It’s hard to know how to talk to kids about frightening or traumatic events in the news. Between the coverage of wars, pandemics, political uncertainty, neighborhood violence, where do we even start? Thankfully, the National Center for Traumatic Stress Network has outlines some best practices.
Melissa Diddle is one of our lead intensive in-home service (IIS) specialists. She and her team work hard to help families who are struggling to acquire the skills they need to parent successfully. An avid kayaker, Melissa loves to spend as much time in the water as she can when she’s not working.
We are dedicated to making sure all of the children, families and staff we work with are treated with dignity and affirming who they are as individuals. However, if we are not aware of the ways people experience that dignity, we are liable to violate it, even if unconsciously so. Check out this list by Donna Hicks from Harvard University outlining the fundamental ways we experience dignity and the principles we all should adhere to when seeking to affirm that dignity in others.
Mindfulness — the practice of being present in the moment instead of rehashing the past or imagining the future — has many great health benefits. But it can be a challenge to achieve in our fast-paced world of multi-tasking. One way to practice mindfulness is by using your senses to explore the world around you. Learn how you can do this every day with a simple pause at mealtime.
With the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, everyday stress and the never-ending to-do lists can be overwhelming. Under this pressure, instead of being compassionate to ourselves like we are to others, we often become our own worst critics. Mastering self-compassion is a wonderful way to gain control of your day and reduce stress.
