All posts by sbleitschuh@gmail.com

young children fear

Fear: Young Children & Emotions

Children, Families, Parents

This post is the third  emotion specific post in a series of posts that I am writing about supporting children under age 5 in learning about and coping with their emotions.    This post focuses on fear.  You can read the introduction to this series and find the other posts in this series here.

Fear  is the word I have chosen to use for this post, but you may use a different word to describe this same experience.    Afraid and scared are two common words used to describe this experience.   The emotion that I am writing about in this post is an intense fear of something, someone or some event.   It is different than anxiety or worry which will be addressed in another post soon. Continue reading Fear: Young Children & Emotions →

sadness

Sadness: Young Children & Emotions

Children, Families, Parents

This post is the second emotion specific post in a series of posts that I am writing about supporting children under age 5 in learning about and coping with their emotions.    This post focuses on sadness.  You can read the introduction to this series and find the other posts in this series here.

Sadness is the word I have chosen to use for this post, but you may use a different word to describe this same experience.  Some parents describe their children experiencing “funks” or appearing withdrawn. Continue reading Sadness: Young Children & Emotions →

Frustration

Frustration: Young Children & Emotions

Children, Families, Parents

This post is the first emotion specific post in a series of posts that I am writing about supporting children under age 5 in learning about and coping with their emotions.    You can read the introduction to this series here.   Frustration is the first emotion addressed in this series as it is the most common emotion parents ask me about when they have children in this age group.

Frustration is the word I have chosen to use for this post, but you may use a different word to describe this same experience.  Angry.  Mad.  Irritable.  Melt down.  Outburst.  What other words do you use? Continue reading Frustration: Young Children & Emotions →

Young Children & Emotions

Young Children & Emotions: An Introduction to the Series

Children, Families

Welcome to the Young Children & Emotions series.   This series of posts will be focused on ways we can support children under age five in learning about and coping with their emotions.    As you may know, I’ve written about children and emotions in a general sense in many past posts, but this series will be a little different than my other posts.   This series will focus very specifically on children under age five.     In addition, each post in this series will focus on a specific emotion that I am frequently asked about. Continue reading Young Children & Emotions: An Introduction to the Series →

find a Counselor

How to find a Counselor (Part 1)

Counseling

In recent posts, I have been trying to demystify counseling in order to make it more approachable for those who have never experienced it before.  Once you come to the realization that you may benefit from counseling and want to give it a try, the next step is to find a counselor or therapist that you are comfortable working with.   I know that this can feel like an overwhelming task and that is the reason that I have written this series of posts specifically focused on finding a counselor. Continue reading How to find a Counselor (Part 1) →

Change

When Change Does Not Happen As Fast As You’d Like….(Part 2)

Change, Quotes

Change is tough and the progress is often slower than we expect which can become discouraging.   In Part One of this series, I wrote about some of the thoughts that I share with my clients when they are struggling to make progress towards their goals as quickly as they’d like.  In today’s post, I’d like to share the wisdom of others.  Continue reading When Change Does Not Happen As Fast As You’d Like….(Part 2) →

Change

When Change Does Not Happen As Fast As You’d Like….(Part 1)

Change, Counseling

Often times, one of the things that my therapy clients get frustrated by at some point in the process of working together is the fact that change does not happen as quickly as they would like.   I am sure that you have experienced this frustration outside of a therapy office, too.  Once we set our minds to making a change happen we want it to happen right away.  Even instantaneously would be great.   I have experienced this desire both personally and professionally, so I get it! Continue reading When Change Does Not Happen As Fast As You’d Like….(Part 1) →

Calming strategies for families

Calming Strategies for Families

Children, Families, Stressors

This morning, I taught my Emotions & Me Workshop focused on Anxiety.  I loved it.   One of my favorite things is working with children and parents together because I recognize the power of that parent-child relationship in creating change.    One of the topics discussed focused on calming strategies that families can use to help children (and adults) manage anxiety.

During the workshop, I utilized a handout that described calming strategies and calming statements that children and families can use to manage anxiety.   I believe that children cannot learn how to do these interventions alone, they need support and guidance from a trusted adult as they learn to use these strategies and build their confidence.   I decided to modify the handout that I used and share some of the information with all of you, too! Continue reading Calming Strategies for Families →

What happens in a therapy session

What happens in a therapy or counseling session?

Counseling

If you’ve never been in counseling or therapy before, you may wonder what happens during a  session.   In a recent post, I addressed what to expect from your initial counseling session, but this post gets at more of what happens in ongoing sessions.    Each counselor or therapist may structure their sessions a little differently based on their approach to counseling, the presenting problem you want to address and their personality, but this post will provide a general overview of what to expect. Continue reading What happens in a therapy or counseling session? →