guided 1000’s of parents and their children, worked with educators globally, taught in the classroom, and given keynote talks throughout North America, Europe and Asia. She’s also appeared across all media outlets such as: ABC’s “Midday Live” in San Francisco, New York Times and Forbes, PBS’s “This Emotional Life” series, and Scholastic magazine, as examples.

Maureen’s educational credentials include a BA and MBA from Clark University in Worcester, MA and a PhD program in Child Clinical Psychology at Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, CA. Additionally, Maureen has studied with happiness teachers globally, which has bolstered her joy immensely. She says, “Life is never boring,” especially as she continues to learn from every experience she has and person she meets.

Website - https://growinghappykids.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/maureendhealy/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/mdhealy

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens. ‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Coping Skills for Adults: Deep Breathing Strategies Sep 01, 2022

It’s been a while since I recorded a solo episode so here goes! During my mini break I was thinking; what can I do to support educators, counselors, families and parents with my podcast? And from that I felt inspired to do a mini series on coping skills for adults! I thought it’s a good time of year to start this series with a new school year approaching. It’s such a stressful and overwhelming time and I want to help you with it.

The topics I cover in this episode are:

flight, fight or freeze mode and the connection to breathing

How deep breathing can help you focus

two strategies that you can use

where I've seen deep breathing used recently on tv

Want to explore your coping skills? Join the newsletter and receive questions and a brainstorming worksheet to help you!

https://www.janinehalloran.com/podcast/calm-and-connected-episode-111

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens. ‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Communication and Social Skills - An interview with Heidi Miller, Speech Language Pathologist Aug 18, 2022

On today’s show I speak to Speech Language Pathologist Heidi Miller about all things speech related. SLP’s help children with speech i.e. the way they articulate sounds, they help with language, so the way they put words together which also encompasses social skills so what a person says, how they say it, when they say it and picking up on others peoples cue’s which for some children can be a real challenge. It’s a big subject so we start by talking about how children’s social skills have changed since the pandemic…

The topics we cover in this episode are;

What a speech language pathologist does

Children don’t have to vocalize to be communicating

Every child is different, even if they grew up in the same household

What is a pragmatic disorder?

How can you tell the difference between a pragmatic disorder or just effects from the pandemic?

Which games Heidi uses in therapy with children

Play is the natural way you can use social skills

It’s okay to feed your children conversation starters

Social skills start at home but we can help bridge that to school

Being a good listener and how that can affect your child

How Heidi likes to rest and recharge

About The Guest - Heidi Miller

Heidi Miller MS, CCC- SLP, COM® (Speech Language Pathologist Certified Orofacial Myologist Feeding Expert), who has been practicing speech for over 20 years, received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin and her master’s in speech-language pathology from Nova Southeastern University. She is licensed in the states of New Jersey and Florida. Additionally, due to her extensive training in apraxia, she was chosen by New York University to attend an advanced Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) workshop for the most accomplished in the field. Heidi finished the International Association of Orofacial Myologist’s certification program becoming a Certified Orofacial Myologist. Heidi is the author of the HMS Feeding Therapy Protocol For Expanding Repertoire of Picky Eaters and Children With ARFID. A guide to teach SLP’s and OT’s how to effectively treat picky eaters by creating a safe environment for them to confidently learn to eat new foods. Clinician’s can earn ASHA CEU’s when they take her course. In addition to her work within the spectrum of speech, Heidi is a trained as a Certified Orofacial Myologist. She has a particular interest in feeding disorders, which can deeply affect children well into their future. Heidi was chosen to be a Main Guest Speaker at the Talk Tools OMD Deconstructed and Feeding Conference. Heidi has become an expert in the filed an has written several courses to teach other clinicians how to treat the picky feeder population. Heidi is extremely invested in her HMS team.Though Heidi has worked in a multitude of settings, including private clinics, hospitals, and schools, she found her home in her own practice, with 2 settings in Florham Park & Park Ridge New Jersey. Her practice has been recognized by NJ Family Magazine, Favorite Kid’s Doc since it opened its doors in 2010. Most recently winning “Top Vote Getter for Speech Pathology”. Heidi is married with three children, which helps her understand a parent’s perspective. Additionally, the stresses of a busy household are not lost on her. She can relate and empathize with the concern every parent has for their child, and her direct and honest approach will guide your family through every step of growth. When Heidi isn’t working to change the lives of children, she can be found in the joyful chaos of her own home with her husband Dan, her three kids, Justin, Landon, and Lyla, and their adorable dog, Baci.

Website - https://heidimillerspeech.com/about-us/

Instagram - @heidimillerspeechandassociates

TikTok @hmsfeedingandspeech

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/HeidiMillerSpeech/

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens. ‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

The Value of Breathing and Mindfulness for Kids with Jennifer Cohen Harper Aug 04, 2022

Take a long, slow, deep breath. In… and out. Doesn’t that feel a lot better? Today’s episode is all about breathing and how to regulate your nervous system. A lot of people say it and it’s just so true, the breath is so powerful and a good way to help navigate difficult situations and emotions. My guest is an expert in this field, Jennifer Cohen Harper is a mindfulness and yoga educator and she tells me the best practices when it comes to using your breath as well as the following topics…

The topics we cover in this episode are;

Teaching yoga and mindfulness in schools

What mistakes teachers sometimes make when teaching kids to use their breath

The different uses of the ‘in’ and ‘out’ breath and why it matters

Why saying to your child ‘Calm down’ is so dismissive and never really helps

‘Controlling’ big emotions

The importance of modeling using these same skills yourself as the parent

Get obvious with your kids

Owning up to your own mistakes as parents / teachers

Teaching children to love their bodies and not judge themselves based on appearance

How each stage of parenthood can teach you something new about yourself

How Jennifer likes to relax

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

About The Guest - Jennifer Cohen Harper

Jennifer Cohen Harper is a mindfulness and yoga educator, author, public speaker and mother, who works to support children in the development of strong inner resources. She is the author of the popular Thank You Children's book series, including new release Thank You Breath: Finding Peace and Power from the Inside Out, as well as the creator of numerous yoga and mindfulness based card decks, activity books and other resources for children and families. Jennifer founded Little Flower Yoga and Mindfulness in 2006. As the Founder and CEO, Jennifer brings embodied mindfulness programming and education to schools and community organizations nationwide, serving students, families, educators, and mental health care providers. Jennifer’s work has been featured in prominent publications including the NY Times, The International Journal of Yoga Therapy, Publishers Weekly, Yoga Journal, and the Huffington Post. Jennifer’s work has been endorsed by thought leaders including Dr. Daniel Siegel, Rick Hanson, Sharon Salzberg and Congressman Tim Ryan. She is a frequent presenter at mindfulness, yoga, education and mental health conferences, and teaches regularly at renowned retreat centers including Omega Institute, Kripalu, and 1440 Multiversity.

