Self Regulation and Coping Skills That Work

Self-regulation is one of the most pivotal developmental skills youth can learn. If we can start thinking about what’s going on in our lives and how that impacts our feelings and reactions, then we can make wise decisions that support us in reaching our goals. Our...

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The Courage To Be Authentic

When teens go through my programs the tools they get start them on a path to making decisions that they are proud of, feel good about, and help them communicate more authentically. Though that sounds idyllic, they typically run into obstacles. I love it when they...

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Kids Are Resilient…or are They?

What Is Resiliency? Resiliency is the ability to recover from illness, depression, and adversity unscathed. In other words, one who is resilient comes through emotional and/or physical trauma without any injury or harm to their intellectual, creative, emotional,...

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3 Steps to Build Confidence in Youth

You can’t just tell someone to be confident and expect that he/she will magically feel confident. Boy do I wish this were true. Parenting and caring for youth would be easy if we could wave a wand. Cultivating confidence involves actively implementing the following...

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Two young girls in athletic clothing look confident and happy while smiling at viewer in gym atmosphere with a basketball and soccer ball at their feet.

The Importance of Adults Cultivating Youth Confidence

Adults are the architects of the environments youth experience. What if you could cultivate a strong sense of confidence within all youth you care for? Adults who support youth in their choices are adults who trust and have confidence in youth’s individual ideas...

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The Effects of Self-image

Thinking- the process of considering or reasoning about something; the action of using one’s mind to produce thoughts, opinions, judgments and decisions. The science of psychology includes theories and research that allow us to describe, predict, and understand...

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Brunette teenage girl applying makeup at a white vanity table and carnation flowers in vase next to her on windowsill.

The Invisible Problem Putting All Youth At Risk

We throw lots of information at youth, “do this” “don’t do that” “be honest” “be kind” “don’t cheat” “be quiet” “Listen” “Stop” “No” “What are you thinking?” We hope that some of what we throw at them sticks, but we rarely ask for their buy in. Naturally, we have...

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Young teenage male in white sweatshirt with pondering look against light purple background.