10 Ways to Teach Mindfulness to Kids

Courtesy: Left Brain Buddha

The purpose of teaching mindfulness to our children is to give them skills to develop their awareness of their inner and outer experiences, to recognize their thoughts as “just thoughts,” to understand how emotions manifest in their bodies, to recognize when their attention has wandered, and to providetools for impulse control. It is not a panacea, and it will not completely get rid of what is, frankly, normal kid behavior, like tantrums and loudness and whining and exuberance and arguing…

Don’t force it. If your kids aren’t interested in your lesson or activity, drop it. This is a good time for you to practice non-attachment to outcomes!

Don’t make mindfulness a punishment. This shouldn’t be, “You hit your sister! Go sit in the mindful corner!”

10 Ways to Teach Mindfulness to Kids – Left Brain Buddha.

Role Play: Demonstration of a Supervision Session

By AIPC

Role Play: Demonstration of a Supervision Session – YouTube.

Anxiety Symptoms: 10 Common Signs To Watch Out For

By HUFFPOST LIVING CANADA

According to Statistics Canada, anxiety is one of the most prevalent mental health disorders in the country and is usually chronic and generally lasts at least six months.If left untreated, anxiety can get worse over time and people may not feel comfortable doing day-to-day routines like going to work or openly communicating with their partners.

While there are several symptoms of anxiety, Masand says they can be broken down to psychological and physical ones. Everything from irregular sleeping patterns to constantly fearing something in your life may be signs of anxiety disorder.

Masand says there are also several misconceptions about anxiety in the medical world. He believes not all forms of anxiety can be harmful, but rather they can help us stay focused and productive when we’re dealing with fears, for example. People suffering from anxiety, however, are also aware of the stigma. Telling someone to“calm down” or relating to them with your own stress, can all be viewed as annoying and unhelpful to someone with anxiety.

Anxiety Symptoms: 10 Common Signs To Watch Out For.

Related reading from around the Web:

 Anxiety Symptoms – Anxiety Attacks
 15 Small Steps You Can Take Today to Improve Anxiety Symptoms …
 Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Get the Facts on Symptoms
 Anxiety symptoms, panic attacks symptoms and treatment of anxiety …
 Symptoms | Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA

 Stress and anxiety: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia

 

Freedom from Depression – Beyond Meds

Dr. James S. Gordon, the founder and director of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine and a clinical professor at the Georgetown University School of Medicine, speaks with Tami Simon about self-healing strategies for overcoming depression. Dr. Gordon is the author of Unstuck, and with Sounds True he has created the six-session audio program Freedom from Depression: A Practical Guide for the Journey. In this episode, Tami speaks with Dr. Gordon about the actual research on antidepressants and their effectiveness, the importance of breaking the taboo around talking about our suicidal thoughts, and which mind-body practices are most powerful for helping people experiencing severe depression. (57 minutes) To listen click on the link below….

Freedom from Depression – Beyond Meds.

 

What are we doing to reduce Poverty?

Click on the picture to see an infographic on the cost of Poverty in Ontario.

Report urges collaboration to employ and destigmatize the mentally ill

National | Globalnews.ca

Ninety per cent of Canadians with serious mental illnesses are unemployed due largely to prejudice about their conditions – a startling state of affairs that costs the Canadian economy an estimated $50 billion a year, according to a sweeping new report.

The Aspiring Workforce report, commissioned by the Mental Health Commission of Canada, delves into the challenges facing those Canadians, targeting all levels of government, businesses, policy-makers and the not-for-profit sector in addition to the attitudes of Canadians themselves towards those who suffer from mental illness.

Obtained by The Canadian Press, the report – conducted by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, the University of Toronto and Queen’s University – recommends collaboration among all sectors to find work for mentally ill Canadians, many of whom have training and skills.

Report urges collaboration to employ and destigmatize the mentally ill – National | Globalnews.ca.

How to use CharityVillage most effectively in your job search

Anyone who’s found themselves in the midst of an intensive job search knows that looking for work takes a lot of time, energy and dedication. Why waste any of those precious resources? At CharityVillage, we’re well known for our job board. But are you using the job board as effectively as possible? And what about the rest of the resources we have available?

If you’re just browsing the job board, you’re barely scratching the surface. Make the most of your time and effort and take advantage of all that CharityVillage has to offer by following these ten tips.

How to use CharityVillage most effectively in your job search.

Video: How to show off your skills in a job interview

Video: How to show off your skills in a job interview – The Globe and Mail.

11 Ways to become a Better Counsellor

COUNSELLING CONNECTION
Posted in Professional Development .

Explore 11 ways – both direct and indirect – that can help counsellors become better professionals – with the ultimate goal of assisting others live happier, more fulfilling lives.

#1 Work on Your Microskills

Counselling Microskills include Focusing, Encouragers, Paraphrasing and Summarising, Questioning, Attending Behaviour, Negotiation Skills, Reflection of Meaning, Confrontation, Self-Disclosure, Noting and Reflection, Client Observation, and others. Some of these microskills are also referred to as “influencing skills”. These skills are constantly applied throughout the counselling process to build rapport with clients and to work through presenting issues with them.

#2 Learn Continuously

Counsellors that do not have a commitment to professional development will find it increasingly difficult to practice and this lack of commitment often will affect their level of service. PD options include workshops, conferences, courses, articles and many other learning pathways including online learning (e.g. Mental Health Academy) and group supervision.

#3 Increase Your Professional Effectiveness

Effectiveness strategies can assist counsellors to become more organised and efficient in their daily tasks. Ultimately, the application of effectiveness strategies will assist a counsellor to improve in a range of personal and professional areas.
Read the article:http://www.counsellingconnection.com/index.php/2009/09/02/11-ways-to-become-a-better-counsellor/

Clenching fists ‘can improve memory’

Clenching the fist temporarily changes brain function

Based on Helen Briggs’ post on BBC News, 24 April, 2013

Memory can be improved simply by clenching the fists, a study suggests.

Clenching the right hand for 90 seconds helps in memory formation, while the same movement in the left improves memory recall, say US psychologists. In an experiment, 50 adults performed better at remembering words from a long list when they carried out these movements.The researchers think clenching a fist activates specific brain regions that are associated with memory processing.

Continue reading the main story
The experiment:

• 50 right-handed students were given a list of words to learn
• They were divided into five groups
• One group clenched their right fist for about 90 seconds before memorising the list and then did the same before recollecting the words
• A second group carried out the same test, but with the left hand
• Two other groups clenched one hand prior to learning the words (either the left or right hand) and the opposite hand prior to recollecting
• A control group did not clench their fists at all
• The group that clenched their right fist when memorising the list and then clenched the left when recollecting the words performed better than all the other hand clenching groups
• This group also did better than the group that did not clench their fists at all, though this difference was not statistically ‘significant’.

Lead scientist Ruth Propper, of Montclair State University, Montclair, New Jersey, said the research suggests simple body movements can improve memory by temporarily changing the way the brain functions.”Clenching your right hand immediately prior to learning information and clenching your left hand immediately before recalling it would be helpful to improve memory,” Dr Propper told BBC News.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-22270716

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