It's Not Too Late: Helping Teens Learn Self-Regulation

The teenage years present unique challenges for self-regulation. There are major physiological changes occurring, a capacity for more complex emotions and relationships, increased pressures, the task of establishing our identity and working toward independence just to name a few.

Given the significant impact of the Self-Regulation Training System (SRTS) with elementary-age children, it was a natural next step to reach out to teenagers. Research indicates that self-regulation skills predict academic success, healthy social relationships, wellness, happiness, the absence of mental health issues, and college success. Those who regulate well are generally more pro-active in their approach to life, while those who regulate poorly are generally more reactive.

Brad Chapin, best-selling author of "Helping Young People Learn Self-Regulation," recently released the highly anticipated strategy guide for helping teens learn these skills that are so critical for success. Consistent with the SRTS, self-regulation skills are broken into three areas:

• Physical - Recognizing physical warning signs to upset and learning to get calm and safe
• Emotional - Accurately identifying feelings; learning to express them in healthy ways; understanding that we are in control of our own feelings and that nothing/nobody can make you feel a certain way
• Cognitive - Learning to identify and challenge unhealthy/extreme thinking; learning to get our needs met in healthy ways; basic problem-solving and planning

Click here for more information about to get your copy of the new strategy guide.
For more information on the Self-Regulation Training System, visit www.selfregulationtraining.com

Self-Regulation Books for Children

We all remember our favorite books from our childhood... the images, the characters and the lessons we learned by watching the characters. Stories can be a powerful way to introduce skills to children.

The Legend of the Regulators and the SECRET List, written by best-selling author Brad Chapin, engages children in the adventures of Tomas as he struggles to complete his quest to save his children.

This unique story takes children on a journey to discover the secrets of a long, healthy, happy life. Help Tomas unlock the Secrets as he travels through the Caves of Calm, the Forest of Feelings and the Labyrinth of Lies to reclaim the pieces of the Secret List of the Regulators.

This book also takes advantage of hidden pictures and symbols to really tap into a child's curiosity and engage them in searching through the amazing artwork of illustrator Kayann Ausherman.

This interactive, adventure story allows children to join Tomas on his quest to unlock the mystery of the Regulators’ Secret List. Travel with Tomas on his quest to help his children succeed and to discover the Secrets of a long, healthy, happy life.

Self-Regulation skills have been shown to increase academic performance, positive social interaction, physical health, emotional wellness and performance in many areas of life.


Get your copy today!!

For more Self-Regulation Training Resources, visit www.selfregulationstation.com

Self-Regulation Skills: From Exposure to Application

Who would believe that showing someone a film of a soccer game and defining the terms would be sufficient in developing the skills necessary to play soccer effectively? We understand that exposing individuals to new things is a very important first step. But we also understand that more must happen if we expect the skills to develop.

 

Evidence indicating that healthy Self-Regulation skills are critical for success and happiness continues to mount. Our ability to manage our own thoughts, feelings and behaviors in response to life's challenges significantly impacts how successful and happy we will be.

 

The first step in Self-Regulation Training is exposure. The Self-Regulation Training System suggests that there is an organized, systematic way for teaching these skills in three skill-training areas:

• Physical Regulation - learning our body's warning signs and how to calm down when we feel these warning signs
• Emotional Regulation - learning to accurately label our emotions, express them in healthy ways, and take ownership of them
• Cognitive Regulation - learning to identify and challenge unhealthy thinking, get needs met in healthy ways, plan and problem solve effectively
  As with learning any new skill, there is a process involved. The first step in learning a new skill is exposure. We are first exposed to the concepts and given the vocabulary. We begin to understand the language. We are fairly good at teaching this level of skill-building.
   
  However, this is unfortunately where we like to stop, or where we can get stuck with teaching a new set of skills. This seems to be especially true when it comes to emotional and behavioral skills. We seem to do a much better job with other types of skills like sports or academics... possibly because these skills are easier to measure and can be more clearly demonstrated.
  If we want individuals to move from exposure to application of new skills, we need to progress through the process of true skill-development. Here are a few important elements to consider when moving from exposure to application:

• Practice & Repetition - Healthy Self-Regulation skills don't always seem to come naturally. It's very important to practice, especially when individuals have had several years of exposure to unhealthy self-regulation. Be creative and come from different angles.
• Reinforcement - Once skills have been taught and consistent expectations have been put into place, use consequences (positive and negative) to reinforce the skills you want to see. Point out natural consequences and draw attention to real-life examples of how Self-Regulation skills lead to success.
• Connect Skills to Purpose & Meaning - Human beings are great at associating concepts. Help individuals make the connections between healthy Self-Regulation skills and success. Skills become much stronger when we realize how much better things go for us when we use them.
  Remember, exposure is a great first step, but when we are wanting to build skills, we need to continue the process. We will never be perfect at Self-Regulation skills. It's an ongoing process, but any improvements we are able to make will have dramatic effects on our performance, our happiness and the happiness of those around us.

New App for Teaching Self-Regulation Skills!

Get the App

We are very excited to announce this brand new tool for engaging children in the process of learning and practicing self-regulatory skills. As you may already know, self-regulation is directly related to success in many areas including academic performance, positive behaviors, the development of social skills, and emotional control.

This interactive New App for Self-Regulation, is another big step forward in providing children, professionals, and parents avenues to practice these skills and apply in them in real-life situations. The App follows the Self-Regulation Training System, created by best-selling author and international speaker Brad Chapin, by addressing the areas of Physical, Emotional and Cognitive regulation skills.