Website - www.jennifercohenharper.com / www.littlefloweryoga.com

Instagram - @jennifercohenharper

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/jennifercohenharper

Jennifer’s New Book - Thank You Breath: Finding Peace and Power from the Inside Out

New Workshop - Navigating Anxiety in Children: Meeting Stress with Inner Strength. Offering a new guided version of the course starting in Sept. in partnership with Omega Institute - https://www.eomega.org/workshops/2022-navigating-anxiety-children

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens. ‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Raising Cactus Kids - An interview with Wendy Snyder Jul 21, 2022

I’m thrilled to welcome Wendy Snyder, a Positive Parenting educator, family life coach & advocate to my podcast this week as she has such a brilliant story of when life gets hard, how you can flip it around to a positive and loving life. Wendy had so much trouble with her daughter being so strong willed after quitting her job to become a stay-at-home mom. She was convinced she had ADHD or something of the sort until she took a local parenting course. Take a listen to this episode to learn how you can flip up your life and gain the knowledge you need to have a more fulfilling and happy parenthood.

The topics we cover in this episode are:

How you imagine parenthood VS reality

The idea behind Cactus Kids

Why you don’t want to squash strong-willed behaviors

What strategies do and don’t work

Different culture pressures

Offer an inch and they will take a mile

What should families do who are struggling with power?

Letting them make the decision

Changing your mindset as a parent to not dread certain life moments

The beauty of every life stage - toddlers to teenagers

How do you keep yourself calm in those difficult moments

Self compassion and curiosity

How movement can spark joy

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

About The Guest - Wendy Snyder

Wendy Snyder is a Positive Parenting educator, family life coach & advocate. She is certified in Redirecting Children's Behavior & The Joy of Parenting Program. Wendy founded her online business, Fresh Start Family, so that she could spread the message of positive parenting across the world. She is the developer of a variety of online positive parenting courses and also has a monthly membership program to further support families. Wendy helps families parent from a place of great purpose and intention by creating healthy, respectful & cooperative relationships.

Website - www.freshstartfamilyonline.com

Instagram - @freshstartwendy www.instagram.com/freshstartwendy

Facebook - facebook.com/freshstartfamily

Free Guide to Raising Strong Willed Kids:

https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/strongwilledkids/

Firm & Kind Parenting Blueprint:

https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/firm-kind-blueprint/

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens. ‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

How to Raise Happy Kids - An interview with Sue Atkins, Parenting Expert Jul 07, 2022

I’m excited to be speaking to world renowned parent expert Sue Atkins on this episode of the Calm & Connected podcast. We discuss the pro’s and con’s of having an outspoken child, they may make your life difficult but don’t you want a child who can stand up for themselves? Children are naturally so curious so it’s our job as their parents to help them learn and explore the world, not dull their experience so we don’t have to put the effort in.

The topics we cover in this episode are;

Why do kids ask ‘Why?’ so much? And what can we do about it?

Toddlers, independence and saying ‘no’

The importance of slowing down in parenthood

How can parents support their kids while coming out of the pandemic?

How beneficial it can be for your child to see you relax

Don’t be a perfect parent

The 4 C’s; Connection, Count, Capable, Courage

Enjoying the journey, not just focusing on the destination

About The Guest - Sue Atkins

Sue Atkins is an internationally recognised Parenting Expert, Broadcaster, Speaker and Author of the Amazon best-selling books “Parenting Made Easy – How to Raise Happy Children” & “Raising Happy Children for Dummies" one in the famous black and yellow series as well as author of the highly acclaimed Parenting Made Easy resources. She regularly appears on the award-winning flagship ITV show “This Morning,” Good Morning Britain and Sky News & is the parenting expert for many BBC Radio Stations around the UK.

Follow Sue:

Website www.thesueatkins.com

Sue on Twitter: @sueatkins

Sue on Instagram: @sueatkins18

Sue on Facebook: Sue Atkins The Parenting Expert

Sue on LinkedIn: Sue Atkins

Sue on Pinterest: Sue Atkins Parenting Expert

Sue on YouTube: Sue Atkins Parenting Expert

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens. ‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Executive Function for Kids and Teens - An interview with Dr. Lynne Kenney Jun 23, 2022

I’m so excited to welcome Dr Lynne Kenney on to the Calm & Connected Podcast this week. We chat about all things executive functioning and how sessions differ with children in comparison to teenagers. We kept the conversation on the lighter treatment side rather than all the science-lingo heavy side. I hope you enjoy it!!

The topics we cover in this episode are;

What actually is executive functioning?

How young you can start teaching children executive function skills

How slowing down for kids can make them achieve and learn more

Different types of mindfulness practices

How mantras can help

How little questions can have a big impact

How things differ from children to teenagers

Teenagers are human too - they want love, affection and to feel masterful

The importance of thinking about what other people need

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

Dr. Lynne Kenney is the nation’s leading pediatric psychologist in the development of classroom cognitive-physical activity programs for students grades K-8. Dr. Kenney develops curriculum, programming, and activities to improve children’s cognition through coordinative cognitive-motor movement, executive function skill-building strategies, and social-emotional learning.

Dr. Kenney is a pediatric psychologist on the Language & Cognition Team at Wellington-Alexander Center, Scottsdale, Arizona. She has advanced fellowship training in forensic psychology and developmental pediatric psychology from Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School and Harbor-UCLA/UCLA Medical School. Dr. Kenney holds a BA in Psychology and an MA in Physical Education from the University of Southern California. In 1992, she earned her Doctorate in Psychology at Pepperdine.

