A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
Deliberately inflicting pain or injury by cutting oneself or some other form of self-mutilation seems incomprehensible to many people. But it’s a common, typically secretive, experience for about 8% of adolescents and young adults. People who intentionally harm themselves aren’t always easy to identify or categorise and recent research indicates they are equally likely to [...]
“If children can learn how to identify when they're sad and know how to manage it, then they are developing emotional intelligence. This helps to not be overwhelmed by the emotion, and instead to get some perspective on it. It also helps to digest the emotion rather than ignore it.” via Why comfort isn't always [...]
1. It can be hard to talk about love in scientific terms because people have strong pre-existing ideas about it. The vision of love that emerges from the latest science requires a radical shift. I learned that I need to ask people to step back from their current views of love long enough to consider [...]
This article was originally written for PediaStaff, a provider of pediatric therapy services. A friend of mine, and fellow music therapist, Kat Fulton shared a story with me recently: I utilized drumming at a camp for kids who have parents with cancer. We sang, chanted, and drummed. At the end of it all, I invited each child one by one to [...]
In a Review published in The Lancet Neurology, two of the world's leading experts on the link between environment and children's health are sounding the alarm on the dangers of industrial chemicals. They are calling on countries to transform their chemical risk-assessment procedures in order to protect children from everyday toxins that may be causing [...]
Although anxiety disorders are both common and distressing, many people with anxiety disorders don’t seek professional help and may live with these distressing and impairing conditions for decades. But the good news is that anxiety disorders are treatable. Medication can provide some relief from the symptoms of anxiety. There is also a great deal of [...]
Mindfulness essentially involves the passive observation of internal and external stimuli without mental reaction. Ever been unable to sleep because you can’t switch off that stream of thoughts that seems to flow incessantly, mercilessly through your head? When your mental noise distracts you from the task at hand, makes you forget why you walked into [...]
Unhealthy people have toxic habits that keep them unhealthy. Avoid these 10 toxic habits to ensure that you are living life to your full potential. 1. Always Assume the Worst Unhealthy people always assume that the worst. They assume no one will like them, that they’ll always mess up, and that they’ll never be successful [...]
Strengths-based-approaches are nothing new in education. Tap into what I student is good at, and use that to leverage their ability across the curriculum. But what if I asked you, “What is a strength? What are your strengths?” As adults we sometimes find it hard to articulate. What do you mean strength? Do you mean [...]
Far from being a distraction, office animals can help colleagues get on better, reduce stress and raise efficiency. A review of research on domestic dogs and human health, published in 2007 in the British Journal of Health Psychology, suggested that pet owners tend to be healthier. The review found evidence to suggest that dog owners [...]
