Sandal Gap Comprehensive Services

Sandal Gap Comprehensive Services Family-owned Behavioral & Mental Health group based in Honolulu, HI 🌺 Dedicated to promoting well-being and preventing illness through compassionate care.

Board certified Behavior Analyst who specializes in communication and toilet training; Special Education Advocate; and an S2C Practicioner

Why the Vagus Nerve Matters for Emotional RegulationThe vagus nerve plays a key role in the connection between the brain...
02/20/2026

Why the Vagus Nerve Matters for Emotional Regulation

The vagus nerve plays a key role in the connection between the brain and body.

It helps regulate:

• Emotional responses
• Stress levels
• Heart rate and breathing
• Sense of safety

When the nervous system detects stress, the body may shift into:

• Fight
• Flight
• Freeze

Therapy can help strengthen nervous system regulation by supporting:

• Emotional awareness
• Coping skills
• Nervous system calming
• A greater sense of safety and stability

At Sandal Gap Comprehensive Services, we help children, teens, and adults develop skills to support emotional regulation and nervous system health.

📍 Honolulu, HI
💻 In-person and telehealth available

Children don’t always have the words to explain big feelings.That’s why we use play-based, creative, and developmentally...
02/16/2026

Children don’t always have the words to explain big feelings.

That’s why we use play-based, creative, and developmentally appropriate approaches to help kids:
• Express emotions
• Build coping skills
• Improve behavior
• Strengthen confidence
• Process difficult experiences

Child therapy is a space where kids can feel safe, heard, and understood.

✨Celebrating 3 Years in Business ✨ Three years of growth, learning and purpose. Three years of showing up for our commun...
01/21/2026

✨Celebrating 3 Years in Business ✨

Three years of growth, learning and purpose.
Three years of showing up for our community.

We are incredibly grateful to have served over 350 individuals- children, adults, and families - each one trusting us with a part of their journey. This work is deeply personal, and it’s an honor we never take lightly.

Thank you to our amazing team, our community partners and every individual who has placed their trust in us.

From gaps to growth - always.

Here’s to 3 years 🤍 we’re just getting started.

With gratitude,
Mitch & Nicole ✨

🧠 Your brain is always learning.Neuroplasticity reminds us that our brains can grow, adapt, and change at any age. Throu...
01/16/2026

🧠 Your brain is always learning.
Neuroplasticity reminds us that our brains can grow, adapt, and change at any age. Through focus, practice, challenge, and rest, we can strengthen new neural pathways and support emotional and cognitive well-being—one small habit at a time.

✨ Understanding Sensory Regulation ✨Every child’s nervous system works a little differently. Some kids need more movemen...
01/14/2026

✨ Understanding Sensory Regulation ✨

Every child’s nervous system works a little differently. Some kids need more movement, sound, or touch to feel focused (sensory seekers), while others need less input to feel calm and safe (sensory avoiders). Neither is “good” or “bad” — they are simply different ways the brain tries to find balance.

These slides highlight simple tools like movement breaks, chair-based activities, and heavy-work input that help children regulate their bodies, emotions, and attention throughout the day. When we match support to a child’s sensory needs, we see better focus, fewer meltdowns, and more confidence.

Sensory supports aren’t rewards or punishments — they’re essential building blocks for learning, emotional regulation, and success. 💚

01/14/2026

Important information regarding the new Registered Behavior Technician certification requirements!

IEP vs. 504 — what’s the difference?Both plans support students with disabilities, but they serve different purposes.Und...
01/07/2026

IEP vs. 504 — what’s the difference?
Both plans support students with disabilities, but they serve different purposes.
Understanding which one fits your child’s needs can empower you to advocate with confidence 💙

Have questions or need help navigating school supports? You’re not alone.

🧠What’s happening in the brain during a panic attack?During a panic attack, your brain is not “overreacting”—it’s trying...
12/30/2025

🧠What’s happening in the brain during a panic attack?

During a panic attack, your brain is not “overreacting”—it’s trying to protect you.

🔹 The amygdala (fear center) becomes highly activated
🔹 The prefrontal cortex (logic and reasoning) temporarily goes offline
🔹 Cortisol and stress hormones are released
🔹 The hypothalamus triggers the fight-or-flight response

This combination can lead to racing thoughts, rapid breathing, increased heart rate, dizziness, and a sense of losing control.

💙 The important thing to remember:
A panic attack is uncomfortable, but it is not dangerous. Your nervous system will settle again.