Dr. Kenney’s books include Brain Primers, 2020 (Kuczala & Kenney); 70 Play Activities for Better Thinking, Self-Regulation, Learning and Behavior (Kenney & Comizio, 2016); the Social-Emotional Literacy program, Bloom Your Room™; Musical Thinking™; and Bloom: 50 things to say, think and do with anxious, angry and over-the-top-kids (Kenney & Young, 2015).

Website - www.lynnekenney.com

Twitter - @drlynnekenney

Instagram - @drlynnekenney

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens. ‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Helping Kids with Specific Phobias - An Interview with Dr. Dawn Huebner Jun 09, 2022

In this episode, I invited Dr. Dawn Huebner, child psychologist and parent coach back on the show to talk about her mini book series called Mini Books about Mighty Fears. Alongside that we learn about what phobias really are, how to combat them plus…

How parents tend to react to their child's fear

Why comforting and reassuring can be so damaging

The brain’s alarm system

The best first step to take with a new fear

With fears, practice is key!

The old school methods of dealing with fears

Anxiety is uncomfortable but not dangerous

The most common childhood fears

About The Guest - Dr Dawn Huebner

Dawn Huebner, PhD, is the award-winning author of 14 books for children selling over 1 million copies in 23 languages. A child psychologist, parent coach, and popular speaker, Dr. Dawn translates the latest research into actionable strategies to free young worriers from anxiety. She has been featured on a host of news and information outlets and is frequently interviewed by popular parenting magazines with the aim of helping children live happier lives.

Dawn’s Website - dawnhuebnerphd.com

Dawn’s mini book series - https://www.dawnhuebnerphd.com/books-by-dawn/

Dawn’s Facebook page

Mini Books about Mighty Fears

Get 15% off the books until 6/30/2022

Visit us.jkp.com to use the Discount Code: MIGHTYFEARS15

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens.

‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Ideas for Resting and Resetting this Summer May 26, 2022

In this episode I discuss resting and resetting as we all head into summer. Recently I took a business class and from that I have picked up a habit of asking myself two questions every single day; What do I get to enjoy today? And an evening question which is - If I could relive this day, what would I do differently?

I noticed I would get to the end of the day, and the tasks I wished I had completed were, call my mom or talk to my sister… the common link? Connection! I had been missing connection with those around me so I set about changing that! And I want this episode to focus on that for you. How can you and your family connect this summer? If you’re stuck for ideas then be sure to listen to this episode as I share ways you can reconnect and energize with different activities.

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens. ‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Stress-Busting Strategies for Kids: An Interview with Katie Hurley May 12, 2022

In this week’s episode I talk to child and adolescent psychotherapist, Katie Hurley about her brand new book ‘The Stress-Buster Workbook for Kids’ which I have absolutely loved reading and learning from. Stress and anxiety isn’t something just adults experience, children do too, so the earlier we can educate them on useful coping skills and techniques, the better! In this episode we discuss the following;

The importance of fresh and engaging ideas to reel in kids

The different types of stress - good stress, toxic stress, mini stress

Our window of tolerance, our emotions always go up and down everyday

How picturing someone's grandma can help children understand how to be kind

The ‘Take 5’ grounding technique

Mindfulness and multitasking

What is a dream disc? And how does it help kids at night?

The truth behind creative brains having trouble at night time

How to set boundaries

No is a complete sentence

How the pandemic made us lose our boundaries

How Katie rests and recharges

About The Guest: Katie Hurley, LCSW

Katie Hurley, LCSW, is a child and adolescent psychotherapist and the author of five books, including her award winning No More Mean Girls and her latest release, The Stress-Buster Workbook for Kids.

Website - www.practicalkatie.com

Twitter - @katiefhurley

Instagram - @katiefhurley

And remember, don’t forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens.

‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Practicing Problem Solving Using Creative Prompts Apr 28, 2022

In this episode, I discuss some ways you can practice problem solving using creative prompts. As we all know, social skills are key to interacting well with others - skills such as listening, working together, being kind, watching your own personal space versus others personal space and taking turns. They all need to be learned in childhood to have a successful and fulfilling adult life.

I share how to use things around your office or home as a social skills building activity. You can use any items you have lying around, like paper straws, cotton balls, yarn, paper cups, clothes pins, duck tape - all lots of weird and wonderful materials.

The group then goes on to choose what problems to solve. It works great with different ages of kids. If you're doing this as part of a group plan, it's good to debrief at the end, and find out what they think worked and what didn’t, etc. Take a listen to learn how to use these items to practice social skills.

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens. ‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

The Benefits of Social & Emotional Learning - An interview with Marcelle Waldman Apr 14, 2022

In this week’s episode I talk to educator, parent and founder of FeelLinks; Marcelle Waldman. FeelLinks is a hands-on resource for kids that has plush emotion dolls and a journal. We had such a great conversation about how we can support social and emotional learning at home, through listening to what our kids are saying. The topics we cover are:

Benefits of social and emotional learning

How working on your own emotions helps you understand societies emotions

The importance of listening to our emotions

How social and emotional learning doesn’t just take place at school

Listening to your kids and learning from them

How to model identifying your emotions and dealing with them

Making plans when emotions are calm

When emotions are high, realizing why that’s not the teachable moment

How journalling can be beneficial

About The Guest: Marcelle Waldman

Marcelle Waldman lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband and two children. She is a certified K-5 elementary educator, which means having the incredible opportunity to teach some of their youngest learners in kindergarten and preschool. She has also served as the preschool director. Marcelle has completed extensive coursework in psychology, child development, youth mental health and she is Youth Mental Health First Aid trained. Being a community educator - she is focused on children, brain development, behaviors, emotions and overall emotional intelligence. Alongside this, she is an avid community volunteer, having served on the school’s PTA board as vice president and president, contributed to many School District committees, currently sit on the Issaquah Schools Foundation programs committee, and volunteers for the Ladybug House, an end of life hospice and palliative care program. Marcelle’s company FeelLinks is a hands-on resource for children. It promotes growth in lifelong skills in emotional intelligence; self-awareness, social-awareness, self-management, and relationships skills.

Website - Myfeellinks.com

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/myfeellinks

Instagram - @myfeellinks

You can find the FeelLinks Journal and dolls here - https://myfeellinks.com

And remember, don’t forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens.

‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

What I can control vs. what I can't control Mar 31, 2022

A lot of times, anxiety comes from feeling out of control so in today's episode I want to discuss the way I teach kids to understand what they do and don’t have control over in their lives. This is such a great skill to learn for any age to hone in the ability to keep anxiety at bay.

I first learned about this strategy when I was in therapy as a teenager. It was such an eye opener for me to recognize I didn't have control over other people and their actions. And to go through life with that lens, I believe has majorly benefited my life. So take a listen to empower your child.

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

—

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens. ‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Changing Lives Through Singing and Songwriting - An interview with Sophie Garner Mar 17, 2022

Please note: On this podcast episode, we mention the topic of suicidal ideation, and there are a couple of swears in this episode. I wanted you to be aware of this in case this is hard for you to listen to, or there are younger ears listening. Enjoy the interview!

Music is so amazing! There’s a good chance you’ve experienced music changing your mood from being grumpy to feeling full of life. Listening to music has a range of benefits but on this episode, my guest Sophie Garner shared how creating music can be therapeutic too. In this episode we cover a range of topics such as;

The power of music

How music connects us all

The connection between music and mental health

How singing can improve your health

The creative songwriting journal

Finding your target audience when writing a book

Different relaxing techniques

About The Guest: Sophie Garner

Sophie Garner changes lives through singing and songwriting. She is an accomplished singer, performer, and an educator. She's also an author 'The Creative Songwriting Journal' for children ages 7-12, and has published her 2nd book 'If you can't say it sing it!’. Sophie is a natural educator and full of energy, her passions and goals stem from believing in the true, holistic and deep effects of music, and sharing the gift of music, as a therapy and a life skill, to help others learn to comfortably express themselves, allowing her students to grow in confidence and develop socially.

Website - www.sophiegarner.com

Facebook - Sophiegarnerauthor

Twitter - Sophiegarner1

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens.

‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

The Power of Recess and Movement Mar 03, 2022

This week’s episode is all about recess and movement. In my opinion, we don’t value the power of movement enough; it’s so vital to help kids focus, work on social skills, be more ready to learn, and manage big emotions. In this episode of the podcast, I talk about two pieces of research that focus on the power of recess:

The LiiNK project where children get 4 periods of recess per day. LiiNK students typically decrease their off-task behaviors by 25-35% in the first year, their reading and math scores go up, plus they were observed smiling and laughing more.

A position paper named ‘A Research-Based Case for Recess’ which looks at the social, academic, and physical effects of having more recess.

Resources Mentioned in the Podcast

A research based case for recess - https://www.playworks.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/US-play-coalition_Research-based-case-for-recess.pdf

LIINK project - https://liinkproject.tcu.edu/about

Marvelous Movement Activity Book and other Movement Coping Style Resources

https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/movement-coping-style

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens.

‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Imperfect Parenting - An interview with Nicole Schwarz, LMFT and Parent Coach Feb 17, 2022

Have you ever spotted an Instagram post of smiling parents who are having the most perfect life with their child and then felt shame and guilt that you aren’t nearly as perfect as them? Well you’re definitely not alone on that one! Today’s episode is all about us… the parents. I discussed with my guest, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Parent Coach; Nicole Schwarz about what happens around the shame spiral and how we can talk to ourselves in a kinder way to be more content with being an imperfect parent. We always need to remember that real life is messy, it's not great all the time, sometimes we mess up and guess what?… That’s okay!

Take some time for yourself, embrace those imperfections and take a listen to this episode.

About The Guest - Nicole Schwarz

Nicole Schwarz is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Parent Coach with over fifteen years of experience working with families and children in various settings. She is the owner of Imperfect Families, LLC and author of "It Starts With You," coaching parents to use positive, respectful parenting strategies. She lives in St. Louis, Missouri, with her husband and three daughters.

Website & Book - https://imperfectfamilies.com/it-starts-with-you/

Facebook - facebook.com/imperfectfamilies

Instagram - instagram.com/imperfectfamilies

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens.

‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Supporting Kids Around Friendships - An interview with JoAnn Crohn, Author of Me and My Friendships Jan 20, 2022

In this episode I talk to JoAnn Crohn, former elementary school teacher and podcast host of No Guilt Mom. She is the author of Me and My Friendships, to help kids learn more about themselves and build friendships with other kids. We cover a lot of topics in the episode, including:

What even is ‘too’ emotional?

The social differences between middle and elementary school

Finding ‘your’ people

Finding yourself and not molding into a different person with different friends

What are the key characteristics of a good friend?

Using an outside source to help your kids learn, rather than doing it directly

How making assumptions about your kids can be damaging

About The Guest - JoAnn Crohn

JoAnn Crohn, M. Ed is a parenting educator who helps moms feel confident in everything from raising empowered, self-sufficient kids to dropping the anxiety and guilt out of modern parenthood. She’s an accomplished writer, author, podcast host of the No Guilt Mom podcast, and speaker, appearing in national media and founder of the parenting site, NoGuiltMom.com. Her specialty is talking to both parents and kids - with her self-paced digital courses for kids and parents in handling big emotions, creating a morning routine and conquering the homework drama. JoAnn is a former elementary school teacher with a Master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction as well as a National Board Certified Teacher in Middle Childhood Education.

JoAnn’s free Happy Parent Checklist - https://www.noguiltmom.com/hpc

Instagram: @noguiltmom

Facebook: facebook.com/noguiltmom

Website: www.noguiltmom.com

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens.

‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Helping Kids Identify Feelings In Their Body Jan 06, 2022

Have you ever thought about your body when feeling a strong emotion? Where do you feel it? Is it in your chest or tingling down the back of your legs? Some people can reach adulthood before even realizing this, even though we feel emotions throughout our lives.

This episode of the podcast is about just that - where do we feel emotions and why is it important? All feelings are okay, but it's good to recognize them to intervene sooner by using coping skills so emotions don’t get out of control. Self awareness is key! This episode will explore one of my favorite techniques - using body outlines to mark where kids feel emotions.

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens.

‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Strategies to Tackle OCD - An Interview with Natasha Daniels, Child Therapist Dec 16, 2021

On today’s podcast, I get a chance to speak with Natasha Daniels, the founder of AT Parenting Community about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Natasha’s expertise is anxiety and OCD, and we discuss what OCD can look like, when you should seek out more support, and different strategies that you should use when dealing with OCD.

About The Guest - Natasha Daniels, Child Therapist

Natasha Daniels is a child anxiety & OCD therapist, and mom to three kids with anxiety & OCD. She is the author of Anxiety Sucks: A Teen Survival Guide, How to Parent Your Anxious Toddler, Social Skills Activities for Kids and It’s Brave to Be Kind.

She is the creator of ATParentingSurvival.com, the Youtube channel, Ask the Child Therapist and the host of The AT Parenting Survival Podcast.

She offers parents worldwide resources on how to help kids with anxiety or OCD through her online AT Parenting Survival school.

Her work has been featured in various places including Huffington Post, Scary Mommy, PsychCentral, The Child Mind Institute and The Mighty.

Follow Natasha on Social Media

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube

AT Parenting Survival School - Online courses

www.atparentingsurvivalschool.com

I love Natasha’s courses so much, I’m an affiliate. This means that I earn a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you. Learn more here.

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens.

‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Five More Amazing Open-Ended Toys Dec 02, 2021

Does your child gravitate towards open-ended toys? These are toys which can be used in multiple ways dependent on your child’s imagination - like LEGO® bricks for example. This nurtures their creativity and developing skills. Today I will share five amazing open ended toys. I did cover this subject last year on my podcast but since it’s holiday time, I wanted to share a few more with you. These can be a good addition to your house, therapy room or counseling office. These are all toys that I gravitate towards and the ones I always want by my side during therapy sessions. Take a listen to learn how they can benefit the kids in your life!

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens.

‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Managing Anxiety and Worry - An Interview with Dr. Dawn Huebner Nov 11, 2021

Anxiety is not a bad emotion, it is one that we need to keep ourselves safe in the world. But sometimes anxiety can become overwhelming to the point that it affects the daily life of the adult or child - this is the type of worry we need to work on. What better way to learn about this than with the fantastic parent coach and psychologist Dr. Dawn Huebner who teaches us how to help kids deal with worry and anxiety.

The topics covered in this episode;

Uppercase and lowercase worry - What’s the difference?

Why reassurance makes anxiety worse

Two common mistakes with anxiety - probability and scale

How do you know as a parent when to push your child forward into anxiety-provoking situations?

Why kids need to be out of their comfort zones

Thinking about your thinking

The difference between being anxious and being in danger

“What we resist, persists”

Why saying “There’s nothing to be worried about” can be so harmful

About The Guest - Dr Dawn Huebner

Dr. Dawn Huebner is a Psychologist, Parent Coach, and the author of 10 books for children including perennial bestsellers What to Do When You Worry Too Much and Outsmarting Worry. Another recent work, Something Bad Happened, provides support for children learning about problems around the world while her newest, The Sibling Survival Guide, speaks with warmth and humor to children struggling to get along.

Dr. Huebner’s books are practical and relatable, selling well over a million copies in 23 languages. She has been featured on a host of news and information outlets and is frequently interviewed by popular parenting magazines.

Dawn’s Website - www.DawnHuebnerPhD.com

Dawn’s Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/Dawn-Huebner-PhD-Self-Help-for-Parents-and-Kids-339298769474607/?ref=br_rs

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens.

‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Checking in about Feelings at Home and School Oct 28, 2021

Have you ever thought back to how you were taught to recognize different emotions? It’s such an important social skill to not only recognize the feelings within yourself but for the people around you too. This episode is about just that - helping your children to recognize and check-in with their feelings.

I’ve learned a lot about this topic from the help of Dr. Dan Siegel and Dr. Tina Payne Bryson with the ‘Name it to Tame it’ method. It helps kids to self-regulate by naming their emotions. I get asked a lot, “Well how can I actually go about helping my child name their emotions? How can we make this our daily routine?” So I’m answering all your questions in this podcast episode!

Getting children into the rhythm of understanding all emotions and feelings are allowed and accepted. And teaching them it’s what you do with those feelings that matters.

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens.

‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Using Playdates to Brush Up on Social Skills Oct 14, 2021

How are your child's social skills right now?

As our children have transitioned back into school from remote learning, they're interacting in person again, and I'm seeing and hearing about rusty social skills.

They’ve been home for a long time and haven’t had many chances of interacting with a lot of people - likewise for us adults!

In regards to school, children are facing added difficulties such as having to wear masks and some kids are struggling so in this episode I want to discuss some tips on how we can help our children brush up on their social skills and hopefully have some positive social experiences.

Questions I will be discussing:

How many kids should be at the playdate?

How long should the playdate be?

What activities should they be doing?

If you need extra help, don’t forget I have a great resource for you - The Ultimate Playdate Guide!

Digital format - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/the-ultimate-playdate-guide-e-book

In print - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/the-ultimate-playdate-guide-print

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens.

‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

A Conversation about Mental Health and Sports: Interview with Jon Cunha, LMHC Sep 30, 2021

In this episode I speak to my guest, Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Jon Cunha about mental health in the sporting world. Due to the Olympics, we’ve seen several high profile athletes such as Simone Biles, Kevin Love and Michael Phelps speak out about their mental health issues and how they’re dealing with them. We also discussed how this is impacting the children of today, how they’re looking up to their sporting heroes speaking out about their mental health and opening up the conversation. Jon speaks about how he works with men differently to get them comfortable with therapy.

Make sure to listen and subscribe to Jon’s Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grim-drive/id1546511204

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

About The Guest

Jon Cunha is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) with over a decade of experience in the field. Jon is the Co-Founder of Riser + Tread, a company dedicated to supporting others through a combination of therapy and coaching. Jon is also working as the Chief Performance Coach (CPC) for Cherish Health, Jon’s main purpose is to enhance employee wellbeing and performance from both an individual and an organizational level. He is enthusiastic to support those working at the top of their field.

Jon also recently co-authored “The Coaching Zone; Next Level Leadership in Sports” to help support leaders and coaches in their field maximize performance both for themselves and their team(s). Jon also has a podcast named, The Grim Drive, which focuses on mental health through the lens of professional athletics.

