What is emotion coaching, and how can we practice it
Talking about trauma: Talking about trauma is never easy, let alone with our children.
Avoidance tactics: It is for that reason that many parents are reluctant to discuss traumatic experiences with their children.
The reality: Of course, parenting is never easy and parents cannot be simply blamed for getting it wrong.
Emotion coaching: Talking about trauma and practicing so-called ‘emotion coaching’ has been shown to shape a child’s memory.
Think about it: In fact, if you think about the way you respond to a traumatic event now as an adult.
Spongy: The premise of emotion coaching is that kids are like sponges.
Easily influenced: Their reaction and ability to recover from trauma is therefore heavily influenced by the way that the grown-ups react to the event.
Specific phrases: In fact, studies have shown that there are specific things we can say to help children learn empathy.
Eager to learn: Wondering how to practice emotion coaching and give your child the best chance of developing a healthy way to process negative emotions.
It’s okay to be upset: First up on the agenda of emotion coaching is to teach your child that it’s okay to be upset.