Author: Dajah Nolan Durham
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How Weighted Plush Toys Can Help Kids and Teens with Anxiety and ADHD
If your child or teen struggles with anxiety, restlessness, or focus, you may have noticed how much comfort they find in soft toys or blankets. Weighted plushies take that comfort one step further by combining the soothing texture of a stuffed animal with the calming benefits of deep pressure therapy. Why Weighted Plushies Work Weighted…
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After-School Stress Relief: Why Every Child Needs a Calm Down Kit
The hours after school can be some of the most emotionally charged for children. They’ve spent the entire day following directions, navigating friendships, and processing new information — all of which can create after-school stress and emotional overload. This often shows up as meltdowns, irritability, or withdrawal when they get home. That’s why having a…
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The Ultimate Tween Anxiety Toolkit: Helping Your Child Cope in Stressful Moments
As parents, we understand that life is not always smooth—particularly for children these days in our fast-paced world. Tweens are in a unique position where they are facing school stresses, shifting friends, and enormous emotions that are just too much at times. Tweens’ anxieties can manifest in so many ways—pre-school stomachaches, night waking, irritability, or…
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6 Must-Read Books for Supporting Your Child’s Mental Health
Children’s emotional well-being is just as important as their physical well-being. How children interpret and manage their emotions determines their confidence, relationships, and capacity to recover from setbacks in the course of growing up. As parents and caregivers, having the right tools can make a big difference in helping children feel seen, supported, and empowered.…
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CBT Worksheets for Parents and Kids: Easy Strategies to Tame Giant Feelings
Working with kids on controlling their feelings can become overwhelming at times—particularly when worry, frustration, or meltdowns erupt during daily life. One research-based approach that is making a huge impact with families is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). CBT shows kids (and parents, too!) that thoughts, feelings, and actions all go together. Through easy-to-use, child-friendly strategies,…
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Helping Kids Cope: Why Naming Emotions is the First Step
As kids and teens grow, they’re faced with big feelings that can feel overwhelming—especially when they don’t yet have the language to explain what’s going on inside. That’s where emotional vocabulary becomes a powerful tool. One of the simplest, yet most effective strategies you can teach your child is the practice of “Name it to…
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Smart Parenting: 5 Ways to Really Connect with Your Pre-Teen (Free Download)
Pre-teen life is a fascinating, sometimes bumpy, ride. While kids are coping with huge changes and identity formation, good communication is not about instructing them on what they should be doing, but about really connecting with what they’re becoming. As a school counselor, I witness daily how transparent communication can transform problems into opportunities for…
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Summer Fun, Screen-Free Peace: Developing Emotional Regulation Through Play
Summer finally arrived, and with it the huge chance to move away from screens and involve children in activity that actually promotes their emotional well-being. Some screen use is unavoidable, but excessive use can sometimes leave children overstimulated or disconnected. Hands-on creative play, on the other hand, gives children some invaluable chances to exercise self-regulation,…
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Beyond Happy & Sad: Why a Big Feelings Vocabulary is Essential for Children (and How to Develop It)
As a school counselor, I see one of the most prevalent things is that children will go to “happy,” “sad,” or “mad” when asked to describe emotions. Although these are basic feelings, restricting their emotional vocabulary actually serves to restrict their capacity to deeply know themselves, express their needs, and navigate the subtleties of their…
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A School Counselor’s Go-To Tools for Taming Big Feelings
As a school counselor, I have a front-row seat to the inner lives of children. My door is a revolving door, where children come to work through everything from playground conflicts to the unspoken, heavy weight of worry. And in the quiet room of my office, I’ve discovered a fundamental truth: before we can talk…
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