Before becoming a therapist, Jon was a three time All-American in Track and Field at Wheaton College, MA until injury ended his aspirations of reaching the Olympics. That experience helped motivate him towards supporting others going through something similar.

Jon’s Website - https://www.riserandtread.com

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/riserandtread

Instagram - @riserandtread

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens.

‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Three Tips to Help You Recharge and Refill Your Cup Sep 16, 2021

As we all know, the pandemic has been incredibly draining on all of us therefore many of us have experienced major burn-out. This episode is all about recharging, refilling our cups and doing activities for ourselves so we can continue to raise our kids and be helpers to others who are also going through this. As they say on planes, you need to put on your own oxygen mask before your child’s i.e we need to make sure we’re looking after ourselves before we can help others.

How do you recharge? For some it’s reading a book, for others it’s playing some really loud music to sing and dance around the kitchen to. Be sure to leave a review telling me how you recharge.

In this episode I discuss 3 tips you can use to refill your cup:

‘No is a full sentence’, which includes my new mantra - “You can do anything but not everything”.

Put yourself on your to-do list

Find your own coping skills - and how modelling for kids can be so educational.

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens.

‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

The Importance of Relaxation and Play with Karen Lock Kolp Sep 02, 2021

In this episode I talk to leadership and play coach Karen Lock Kolp about some of my favorite topics; relaxation and play and how they’re heavily intertwined.

We cover...

Karen’s background

Exercises to help you find your energy

Role-modelling as parents

How children can not only follow what you model, they can be good teachers too

The power of intuition - how it lives in the body, not the brain

An exercise on listening to your heart

Karen’s playbook

How Karen rests and plays

About The Guest - Karen Lock Kolp

Karen is an executive, leadership and play coach. Her podcast is called ‘We Turned Out Okay’ and her forthcoming book is called ‘The WTOO Playbook of days’. Her mission in life is to restore play to its extremely important place in the pantheon of human ingenuity. She believes in magic and she believes in the power of play to solve any problem, even the really big ones!

Her website - https://weturnedoutokay.com

Her weekly newsletter - https://weturnedoutokay.com/weekly/

Her podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-we-turned-out-okay-podcast/id990826225

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens.

‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Using a Reset Space to support SEL Aug 19, 2021

This week’s episode is all about using a reset space to support social and emotional development in the classroom. We’re approaching a new school year in this shifting, changing landscape of dealing with the pandemic and I've been thinking about the best way to support our kids through that. Now there are many variations on the name ‘reset space’ such as…

Peace corner

Calm spot

Calming corner

Relaxation station

I gravitate more to the name ‘reset space’ as I like the idea that kids go into this area to reset then come back to the class. It’s not a punishment, it’s more about when kids are feeling different emotions, they go to the space to identify how they’re feeling. After all, children are just the same as adults in the sense that when they are overwhelmed by emotion, whether that be anxiety, anger or sadness, their brains are not ready to receive new information, which is the opposite state we want them to be in the classroom.

Learn more about Our Reset Space for your classroom or counseling office - https://copingskillsforkids.com/reset

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens.

‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Strategies to Navigate Through the Next Phase of the Pandemic Aug 05, 2021

In this episode I talk to pediatric occupational therapist and CEO of Zensational Kids, Allison Morgan. We discuss the big challenges kids and schools will be facing when they return, what can families do at home to help navigate the next phase of the pandemic as well as her new curriculum for educators.

About The Guest - Allison Morgan

Allison Morgan MA, OTR, E-RYT is a pediatric occupational therapist and the CEO of ‘Zensational Kids’, an educational company bringing the evidence-based practices of breath, movement and mindfulness to schools nationwide. Teaching the inner resources of focused attention, self-compassion and stress reduction, Allison supports school communities in harnessing well-being and resilience so that all members can thrive. Allison integrates the science and practices of mindfulness, social-emotional learning, mental health prevention and trauma-informed care into her dynamic and engaging programs, workshops, keynotes and national trainings. She is passionate about breaking the rising incidence of mental health challenges and trauma our youth are facing. Allison is a sought after international speaker who brings knowledge, wit and joy, inspiring her audience to tap into their own inner resilience so they may share it with their community. Her curriculum, ‘Educate 2B’ was recently launched on Amazon and hit #1 Best Seller.

Her website - https://zensationalkids.com

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Zensationalkids/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/allison-morgan

‘Educate 2B’: Mindfulness and social-emotional learning for educators and students in the k-5th grade classroom - available le on the sensational kids website for 25% off when you use the code ’Special25’ or on Amazon for regular pricing of $39.99.

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens.

‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Help Kids Cope with BIG Feelings Using Their Senses Jul 15, 2021

We all know the 5 senses of the human body, being sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing but have you heard of proprioception or vestibular?

Proprioception at its basic level is the information you receive from your muscles and your joints. It helps your body to understand when you are stretching, compressing or contracting a muscle. You may see difficulties with this in your child particularly in their handwriting, do they press so hard on the pencil that it breaks? Or perhaps they aren’t putting enough pressure on the pen that you can’t even see their handwriting? Proprioception works very closely with the vestibular system which is more about your brain intaking information for your balance and spatial awareness.

In this episode I run you through 7 sensory based strategies to help your child relax and manage their feelings which includes;

Touch

Smell

Auditory

Visually

Taste

Movement

Balance

If you have a child with a sensory processing disorder, please make sure you check in with your occupational therapist (if you have one) especially if in a school environment, they will know what is calming or overstimulating for your child. If you don’t have access to an occupational therapist, please make sure to check in with a child before and after an exercise / strategy. Use your senses and brilliance to see how they’re reacting to analyze if the exercises are beneficial or not.

Resources Mentioned in the Podcast

Raising a Sensory Smart Child by Lindsey Biel and Nancy Peske - https://www.sensorysmarts.com

The Inspired Treehouse - playful sensory based ideas - https://theinspiredtreehouse.com/

Sensory Resources from Coping Skills for Kids

https://store.copingskillsforkids.com

Sensory Coping Cue Cards

Sensational Sensory Activity Book - Digital & Print

Sensory Coloring Sheets

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens.

‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Processing COVID with Kids Jun 24, 2021

Hello! Guess what? I’m back! If you’re an avid listener, you’ll know I took a break from the podcast to focus on supporting on my own children while they were remote learning during the pandemic.

