Author: Emily Bly

Emotional Intelligence in Kids

What exactly is emotional intelligence? Well, a quick Google search reveals that emotional intelligence “is the ability to understand, use, and manage your own emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, and empathize with others.” But how exactly, do we raise emotionally intelligent children? Here is a New York Times article talking about just that. Some key habits to start building with your kids include:

  1. The importance of having a “feelings check-in” with your kids.
  2. Strategies to create a calm environment when your kid is tapping into their feelings.

Enhance emotional intelligence with our parent-focused therapy and child therapy services.

Children’s Tantrums and What To Do About Them

Kids, and sometimes even adults, have tantrums. They are unpleasant to witness, and often even more unpleasant to experience firsthand. But why do they happen, and what should you as a parent do when they occur? Here is a New York Times article talking about just that. The key to managing tantrums? Try to nip them in the bud before they start.

Some takeaways include:

  1. The science and physiology of a meltdown.
  2. Tips for managing your own emotional response as a parent.
  3. Insights on how to manage & validate your child’s experience.

Find out how child therapy and parent-focused therapy can help

COVID-19 & Special Education

Here is a New York Times article about disability education in the time of the pandemic. The author shares her own experiences on the topic — her 7-year-old has autism. But she also talks about what’s happening around the country with special education, and how some kids might not be well-served during the pandemic. As Individualized Education Programs are changing to an online format, some parents have to learn new ways to advocate for their children. Find out how we can help support your efforts to advocate with a comprehensive evaluation.

Pandemic Teacher Support Group

With the coming school year, teachers are having to navigate uncharted waters like never before. As if managing the stresses of regular teaching weren’t enough, teachers must not only educate but enforce and oversee complicated protocols as their school administrations struggle to keep up with local and state guidance. Join us for an 8-week support group where teachers can share frustrations, worries, feelings and ideas in a warm and supportive, judgment free environment. Learn coping strategies, self-care tools, and get expert guidance under the leadership of group facilitator, Gerard Micera, who has the unique qualification of being both an educator and a psychologist.

When? Wednesdays at 4pm, September 9th – October 28th
Where? Google Meet
Cost? $240 for full 8-weeks. Space is limited to 12 participants.

Click Here to Enroll

Pandemic Parent Support Group

Times are tough for parents right now. With school just weeks away, parents are having to make tough decisions. Working from home or is it living at work? How to make the commute work? Remote, hybrid, homeschool, masks, shields, pods, six feet, ventilation, rapid tests, A/B, AM/PM, staggered drop offs, socially distanced playdates, bubbles? One year ago, this vocabulary would have sounded alien to all of us. Now we’re living it and anxiety levels have increased for parents and children alike. The very concepts of home, work and school have turned upside down. Join us for an 8-week support group where parents can share frustrations, worries, feelings and ideas in a warm and supportive, judgment free environment. Learn coping strategies, self-care tools, and get parenting guidance and resources from group facilitators, Marisa Picheny and Emily Bly.

When? Tuesdays at 8pm, September 8th – October 27th
Where? Google Meet
Cost? $240 for full 8-weeks. Space is limited to 12 participants.

Click Here to Enroll

What Does Boredom Do?

What is boredom and is it worth paying attention to? Isn’t boredom just wanting more stimulation and excitement? Well, yes and no. According to this New Yorker article, it may be worth noticing the next time you are bored. Often when we aren’t distracted, we can really examine what’s really going on in ourselves and our feelings (an anxious person’s “bored” may feel very different from a depressed person’s). But the article also examines how there is new brand of boredom popping up in society, one that is unique to this moment in our history.

Stress Resets & Strategies

This New York Times article has some useful tips for self-soothing in times of distress. With COVID, we are in the middle of an emotional marathon, but some of these strategies will work when everyday life is back to normal. Here are some key takeaways.

  1. Pacing your breath.  Slowing down your breathing to six breaths a minute has shown to decrease anxiety.
  2. Practicing Anchoring. Notice if you are engaged in thinking that isn’t helping you, often our interpretations of events supercharge the intensity of what’s happening around us.
  3. Cool-off — literally. By lowering your body temperature with water, you activate your body’s dive response, a reflex that happens when you cool your nostrils while holding your breath, dampening your physiological and emotional intensity.

“Talking Tweens” Presentation

The “tweenage” years (ranging from 8 to 12) can be an awkward and challenging time for your tween as they navigate growing independence along with physical, emotional and social changes. And from the parental perspective, it can be rewarding but also challenging and more than a little frustrating. Is my child a little or big kid, a little bit of both or 12 going on 30?! What do they need from me? How do I best support my child while staying sane?!

This talk will lay out the developmental theories of what is going on in this period and will also address the biological and social factors driving some of these changes. The latter half of the talk will be Q&A as we hear from you the particular challenges that you might be facing with your “tweenager.” We will also touch on the impact of COVID and confinement on this age group and explore strategies for best supporting your child during the pandemic.

Join us for this live webinar sponsored by Northern Westchester Hospital Center for Healthy Living on June 24th, 2020. Information and Registration here.