Month: <span>August 2025</span>

Child Wellness Parenting School Services Uncategorized By Beth Church 0 Comments

From Chaos to Calm: Back-to-School Transitions That Work

Written by: Jessica Hauser-Harrington, PhD, LP

One of the best ways to support your family’s mental wellness in the back to school chaos is to use evidence-based strategies to manage the transition. These strategies can help lower stress and support a calmer entry into the school year for kids and parents!

Reviewing Last Year’s School Routine: Keep What Works, Change What Doesn’t

Why planning ahead makes school mornings more calm and less stressful.

It’s useful to start with a review of the previous year’s routine–what worked last year and what didn’t? Was the morning routine a hot mess? Was the carpooling schedule too complicated? Do you need to adjust your children’ wake up time? There’s no need to reinvent the wheel if things are working well, but if there is room for improvement, the weeks leading up to school’s start can be a good time to test out some new possibilities. 

Practicing New School Routines to Reduce First-Day Anxiety

From visiting the playground to testing new routes—ease the transition before it starts.

If there is a change to your routine – a new school, a new start time, etc.– practicing the new changes can help reduce anxiety a great deal. If your children are starting at a new school, take a few trips to the school’s playground or sports fields. Join a local parent group or school PTO group online and invite some new potential friends to meet at the playground before school starts to help encourage new friendships and have a few friendly faces at school the first day.  If your child will be walking to school on their own or with friends, take a few practice trips to review the route and give reminders about safety concerns. Practice might not make perfect, but practice does make us calm. 

Organizing School Supplies and Daily Essentials for a Stress-Free Morning

Routines are easier to execute when everything has its place 

Another helpful tip for preparing to return to school is assigning a place for frequently used items such as backpacks, laptops or tablets, lunch boxes/snack bags, water bottles, etc. Whether you use hooks, baskets, closets, or drawers, ensuring that everything has a place, and establishing a regular routine to put everything in its place can help cut down on the morning chaos. It’s common for kids to get distracted when they have to hunt down a missing or forgotten item, especially if they have to go to another floor of the home to look for it. One of my favorite tips is to keep a basket of socks in the same place where you keep your shoes. Another is to keep a set of toothbrushes and toothpaste in a first floor bathroom to minimize return trips upstairs.

Delegating School Prep Tasks to Boost Kids’ Independence

Developmentally appropriate responsibilities that build confidence and lighten your load.

Delegating school-related tasks is also a helpful way to share responsibilities and reduce stress. Help your kids take ownership of the developmentally appropriate tasks such as picking out clothes the night before, getting themselves dressed, packing lunches and/or snacks, making sure devices are charged, or even preparing simple breakfasts in the morning. Use the weeks leading up to school to practice these tasks by demonstrating, helping, and supervising your children when they take over the task. Not only will this build your child’s sense of self-efficancy and confidence, but it can take a few things off your plate too. Working together as a family to figure out what you can prepare ahead of time helps create calmer, less rushed school mornings.  

Sleep Schedule Reset: Getting Kids Ready for School Mornings

Gradual bedtime adjustments based on pediatric sleep recommendations.

Finally, if your family’s sleep routine has changed over the summer, make sure to start making small adjustments over the course of several days (or a week if possible) to get back to the bedtime and wake up time that will ensure your child gets enough sleep to feel rested and refreshed to start the school day. You can start by moving bedtime back by 15 minutes each night. Likewise, if your child needs to be woken up for school, start setting the alarm or other wake up routines in 15 minute increments to get to the necessary time. As a reminder, The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommend the following sleep guidelines:

  • Preschoolers (3-5 years): 10-13 hours per 24-hour period, including naps.
  • School-aged children (6-12 years): 9-12 hours per 24-hour period.
  • Teenagers (13-18 years): 8-10 hours per 24 hour period. 