One thing I really missed doing last year was meeting face-to-face with my clients. I got myself vaccinated as soon as possible and in our first sessions back, we worked on processing which involves a simple exercise of 4 questions…

Not only can you work on this with your kids, but you can think about these questions for yourself. I have certainly done so, and it has inspired me to create new resources for Coping Skills for Kids. I have a new course for professionals working with teens who have anxiety (link below). I have also created a ‘Reset Space’ which helps kids manage their emotions while at school as well as a sensory activity book which will both be available soon.

My course for professionals working with teens who have anxiety - https://courses.copingskillsforkids.com/p/coping-skills-for-teens-with-anxiety

As mentioned in the episode, you can listen to my episode on ‘Silver Linings’ here - https://www.janinehalloran.com/podcast/calm-and-connected-episode-64

And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens.

‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

A Coping Skill to Try: Body Scan Dec 17, 2020

In today’s episode, I wanted to try a coping skill together! It’s been such a stressful year, and I thought it would make sense to practice a coping skill together to help us relax. In this podcast, I share what got me interested in body scans in the first place and how they are related to progressive muscle relaxation. Then we’ll go through the body scan I wrote for the Coping Skills for Teens Workbook. Take a listen!

Resources:

Calm & Connected Episode 10 - Progressive Muscle Relaxation 101

YouTube Body Scan Video

Coping Skills for Teens

Sign up for the Newsletter: copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter

Subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are launched.

If you are enjoying this podcast, please review the podcast and share with others.

Five Amazing Holiday Gifts to Encourage Social and Emotional Skills Dec 03, 2020

It’s that time of year where people are looking for gifts for the kids in their lives. I wanted to share five fantastic holiday presents that build social-emotional skills in children. Take a listen to hear my top 5 ideas for games, activities, and toys that help kids with social and emotional learning.

Resources:

Calm & Connected Episode 51 - Open Ended Toys

Big Life Journal

See some amazon suggestions at janinehalloran.com/podcast

Sign up for the Newsletter: copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter

Subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are launched.

If you are enjoying this podcast, please review the podcast and share with others.

Deep Breathing Ideas for Teens Nov 19, 2020

In the past, I've spoken about lots of different ways to encourage kids to take deep breaths by using shapes and other prompts. In this podcast episode, I focus on ways to help teens take deep breaths. Take a listen to hear some strategies I use with my adolescent clients and some resources you can explore to find more ways to encourage teens to take deep breaths.

Resources:

Mindfulness Exercises

Positive Psychology

Calm & Connected Episode 14 - Deep Breathing with Shapes

Deep Breathing Strategies on Coping Skills for Kids

Sign up for the Newsletter: copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter

Subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are launched.

If you are enjoying this podcast, please review the podcast and share with others.

How to Use the Coping Skills Checklist Nov 05, 2020

I get asked all the time - how do I start to help kids explore coping skills? I use the Coping Skills Checklist to help kids identify their current skills and new skills to try. Take a listen to this podcast for how I use the checklist, and modifications I make when using it in different settings.

Resources:

5 Coping Styles

Explanation on Coping Skills for Kids

Podcast Episode on the 5 Coping Styles

Coping Skills Checklist

Sign up for the Newsletter: copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter

Subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are launched.

If you are enjoying this podcast, please review the podcast and share with others.

Interview with Ted Quinn from Activate Care Oct 22, 2020

Ted Quinn is the CEO and Co-founder of Activate Care, a digital health company helping everybody engaged in the healthcare system - clinicians, patients, families, and communities - act together to make health happen, wherever they are. Ted has decades of experience leading healthcare IT and technology companies. Prior to Activate Care, Ted served as COO of Vecna Medical, driving revenue growth and new market penetration. Before Vecna, Ted served as President & General Manager of a Taylor Corporation Company, as a Business Manager and Product Manager for the FLEX platform at Teradyne Corporation, and as a management consultant at Accenture. Ted holds a BS in Economics from Brigham Young University, an MBA from the Harvard Business School, and an unflinching loyalty to the Boston Red Sox.

In this podcast episode, Ted and I talk about the pandemic and the impact it has had on mental health and education and how important it is for people to work together to support those who need help and ways we can make that easier.
Just so you are aware, we discuss suicide in the first part of our interview, so I just wanted to let you know that just in case this was an area of sensitivity for you.
I had such a great time speaking with Ted, and I hope you enjoy the podcast too

Resources:

Activate Care

Sign up for the Newsletter: copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter

Subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are launched.

If you are enjoying this podcast, please review the podcast and share with others.

Self-Care in COVID-19 Oct 08, 2020

Self-care can feel like just another thing to add to your to-do list. I KNOW life is hard right now. My kids are fully remote, and sometimes it's a struggle to make it through the next class or piece of homework. I have to thank my colleagues because I keep getting emails and seeing posts about self-care. It's a reminder to me to talk about it and do it. I find that I need to take time for myself. Otherwise, I find myself being more crabby or cranky, and it's hard to accomplish anything. And I need to practice what I preach.

In this podcast episode, I talk about how I'm taking care of myself and hope to inspire you to figure out some tiny moments of self-care. Take a listen!

Resources:

CXMH Podcast with Janine Halloran

Holly Oxhandler - Self-Care for Helpers

Mosaic Weighted Blankets

Sign up for the Newsletter: copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter

Subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are launched.

If you are enjoying this podcast, please review the podcast and share with others.

Four Simple Ways to Introduce Mindfulness to Kids Sep 24, 2020

This time is so stressful and full of anxiety! This is the perfect time to start to explore the practice of mindfulness with kids.

Mindfulness is being aware of what’s happening in the present moment. It’s not about trying to clear your mind, but allowing thoughts and emotions to come and go without judgment and familiarizing ourselves with the present moment. It takes practice to be able to do this.

Mindfulness helps kids focus on the present instead of focusing on the past or future. As they grow into adults, they need to learn to manage stress in healthy ways and make sure they have a healthy balance in their lives.

Mindfulness can also be a helpful tool for kids who have challenges with self-regulation or difficulty managing emotions, or want to improve their concentration. it would be helpful for them to be able to calm down and be aware of the present. When they are aware of the present, it will help them be more able to see what’s happening around them and settle themselves and their minds.

