Child and Family Behavioral Health Services

Clinician’s Corner:

 Simple Ways Kids Can Calm Down Anywhere:

1. Count to 5. This helps kids learn how to stop and think before reacting

2. Take a Deep breath. This is a great relaxation technique for kids and adults!

3. Blow into your hands. This gives kids the feedback of taking a deep breath.

4. Place hands in pockets.  A good tool for kids who react with their hands.

5. Make a fist, then relax. This relieves tension build up in the body.

6. Do a body scan. Notice areas of tension in the body and relax.

7. Ask for a hug. Find someone you love and hug it out. 

5 Strategies for Parents during Meltdowns:

1. Lower your body so that your eyes are at or below the eye level of the child. The eye contact allows them to see and hear you better.

2. Speak in short sentences. Don’t preach or ask a lot of questions.

3. Slow Down your rate of speech, movement and what you are trying to convey. It will take as long as it takes.

4. Teach a relaxation strategy or tool- i.e., deep, slow belly breathing, have your child pretend to blow bubbles to slow their breathing and calm their body.

5. Let the child Talk and you Listen. Don’t rush to be a “Fixer” and provide solutions.

10 Tips to Parent your Anxious Child

1. Respect and validate your child’s feelings! Anxiety is a real emotion and not pleasant.

2. Teach your child deep, slow belly breathing. This is an easy and very portable skill for self-soothing and calming.

3. Listen to your child and ask, “Tell me what you are thinking?” this will help to reveal scary thoughts and scenes that build up in your child’s mind.

4. Rather than swooping in to reassure, ask your child, “How likely is (that thing you’re afraid of) to happen?” You’ll be teaching him to challenge his anxious thinking.

5. Prompt your child with “Tell me some things you can do to handle the situation” and help him/her to brainstorm, rather than just giving him or her solutions. Your child will feel empowered.

6. Give up the idea of “mental health days” “skip days” “sleep with mom nights” or other ways of avoiding feared situations. This just makes the anxiety stick more firmly and lead to further avoidance.

7. Encourage your child’s attempts to be brave, no matter how small they may seem to you. Use labeled praise such as “I am so proud of you for sleeping in your own bed last night!”

8. Work with your child to outline small steps leading to a bigger goal.

9. Create opportunities for your child to practice being brave and coping, and then praise or high-five his or her efforts!

10. Recognize when you are anxious and say aloud what you can do to calm down and solve the situation. You will be modeling healthy coping for your child, however, be mindful and do not overshare your anxiety! 

Feeling Anxious?

Do a Grounding Technique!

Look around you. Find 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can taste. This is called “grounding.” It’s helpful to do whenever you feel anxious.

Current Groups:

• Adolescent Dialectical Behavior Therapy groups  meet every two weeks on Thursdays at 3 p.m.

If you are in a Crisis, please call 911, 988 (Suicide Prevention Hotline) or go to the nearest Emergency room.

 

 

Behavioral Health

Child and Family
Embedded and Multi-Disciplinary
Family Advocacy Program
Intensive Out Patient