Conclusion

If you need help establishing routines, figuring out developmentally appropriate responsibilities, and increasing family cohesiveness, the professionals at Monarch are here to help! Parent coaching is available separately or as part of your child’s individualized treatment plan. Call or make an appointment through this link today! https://www.mbh-mi.com/make-an-appointment/ 

ADHD Mental Wellness Parenting Uncategorized • • • • • • • By Beth Church 0 Comments

Summer Series 5: Emotions Are Your Brain’s GPS: Helping Neurodivergent Kids Navigate Big Feelings

Written By: Julie Braciszewski, PhD, LP

Emotions First, Regulation Later: Understanding Neurodivergent Emotional Processing

Our brains are wired for emotion before anything else. Long before we can talk, plan, or problem-solve, our emotional processing systems are fully online. For neurodivergent individuals—including those with ADHD, Autism, learning disabilities, or executive functioning challenges—emotions often feel bigger, faster, and harder to manage.

Ever notice your child goes from zero to sixty emotionally in seconds? That’s not misbehavior—it’s biology.

Emotions are your body’s built-in GPS. When we learn to tune in, name them, and understand what they’re pointing us toward, we can transform big feelings into powerful guides.

 This Skill Set Targets:

  • Intense emotions and emotional dysregulation

  • Impulsivity and difficulty with self-control

  • Social skills and perspective-taking

  • Problem-solving and conflict resolution

“Name It to Tame It”: The First Step to Regulation

Did you know that humans all over the world share six core emotions? These emotions are universal and hardwired:

  • Happy

  • Sad

  • Angry

  • Fear

  • Surprise/Shock

  • Disgust

When children use clear, basic emotion words instead of vague ones like “upset” or “mad,” it gives their brain a better roadmap for what to do next. Start practicing emotional literacy by naming the emotion out loud, then ask:

“How big is that feeling right now? Let’s rate it from 0 to 10.”

You can also model by labeling emotions in yourself as well as fictional characters::

  • Yourself: “I feel sad right now. I think I need a break.”

  • Your child: “It seems like you’re feeling angry—maybe a 7?”

  • Fictional characters: “What do you think she felt in that moment?”

Boosting Inner Self-Talk for Better Reflection

Many children with ADHD and similar profiles experience a delay in developing self talk — the voice in your head that helps you reflect, reason, and pause before acting. That’s why increasing external self-talk can help regulate emotions and reduce impulsivity.

After labeling an emotion, try asking open-ended reflection questions:

  • “What do you think made her/them/you feel that way?”

  • “What do you think they/you want to do now?”

  • “Is that something that will help or hurt?”

This kind of dialogue builds emotional insight, problem solving and executive functioning skills over time.

Link Emotions to Motivation: What Is This Feeling Telling Me?

Each emotion gives us a biological message about what we need or what action we should take:

Emotion Message
Sadness You may need comfort, closeness, or a break
Anger Something feels unfair or threatening—defend or set a boundary
Fear You feel unsafe—gather more info, seek safety or support
Surprise/Shock Pause and assess—something unexpected happened
Disgust Avoid or move away from something potentially harmful
Happiness Move toward connection, play, or enjoyment

Try asking:

  • “What do you think your sadness is telling you you need?”

  • “What might that character do next, based on the emotion they were feeling?”

This step helps children translate emotion into action, increasing both motivation and emotional intelligence.

Final Thoughts: Emotions Aren’t the Problem—They’re the Map!

At our practice, we help neurodivergent kids, teens, and adults understand that emotions aren’t bad—they’re information. With the right tools and support, these emotions become stepping stones toward self-awareness, resilience, and connection.

If your child struggles with impulsivity, meltdowns, or social misunderstandings, you’re not alone. These strategies are a starting point—but sometimes individualized support makes all the difference.

Reach out for personalized emotional regulation coaching or support—we’re here to help your child thrive. Call 248-220-3332 or follow the link to make an appointment https://www.mbh-mi.com/make-an-appointment/