In this podcast episode, I talk about four different ways to introduce mindfulness to kids. Take a listen!

Resources:

Andy Puddicombe TED Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzR62JJCMBQ&t=19s

How to Make a Calming Jar - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKWB_D2p3Qc&t=13s

Mindful Minutes App: http://www.oopsyay.com/mindful-minutes/

https://appadvice.com/app/mindful-minutes-relaxing-meditations-for-kids/1116489051

Sign up for the Newsletter: copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter

Subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are launched.

If you are enjoying this podcast, please review the podcast and share with others.

Using a Question Box to Encourage Conversations Sep 10, 2020

When I think back to my time as a school counselor, my best memories are laughter and connection during lunch groups. Lunch groups are a great way to get to know a lot of students throughout the year. It’s also an excellent way for children to meet new peers and potentially make new friends. What I thought was the best part was the natural opportunity to practice conversations. The way I would encourage conversations is by using a question box. Please take a listen to hear what social skills we practiced in lunch groups using this simple technique.

BONUS - these questions can be used during remote learning and at home too!

RESOURCES

40 Conversation Starter Questions

Lunch Group Questions

Sign up for the Newsletter: https://www.encourageplay.com/encourage-play-newsletter

Subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are launched.

If you are enjoying this podcast, please review the podcast and share with others.

Three Benefits of Using Distraction Coping Skills Aug 27, 2020

As you may know, at Coping Skills for Kids, I divide coping skills into 5 types:

Relaxation

Movement

Sensory

Processing

Distraction

In this episode of the podcast, I’m focused on distraction coping skills, which include things like playing and fun activities. Distraction coping skills aren’t meant to help kids avoid or suppress their feelings. Take a listen to the podcast to hear the three benefits of using distraction as a coping skill, and for some resources that you can get from Coping Skills for Kids.

Calm & Connected Podcast - The Five Coping Styles

Calm and Connected Podcast - How Play and Coping Skills are Connected

Would You Rather Questions

Coping Cue Cards Distraction Deck

Sign up for the Newsletter: copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter

Subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are launched.

If you are enjoying this podcast, please review the podcast and share with others.

Back to School Coping Skills for Kids and Families Aug 13, 2020

In this podcast episode, I don’t discuss how to send kids back to school safely. Instead, I discuss coping strategies that families can use, whether kids are back at school full time, remote learning, homeschooling, or learning in a pod. Take a listen for some ideas of things you can do to help yourself and your family as you navigate these uncharted waters.

Subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are launched.

If you are enjoying this podcast, please review the podcast and share with others.

Using Art and Poetry to Explore Perspective Taking with Kids Jul 30, 2020

Last year, I did a whole series of perspective taking on the Calm & Connected Podcast, but I wanted to revisit the topic and discuss two other ways I like to explore perspective-taking with kids. Why do I keep talking about this topic? It’s a building block for empathy, a skill we all want to build in our kids. For two more ways to work on perspective-taking using art and poetry, listen to the podcast

Resources

The Blind Men and the Elephant

https://www.commonlit.org/en/texts/the-blind-men-and-the-elephant

Another version of the story found at Peace Corps

https://www.peacecorps.gov/educators/resources/story-blind-men-and-elephant/

Calm & Connected Podcast

Perspective Taking Part 1

Perspective Taking Part 2

Perspective Taking Part 3

Perspective Taking Part 4

Perspective Taking Part 5

Sign up for the newsletter to get 5 free activities!

https://www.encourageplay.com/encourage-play-newsletter

Subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are launched.

If you are enjoying this podcast, please review the podcast and share with others.

Using Dominoes to Show How Kindness Can Spread Jul 16, 2020

In this podcast episode, I share this simple yet powerful visual activity to help kids see how kind acts can spread and make a positive impact. I also share some wisdom from Dr. Alan Chu from the University of Wisconsin Green Bay about the ripple effect of sending gratitude letters, and small acts of kindness. Take a listen!

Dr. Alan Chu

Random Acts of Kindness

Subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are launched.

If you are enjoying this podcast, please review the podcast and share with others.

Unique Ways to Keep Kids Busy This Summer Jul 02, 2020

A social distancing summer looks super different, right? Back in January, I had major plans to go to museums and take day trips with my kids. Most of that has gone out of the window.

What are we doing instead? Instead, we're choosing to explore outdoor spots that are new to us and close by. Last week, we went on a hike to a place we'd never been before, and they were limiting how many people were going in, so that felt safe in terms of our ability to keep the appropriate social distance.

I wanted to hear ideas from others with unique ways to keep kids busy this summer, and I got a ton of responses. Visit the podcast page for this episode to see all of the fantastic ideas.

https://janinehalloran.com/podcast/calm-and-connected-69

Subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are launched.

If you are enjoying this podcast, please review the podcast and share with others.

Create More Kindness by Being Kind Jun 18, 2020

We create more kindness by being kind.

-Katie Hurley

In this podcast, I talk about how I got inspired to record this after reading a post on Katie Hurley’s Facebook wall. I also talk about how kindness is related to friendship and social skills, and I give a few ideas to help get you started in doing some kind acts, wherever you are. Take a listen!

Subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are launched.

If you are enjoying this podcast, please review the podcast and share with others.

Channeling Big Emotions into Positive Energy Jun 04, 2020

There are a lot of big emotions happening right now, and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to share a coping skill that I wrote about in the Coping Skills for Teens Workbook - Channeling Big Emotions into Positive Energy. Take a listen to the podcast as I read this section of the book. My hope is that you are inspired to use your energy in a positive way.

Coping Skills for Teens Workbook: teencopingskills.com

Subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are launched.

If you are enjoying this podcast, please review the podcast and share with others.

Six Books about Feelings for Kids May 21, 2020

Books are a great way to start conversations about feelings with kids. Here are six of my favorites:

How Are You Peeling? By Saxton Freymann

You’re a Crab: A Moody Day Book by Jenny Whitehead

My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss

Today I Feel Silly by Jamie Lee Curtis

Glad Monster Sad Monster by Ed Emberley

The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld

To hear more about these books, take a listen!