🌿 Therapy can help retrain the brain, build regulation skills, and reduce the intensity and frequency of panic responses over time.

You’re not broken. Your brain is doing its best—and support is available.

🧠 How Trauma Impacts the BrainTrauma doesn’t just affect how we feel — it changes how the brain functions. When the brai...
12/19/2025

🧠 How Trauma Impacts the Brain

Trauma doesn’t just affect how we feel — it changes how the brain functions. When the brain has experienced trauma, it may stay in “survival mode,” even when danger is no longer present.

✨ Here’s what’s happening beneath the surface:

• Amygdala (Fear Response): Trauma can make the brain’s alarm system overactive, increasing anxiety, fear, and reactivity.
• Hippocampus (Memory): Trauma may disrupt how memories are stored and recalled, leading to fragmented or intrusive memories.
• Prefrontal Cortex (Executive Functioning): Stress can weaken decision-making, impulse control, and emotional regulation.
• Neurotransmitters: Trauma can affect serotonin and dopamine levels, contributing to mood changes, anxiety, or depression.
• Sensory Processing: Heightened sensitivity to sounds, lights, touch, or movement can make everyday experiences feel overwhelming.
• Brain Connectivity & Plasticity: Trauma can disrupt communication between brain regions — but with support, the brain can heal and rewire.

💙 Healing is possible. With trauma-informed care, regulation skills, and supportive relationships, the brain can learn safety again.

📍 At Sandal Gap Comprehensive Services, we take a compassionate, neuro-affirming approach to trauma recovery — meeting each person where they are.

🌈 Play Therapy: Healing Through Play 🌈Play is a child’s natural language — and play therapy uses that language to suppor...
12/16/2025

🌈 Play Therapy: Healing Through Play 🌈

Play is a child’s natural language — and play therapy uses that language to support emotional growth, communication, and healing.

🧸 Through play, children can:
• Express feelings they may not yet have words for
• Build emotional regulation and coping skills
• Improve communication and social interaction
• Process stress, trauma, and big emotions in a safe way

In play therapy sessions, children use toys, games, art, and imagination to explore their experiences while guided by a trained clinician in a supportive, therapeutic environment.

💙 At Sandal Gap Comprehensive Services, play therapy is tailored to each child’s developmental needs and strengths — helping them feel understood, empowered, and supported.

✨ Healing happens when children feel safe to be themselves.

🌿 Stress happens — but so does healing.Here are a few simple “Stress Busters” you can lean into each day to support your...
12/04/2025

🌿 Stress happens — but so does healing.

Here are a few simple “Stress Busters” you can lean into each day to support your mind and body:

✨ Nourish yourself with balanced meals
🧘 Practice mindfulness to ground your nervous system
🏃 Move your body to release tension
🤝 Stay connected with supportive relationships
😴 Prioritize quality sleep for restoration

Small daily habits can create big shifts in your overall well-being.
You deserve to feel regulated, supported, and balanced. 💙

🌺 What Is Eco-Therapy? 🌺🌴 Eco-therapy is a form of therapy that uses nature-based activities and environments to support...
12/03/2025

🌺 What Is Eco-Therapy? 🌺

🌴 Eco-therapy is a form of therapy that uses nature-based activities and environments to support emotional, psychological, and sometimes physical healing. It can be practiced in structured ways with a clinician or informally as part of daily wellness. 🌴

👨🏼‍🏫 Core Principles:

☀️Nature as a co-therapist: The natural world provides calming, grounding, and regulating sensory input that supports emotional healing.

🧘🏾‍♀️Mind–body connection: Eco-therapy emphasizes regulation of the nervous system through movement, breathing, and mindfulness outdoors.

💫 Holistic healing: The approach supports mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being.

📝 Common Eco-Therapy Techniques:

🌊 Mindfulness in nature (deep breathing, grounding, noticing sensations)

🥾Nature walks or hiking therapy

🪴Gardening or horticultural therapy

🧘🏼‍♀️Outdoor meditation or grounding exercises

🐶 Animal-assisted interactions

🏞️ Forest bathing (“shinrin-yoku”)

🎨 Using natural materials in expressive arts therapy

✏️ Benefits:

✅ Reduces stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms
✅ Improves emotional regulation and clarity
✅ Supports trauma healing through calming sensory input
✅ Strengthens connection, purpose, and self-awareness
✅ Increases motivation and hopefulness
✅ Enhances executive functioning and attentional control

Address

200 N Vineyard Boulevard
Honolulu, HI
96817

Telephone

+18084901668

Website

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