Managing Challenging Behavior in Kids During Stressful Times, featuring J. Stuart Ablon, PhD – Shrinking It Down

These past months and weeks have put tremendous stress on families across the country, on top of the daily challenges we were already navigating. And under tremendous stress, it can become even harder to regulate our emotions, leaving our kids – and even us – struggling with challenging behavior. 

In today’s episode, Dr. Stuart Ablon, Director of Think:Kids at Massachusetts General Hospital, joins Gene to talk through strategies to help you and your kids do the best you can right now. A huge part of this is changing our mindset to remember that challenging behavior is about skill, not will – none of us act out on purpose. Kids behave well if they can, and so do parents. Tune in for ways to focus your energy on building new coping skills for the whole family. 

Thank you for joining in this conversation. Have questions or comments about addressing kids' climate anxiety? Write to us!

Media List

• THINK:Kids (Massachusetts General Hospital)
• Helping Kids with Challenging Behavior, featuring Stuart Ablon, PhD – Shrinking It Down (MGH Clay Center)
• Guide to Mental Health Resources for COVID-19 (Massachusetts General Hospital)
• George Floyd: What happened in the final moments of his life (BBC News)
• Calling out racism isn't political. It's our moral imperative. (The Week)
• The Impact of Racism on Child and Adolescent Health (American Academy of Pediatrics)
• How Racism Harms Children (Harvard Health Blog)
• Rethinking Challenging Kids - Where There's A Skill, There's A Way (TEDx Talks)
• Getting It Right: Collaborative Problem Solving for Criminal Justice (National Institute of Corrections)
• Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators Toolkit: Reducing the Use of Isolation (National Institute of Corrections)
• The Importance of Sleep for Kids' Emotional Well-being (MGH Clay Center)
• Calming Your Anxious Mind Through Rhythmic Movement (ACES Connection)
• Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In (Wikipedia)
• Collaborative Problem Solving Trainings (Think:Kids)

Episode produced by Sara Rattigan 

Episode edited by Joshua Eng

Music by Gene Beresin

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