Hey everyone! So as you might have read on my last post, I launched a very random podcast mini-series about self-care in the time of COVID-19. I had questions I wanted answered and I wanted to help others if I could, so viola. I’m no podcast master (shocking, I know) but I think the information is good and helpful.
This week I talked with a friend and children’s therapist about how we can help our kids cope with this weird new experience we’re all having globally. I don’t know about yours, but my kid is pissed. He’s only a toddler but he’s easily the most social child I’ve ever met and being trapped at home with me and F 24/7 isn’t his idea of a glorious time. I’ve done every sensory activity available on Pinterest, we’ve had 6,000 dance parties to the Moana soundtrack, read 900 books, and he’s asked to get into the cleaning closet to grab the mop, broom, and vacuum, no less than two million times. It’s a challenge. So it was nice to be able to sit down with a professional and pick her brain about how to up my self-care and his so we can get through this with as little stress and trauma as possible. Enjoy! And don’t forget to review and share!
Coping With Corona: Talking With Your Kids About Anxiety and Isolation
As COVID-19 continues to spread and you’re forced to isolate or shelter-in-place with your families, you might be wondering how in the hell you’re supposed to entertain, educate, and calm your kids. It’s a lot. Many of us are stressed to the max right now and that includes our little ones. But how do we identify anxiety, depression or stress that our kids might be experiencing when our little ones don’t have the words to tell us how they feel and our older kids just don’t want to?
Listen and let me know what you think. And most importantly, stay safe out there, friends. Stay home, stay safe, and wash your hands.
Episode Resources:
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) was created by Congress in 2000 as part of the Children’s Health Act to raise the standard of care and increase access to services for children and families who experience or witness traumatic events. This unique network of frontline providers, family members, researchers, and national partners is committed to changing the course of children’s lives by improving their care and moving scientific gains quickly into practice across the U.S. The NCTSN is administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and coordinated by the UCLA-Duke University National Center for Child Traumatic Stress (NCCTS). https://www.nctsn.org/
Find a therapist: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us
About Maggie Sandack, LCSW
Maggie Sandack is a trauma-informed licensed clinical social worker with experience in complex issues such as substance abuse, domestic violence, and attachment ruptures. Experience includes working with individuals across the lifespan, children and families, veterans, refugees, homelessness, and incarceration. With extensive training in evidence-based practices such as Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Attachment, Self Regulation, and Competency (ARC), and Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), Maggie provides compassion and motivation to support healing from stressors that are impacting daily functioning. Maggie has spent the last 3 years working with family systems, children struggling from emotional and behavioral difficulties, and high-conflict divorce. Additionally, Maggie has facilitated a variety of therapy groups including Strengthening Families, Therapeutic Preschool Groups, Mind-Body Bridging, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, and Addiction Education. Recently spending time in Israel, Turkey, Africa, and Europe, Maggie has connected with community members, soldiers, orphanages, and religious leaders, and continues to strive to develop ongoing awareness of cultures in and outside of the United States. You can contact her here.
m.e. evans 