Overpowering Emotions: Tools for Child & Teen Anxiety and Resilience

Welcome back to another episode of Overpowering Emotions. Today, Dr. Caroline jumps into the heart of essential life skills – Problem-Solving Skills! While it's tempting to categorize this as just a "school" skill, it's so much more. Explore the benefits, from fostering critical thinking to cultivating resilience and creativity. Dr. Caroline also reveals the power of teaching problem-solving using...

As the new school year begins, families around the world are preparing to send their children back to school. Amidst the excitement and anticipation, there lies an essential aspect that deserves our utmost attention: instilling healthy habits and routines in children not only during this transitional phase but throughout their lives. In this episode of Overpowering Emotions, I discuss the importan...

Are you ready to kickstart the new school year with ease and confidence? Join Caroline in today’s episode of Overpowering Emotions where she presents a treasure trove of valuable tips and strategies to ensure a smooth back-to-school transition for your children and teens. While she will be getting into specific skills, today she focuses on general routines to focus on to make this year’s transitio...

Today Caroline shifts to a School Success series.  In today's episode, she talks specifically about managing back-to-school worries and equipping children for a smooth and confident transition. As the new school year approaches, it's natural for children to feel a mix of excitement and apprehension. Parents definitely face challenges in helping their kids navigate this time of change. Carolin...

Welcome to a thought-provoking episode of Overpowering Emotions, where I explore the multifaceted journey of fostering attachments and building safety in therapeutic relationships. Your feedback has inspired me to dive deeper into this topic, as we recognize the crucial role that relationships play in helping children and teens develop emotional regulation skills and navigate their complex inner w...

In this episode of Overpowering emotions, I dive into the profound connection between prenatal and early life experiences with trauma and their enduring impact on our emotional well-being and relationships.  In this enlightening discussion, I highlight the crucial role of trauma-informed prenatal care, recognizing its significance in nurturing emotional well-being right from the earliest stag...

In today's episode of Overpowering Emotions, I explore attachment styles and specific strategies to support children and teens with different attachment patterns. I discuss the unique challenges children and teens with different attachment styles face and how each attachment style manifests. I explore the importance of building trust, establishing boundaries, and fostering autonomy while respectin...

In today’s episode of Overpowering Emotions, I discuss the profound link between trauma and attachment and how these intertwined factors shape our relationships, well-being, and capacity for growth. I will discuss how trauma can disrupt attachment processes, leading to a wide range of emotional and relational challenges. I also discuss the significance of creating safe and nurturing environments t...

In today’s episode of Overpowering Emotions, I continue to talk about the nervous system and strengthening its flexibility. I introduce the concept of the window of tolerance and how it influences our ability to adapt to stressors in our environment. I discuss the factors that can contribute to a small window of tolerance in children. From trauma and anxiety to sensory sensitivities and living in...

In today’s episode of Overpowering Emotions, I delve into the intricate workings of the nervous system and uncover the crucial link between our brain, body, and emotional well-being. Anxiety and trauma affect millions of individuals worldwide, presenting complex challenges that can significantly impact daily life. To effectively address and navigate these experiences, it is essential to understand...

We know the importance of play in childhood. But play is important throughout our entire life because it offers many benefits for our physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Play can reduce stress, improve our mood, and boost our learning, problem-solving, and creativity. Play is also a fantastic way to express ourselves, connect with others, and experience joy and pleasure. Importantly, play...

Today I had the opportunity to I had the chance to speak with Patricia Morgan about anxiety and trauma. Anxiety and trauma are often closely linked. Indeed, traumatic experiences can lead to the development of anxiety disorders, and individuals who have anxiety disorders may be more susceptible to trauma. This is such an important topic because anxiety and trauma not only affect our mental and phy...

Today I dive into Part 2 on anxiety and trauma. While there are some approaches that are similar for both, there are some special considerations with trauma. After all, traumatic memories can stay trapped in the amygdala and continue to trigger scary thoughts and big emotions that keep us stuck in traumatic responses. Because trauma disrupts the connections in the brain, we need to rewire the brai...

