Struggling with difficult
behaviors at home?
Wondering how to use
positive communication?
Craving more connection
with your children?
Communication is so much more than the words we use. In fact, nonverbal behavior can offer even more information than spoken words. Our actions are purposeful and powerful. Children use behaviors – both negative and positive – to express themselves when they do not have the words or ability to request their needs, share information, protest appropriately, or process their emotions.
Through consultation and therapy, parents will receive an individualized family plan includes evidence-based communication strategies and positive parenting methods. Caregivers will feel empowered to support their child’s social, cognitive, and emotional development at home. Families will learn to work together to solve common problems, increase self-esteem, and build healthy relationships founded on mutual respect and compassion.
Research indicates the ability to relate to others, manage internal emotions, and use effective problem-solving skills are better predictors of success than academics or intelligence. These skills are referred to as our executive function, which help us plan, organize, shift between situations or thoughts, control our emotions and impulsivity, and learn from past mistakes. Children depend on executive function to follow directions, make decisions, and complete basic daily routines with independence. These life skills will be the goal of our therapy.
Increase
Social Skills
- Use and understand social routines and nonverbal communication
- Engage in cooperative play with peers
- Use and understand abstract language
- Initiate conversation with appropriate topics and adapt communication style to fit the situation
- Participate in group activities appropriately
- Build empathy and perspective-taking
Develop Emotional Competence
- Decrease “meltdowns” or “temper tantrums” by learning strategies
- Use more appropriate emotional reactions to change
- Identify emotions in one’s self and in others
- Negotiate conflict resolution appropriately
- Process emotions using healthy strategies
Improve
Self-Regulation
- Increase attention during activities and ability to transition between activities
- Able to follow directions and problem-solve with more independence
- Decrease anxiety in unexpected or unfamiliar events
- Adapt behavior to match situational expectations
- Decrease impulsive behavior
- Plan, organize, and follow through