Circle of Discovery Wholistic Counselling

12/08/2025

So many parents are telling us they’re seeing more irritability, more dysregulation, and more aggressive outbursts in children right now. Screens often get the blame — but the research is far more nuanced.

Today’s visual breaks down what we actually know about screens, cortisol, and stress in children, and what healthy screen habits can look like in real life.

See the visual for details, and let me know in the comments:
What’s one screen habit that helps your child feel more regulated?

11/29/2025

When your child is overwhelmed, your nervous system becomes their safety net.
But staying calm in the storm isn’t instinct — it’s a skill.
Here’s a simple Parent Regulation Tip Sheet to help you steady you, so you can steady them.

If you’d like deeper, brain-based tools to understand your child’s behaviour, you’ll find them in The Child Brain Explained Toolkit — link in comments below ⬇️ or via Linktree Shop in Bio.

What helps you regulate in hard moments? Share below — your ideas might help another parent today.

11/29/2025

When a young person is overwhelmed, “calm down” feels like the obvious thing to say — but it’s something a dysregulated brain simply can’t do on command.

In that moment, their body is in threat mode: heart racing, breath shallow, thinking brain offline. Until their nervous system feels safe again, calm isn’t a choice — it’s a state they have to be guided back into.

This visual explains the brain–body loop behind big feelings, and why co-regulation and connection work so much better than pressure or reasoning.

If you’re navigating this at home or in the classroom, our The Child Brain Explained Toolkit gives you step-by-step support to help a child return to calm.

11/26/2025

Talking to teenage boys about consent isn’t about scaring them — it’s about giving them the language, confidence, and emotional literacy to navigate relationships safely and respectfully.

Many young people learn about s*x long before they learn about boundaries, pressure, power dynamics, or how to read someone’s comfort levels. Your son needs more than “no means no”; he needs to understand enthusiastic YES, body signals, peer influence, and how to truly check in with someone he cares about.

Today’s visual breaks this conversation down into clear, practical steps you can start using straight away.

11/05/2025

SECOND CHANCE SUNDAY

VOICE OF THE CHILD:
“When I am mid-meltdown, I need…”

So often, a child’s behaviour during a meltdown is misunderstood as defiance, attention-seeking, or lack of discipline.
But what’s really happening is distress — not disobedience.

This visual gives a glimpse into what a young person might wish they could say in those intense moments, if they could find the words.

Our Managing Difficult Feelings Toolkit helps parents and educators understand what’s underneath these moments — and how to respond in ways that calm the brain, protect connection, and build emotional safety.
Download your toolkit at link in comments or via Linktree Shop in Bio.

What helps your child most when they’re overwhelmed? Let’s share ideas that make those moments a little gentler for everyone.

11/05/2025

Worry not only affects teens, it affects us all!

Worry is part of being human — it helps us plan, prepare, and care.
But when it takes over, it can feel like your brain is stuck in “what if” mode.

This Curious Conversation helps teens make sense of worry — what’s normal, what’s not, and how to get back to calm.

Boy teen and The Primary Years have already been posted.

Find practical strategies, conversation starters, and support tools in When Worries Take Over – The Toolkit for Parents and Educators. Available via the Linktree Shop in bio or link in comments⬇️

11/04/2025

Many contemporary models — from Polyvagal Theory to Lisa Feldman Barrett’s Constructed Emotion and modern CBT emotion regulation frameworks — recognise that anxiety isn’t just a feeling. It’s a regulatory process — the body and brain working hard to find safety.

When we understand anxiety through this lens, our focus shifts from “fixing the worry” to supporting regulation — helping the child’s nervous system return to balance.

Which is why our toolkit, WHEN WORRIES TAKE OVER includes information, resources and activities rooted in building emotional regulation.

FOLLOW for more content on Polyvagal Theory this coming week.

11/04/2025

Before a child can manage their emotions, they first need to notice them.
That begins with interoception — the hidden sense that helps the brain read the body’s signals.

A racing heart, a heavy chest, butterflies, a tight tummy — these are the body’s early messages.
When a child can’t interpret them, emotions can appear “sudden” or “out of nowhere.”
They’re not ignoring how they feel — their brain simply isn’t getting a clear signal yet.

Understanding interoception helps us respond with patience, not punishment — and teach children how to recognise what their body is trying to say.

Explore Managing Big Feelings: The Toolkit for Parents & Educators — practical guidance to help children build awareness, understanding, and self-regulation. Link in comments below ⬇️ or via Linktree Shop in Bio.

08/01/2023

A great opportunity to learn some songs and experience our culture!

Let's Learn to Drum!!!

The Akwe:Go program will teaching traditional songs, storytelling and language each Monday during the month of August from 5:30-7:30 pm.

Give Gabby a call at 519-344-6164 Ext 211 # or email akwego@slnfc.org to register!

We can not wait to see you on Monday, August 7, 2023 !!

01/22/2023

Indigenous Knowledge and Perspectives are foundational to outdoor learning. A key step towards deepening understanding is to take your learning outside, and learn from the local land. Join us: Every Child Matters: 4 Seasons of Reconciliation Learning Opportunity Non-indigenous Educators need to unde...