https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-yitac-1325e8c
Symptoms and problem behaviors are not always signs of a mental illness health diagnosis or condition. Struggle is a very natural part of the human experience so it can be difficult to know if a problem is actually a problem or if it’s simply an age or situationally appropriate challenge. Nikki and Chad break this down in episode 36 and share how to tell the difference and when to seek help.
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-y2hra-1308175
Chad and Nikki are starting a new non-sequential series of episodes featuring other individuals and groups that are spreading awareness of children’s mental health. For the first of this series, they are joined by Sara Moore, Founder of Silver Lining Stuffies from Los Angeles, California. Sara struggled with depression in childhood and is using her experience to help others and bring further awareness to childhood mental health with her line of stuffed animals and children’s books. She shares her journey with Nikki and Chad in this episode.
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-s6vpn-12f792b
Family Meetings are a tool that can help kids and adults practice communication skills, conflict resolution, and effective expression of difficult emotions. In this episode, Chad and Nikki discuss the different ways to build and structure family meetings in your own household.
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-5thz4-12f7927
What are Phobias? In episode 33, Nikki and Chad discuss what a phobia is and is not, what treatment might look like for someone with this type of anxiety disorder, and things to consider if you or your child is struggling with a specific phobia.
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-yuddv-12db899
Anxiety can look very different from person to person and in children especially, anxiety can have number of different faces. In their 32nd episode, Chad and Nikki describe some of the primary ways that anxiety can be displayed in childhood and share some of the red flags that might indicate that it’s time to reach out to your child’s pediatrician or a mental health professional.
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-ej2xz-12c8c9d
Episode 31 is a conversation about what happens when a child grows up with a sibling with a mental health condition. Nikki and Chad dig into this experience from the parents’ perspective, noting specific challenges and sharing ideas for how to navigate this aspect of parenting a child with mental illness. The discussion ventures into related topics such as sibling rivalry and bullying within the family unit and special emphasis is placed on the need for parents to be compassionate with themselves as they try new strategies
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-3viuj-12a690e
In their 30th episode, Nikki and Chad are joined by Dr. Rebecca Rolland, speech pathologist, Harvard lecturer, and author of The Art of Talking with Children for a conversation about getting kids to talk. They identify the ways that parents unintentionally prevent their kids from sharing, highlight strategies for getting kids to really talk with special emphasis on overcoming the unique communication obstacles that anxiety and other childhood mental health disorders present. To find out more about Dr. Rolland, check out her website. Find her book The Art of Talking with Children on Amazon and at other major book sellers.
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-cy5t9-1297f03
For the final episode of their Back to School series, Chad and Nikki are joined by Chrissy Cox, a local school principal, who explores the classroom practicality of the tips and strategies shared in episode 28, Unexpected Coping Skill, Part 1. Chrissy also discusses how schools address the social/emotional needs of their students today.
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-bduc6-128d262
Managing anxiety doesn’t have to be a complicated affair. In the third installment of their Back to School series, Nikki and Chad share simple, effective, and sometimes surprising strategies for coping with anxiety symptoms and discuss how these work and factors to consider when deciding which might be right for your child.
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-yfjd8-1288d35
In part two of their Back to School series, Nikki and Chad unpack strategies to help kids deal with the difficult people they may encounter at school or in other areas of their lives. Difficult people may be bullies, other kids who are lacking social skills, or tough teachers. Parents are also reminded to think about what their children might see when mom or dad face their own challenging individuals.
Nikki mentions two videos in this episode:
How to Make a Bully from Scratch is a powerful video about the development of both bullies and their victim created by Conscious Discipline.
Brooks Gibbs is a Social Psychologist and Resilience Educator who teaches kids to regulate emotions and handle social problems. Find out more about Brooks on his website. The video that Nikki referenced is on YouTube.
Scrambled 