In today's episode of Overpowering Emotions, I lay the foundation for understanding trauma and anxiety. Trauma is defined as an event or experience that overwhelms an individual's ability to cope, leading to feelings of intense fear, helplessness, and horror. Anxiety, on the other hand, is an excessive and persistent worry and fear. While not everyone who experiences trauma develops an anxiety dis...

In today's episode, I am joined by fabulous Dr. Tonia Winchester who chats about how we can use Neurolinguistic programming (NLP) to help - not just manage - but heal old emotional pain and stories that are keeping us from being who we want to be, doing what we want to be doing, and having what we want to be having. NLP is a psychological approach that focuses on the relationship between the neuro...

Every year, millions of teenagers struggle with thoughts of depression, deep sadness, isolation, stress, and helplessness. Because of their mental health issues, thousands die by suicide, making it one of North America's leading causes of death among teens. Sadly, and too often, the parents of these teens are the last to learn about their child's mental problems, and sometimes it's too late to tak...

In today's episode, I have the opportunity to speak with Jayne Wesler about her new book Railroaded, which tells the story of a young ADHD man surrounded by a rash of recent suicides.   We also chat about the shame epidemic of ADHD, the pressures of today's children and teens, and key skills children and teens must learn and that parents must model.   Importantly, we talk about...

In today’s installment of my comorbidity series, I explore the relationship between depression and anxiety, two of the most common mental health disorders that affect millions of people worldwide, and why they often occur together. These diagnoses are often talked about separately, but they often coexist. In fact, more than half of the people experiencing depression also have anxiety. Although the...

In today’s episode, I continue my discussion on Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) and the best way to support these kiddos. I discuss the importance of understanding the child or teen’s unique profile, including their sensory needs and communication style in creating the most effective support. The typical strategies we would use to support anxious, or even autistic, children and teens do not ne...

In today’s episode of Overpowering Emotions, I dive into the misunderstood world of Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) and its link to anxiety. In Part One today, I discuss the key characteristics of PDA, including the avoidance of demands, difficulties with social communication, and a need for control.  PDA is often misunderstood. Unfortunately, without a clear understanding of PDA, childre...

Today I jump into Part 2 on the anxiety-autism connection and how to manage both.  Last week I discussed the link between autism and anxiety and important considerations when supporting autistic children and teens. This week I continue the conversation by discussing the variables that maintain anxiety and how to best manage anxiety.    The link between anxiety and autism highlights...

This week I continue the comorbidity series. This is Part 1 of my dive into unpacking the anxiety-autism connection. In this week's installment of my comorbidity series, I dive into Part 1 of the anxiety-autism connection in (Part 1).  Anxiety is a common experience for many kiddos, but autistic children and teens are particularly vulnerable. Today I discuss what is happening in the brain and...

This week is Part 2 of my interview with Dr. Jeremy Sharp, as first seen on The Testing Psychologist ( https://www.thetestingpsychologist.com/348-differentiating-adhd-asd-part-2-w-dr-caroline-buzanko/ ) in which I dive into a discussion of differentiating ADHD & ASD. Definitely check out Part 1 before you tackle this one! In part 2 today, I discuss: The overlap and differentiation of “Part B”...

This week I am sharing an episode first seen on The Testing Psychologist ( https://www.thetestingpsychologist.com/346-differentiating-adhd-autism-part-1-w-dr-caroline-buzanko/ ) in which I dive into a discussion of differentiating ADHD & ASD with Dr. Jeremy Sharp. For you testing psychologists out there, how many kids have you seen over the last few years with rule-outs of both ADHD and autism...

In this episode of Overpowering Emotions, I continue talking about ODD and anxiety and, importantly, how to manage them. There are numerous considerations when we have a kiddo with an ODD diagnosis, like addressing their (mis)interpretations of situations. But, even more importantly, I discuss the key environmental issues that must be addressed before we can ever work on kids' skills. Part 2 of th...