​This is the second in a series of posts about some of my favourite children’s books. With school starting in one week these books can support easing the anxiety many kids may be feeling by supporting self-regulation through mindfulness. This post is relevant for developing a child’s understanding and application of mindfulness including awareness of our thoughts and feelings, building body awareness by connecting with our sensations and feelings, and kid-friendly mindfulness tools. Many of these books were integral in informing the the children's mindfulness groups I ran in the past. Please find below five of my favourites:   

​Does the idea of drawing feel daunting to you? I often here this from adult client’s when I share how art therapy can support them to achieve what they are working towards whether it is breaking through the impacts of past trauma, experiencing more confidence and feeling relaxed in their own skin, or feeling less anxious and more able to navigate life’s ups and downs.

The good news is you do not need to know how to draw to do art therapy, as the process of the art is the key part of the art therapy process and not the aesthetics of the final product. In art therapy we do offer opportunity to discuss what you as the client created, but it is not about evaluation of your use of colour, or working on rendering the images for more realism. Rather, what do the colours you use mean for you, and how is this image important to you and what meaning does it hold. 

Midway through August with the days growing shorter and a bit cooler, back to school becomes more real for parents and kids alike. With the thought of school and the transition back to the routines, afterschool programing and homework, some parents anticipate the challenges of the transition back to school. Here I provide some tips to get you started in supporting this transition:

​More than half way through summer, I love to continue to take in the moments of summer and taking mental snapshots and snapshots of the felt sense in my body to help me to embody the previous moments of summer I love. Find below three key things:

​This is the first in a series of posts I will be doing about some of my favourite children’s books for some of the common areas’ kids can benefit from support around including validating and coping with anxiety, managing anger, understanding feelings, grief and loss, and social skills. This post is relevant for supporting anxiety including understanding anxiety, not feeling alone, and coping. And for some parents as we are approaching the half way point of summer, anxiety for some kids starts to increase around mid-August and having some relatable books can help reduce some of the unease. Please find below four of my favourites: