Today we’re diving into a topic that’s very close to my heart. Along with being a parent of a child often labeled as “difficult,” I know that so many other children are unfairly pigeonholed because of their behavior. And I’ve come to realize: it’s not so much about the actual behavior as it is about understanding the root cause of that behavior.
To have this conversation with me today on Yoga | Birth | Babies is Nina Essell. Nina is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over a decade of experience as a school social worker supporting children and families. Nina holds a Master’s of Social Work from Columbia University and a Master’s of Science in Childhood General and Special Education from Bank Street College of Education. Nina is an advanced certified trainer in the Nurtured Heart Approach as well as Kimochis, a social emotional learning curriculum. Currently, she is a parenting coach and consultant, providing 1-on-1 coaching, parenting workshops, and professional training.
In this episode, we explore how families can reframe challenging behaviors, the importance of parents finding their own grounding during moments of dysregulation, and practical tools children can use to identify big feelings- before they boil over. My hope is that we, as a society, can get to a place of understanding these kids without judgement. Enjoy this episode.
In this episode, you will learn:
- About Nina and what led her to social work and focusing on children
- What is often behind “difficult” behavior
- Why it’s the wrong approach to think you can simply fix a behavior pattern, and that will solve the problem
- How Nina helps families examine and reframe where challenging behavior comes from and helps them identify the root causes of it
- What dysregulation is and how it is present in kids
- How parents can support their kids when they are dysregulated
- Tools that kids can use to better identify their feelings and internal cues, so that the feelings don’t immediately turn into tantrums or disruptive behavior
- Ways that parents can advocate for their kids in a school system that is often not equipped to support kids who have different needs- whether it be sensory needs or neurodivergence
- One final tip or piece of advice that Nina would like to offer new and expectant parents
- Where you can find her work
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About Nina:
Nina is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over a decade of experience as a school social worker supporting children and families. Currently as a parenting coach and consultant, Nina provides 1:1 coaching, parenting workshops, and professional training. Nina collaborates with families, schools and providers to reduce challenging behavior and improve child and family outcomes. Nina holds a Master’s of Social Work from Columbia University and a Master’s of Science in Childhood General and Special Education from Bank Street College of Education. Nina is an advanced certified trainer in the Nurtured Heart Approach as well as Kimochis, a social emotional learning curriculum. In addition to her professional work, Nina is also a mom of 3.
Connect with Nina:
Website: Balancedkidsnj.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/balancedkids/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/balancedkidsnj
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