The Self-regulation Training System (SRTS) continues to gain interest from educators, school counselors, mental health professionals, and parents as the "common core" for behavior. Lessons and curriculum from this system continue to produce significant, measurable improvements in the self-regulation skills of children and teenagers.

Many have long struggled with the gap between theory and practice. The SRTS provides concrete lessons, activities and tools focused on developing and maintaining skills for success.

Based on the success of the Challenge Software Program, a web-based tool that uses games and short video scenarios to help children challenge unhealthy thinking, we've continued to believe in utilizing technology to engage today's youth.

We would like to thank our partners at Wichita State University for their excellent work on this exciting tool for helping children succeed!

Visit www.selfregulationtraining.com for more information on the Self-Regulation Training System, to schedule a training with Brad, or to view other engaging tools for teaching self-regulation.

Practice Self-Regulation Skills for Success

www.selfregulationtraining.com

Self-regulation skills are critical for success in many areas of life. Children need ways to learn and practice skills for the development of healthy self-regulation.

In the best-selling book "Helping Young People Learn Self-Regulation," these skills are broken down into three areas:  Physical Regulation, Emotional Regulation, Cognitive Regulation. Click here for more information.

The creators of the Self-Regulation Training framework have recently released a brand new interactive tool that many are already using to help children practice and develop self-regulation skills in the classroom, at home, and in the office.

 

The Self-Regulation Training Board teaches children how to use their own skills to resolve issues independently. This tool also helps them practice all 3 of the skill-training areas mentioned above in a fun, interactive and engaging way.

This video shows how the board can easily and effectively help a child resolve an issue. Please visit www.selfregulationtraining.com for more information, or to order the Self-Regulation Training Board.

by Brad Chapin, LCP, LMLP
brad.chapin@cpschallenge.com

Self-regulation Training Program Indicates Significant Results in School Classrooms

The Self-regulation Training Program, outlined in the new book Helping Young People Learn Self-regulation, is gaining a great deal of support from mental health professionals, school administrators, teachers and parents.

The program was implemented in two 4th grade classrooms, two 1st grade classrooms and two Kindergarten classrooms. The results were exceptional. There were significant improvements as reported by the student questionnaires and the teacher rating scales. There was also an 83% reduction in Office Discipline Referrals. Additionally, the comments from the teachers regarding the impact of the program on their own teaching style and interactions with students was extremely encouraging. Click here  for the 4th grade results summary.

This program is currently being adopted by schools districts as a common core set of skills that can be easily taught in the classroom and can have an impact on several behavioral and academic issues. Schools and mental health agencies can use this one framework to address many different areas including academic performance, behavior problems, social/emotional and mental health issues.

The book containing the curriculum is available from Youthlight Publishing at www.youthlightbooks.com.

Please contact Brad Chapin for more information about a presentation in your area.

Brad Chapin, LCP, LMLP
brad.chapin@cpschallenge.com

Engaging Children in Cognitive Therapy with the Right Tools

Some critics say that we shouldn't use Cognitive Therapy
techniques with children because it's "too advanced" and
they "won't understand."

I often wonder if those critics had children of their own, because
if they did, they would realize that children are forming "beliefs"
about their world from the time they are able to experience their
environment.

I do agree that we should not use the same types of strategies,
or advanced vocabulary, with children as we do with adults. However,
there are engaging tools that can help children learn to identify and challenge
unhealthy thoughts to improve their mood and behavior.

The Challenge Software Program utilizes short video clips that begin
with an "Activating Event." We then freeze the action to present
Healthy and Unhealthy thoughts that the main character might have about
the event. Next, we have the competing thoughts challenge each
other to resolve the cognitive dissonance. This takes place in
a short video game format where the child tries to "defeat" the
unhealthy thoughts. The ending to the video clip and the fate
of our main character depend on which thought wins.

Engaging cognitive therapy tools, like the Challenge Software Program,
can help children begin to understand that they have control over their
own moods and behaviors. They will begin to identify unhealthy
thought patterns and learn how to effective challenge those beliefs.

by Brad Chapin, LCP, LMLP
Creator of the Challenge Software Program &
Author of "Helping Young People Learn Self-regulation"

3 Reasons Why Every Parent Should Know about Self-regulation Training

As parents, we receive lots of advice about the "Do's and Don'ts"of parenting. It's sometimes difficult to know what to do with our children.

Maybe we should just start by asking what we would wish for our children. Check out this list of wishes:

1. I want my children to live a long life
   



2. I want them to be healthy and happy
   



3. I want them to be successful

I think many parents would include these items in their top 5 wishes for their children. Please feel free to comment if you have other wishes for your children that you would like to share.

The question is, "As parents, what can we do to help make this list of wishes become a reality?" This question is quickly followed by, "How much time and energy do I have as a parent to learn everything about parenting, and how will I be able to apply all of that information to help these wishes come true?"

As a parent of 3 myself, I strongly believe in usefulness and practicality. If it's not realistic or practical to implement, it's just not happening. Thankfully, there is a relatively simple and straightforward set of skills that we can help our children develop. A healthy dose of Self-regulation is related to:

• Longevity - self-regulation is highly correlated with living longer
  



• Academic Success - self-regulation predicts academic success better than IQ
  



• Health and Wealth - those that learn to regulate themselves fair much better

If we focus our efforts on teaching our children how to regulate their own thoughts, behaviors and emotions, we will give our children the best chance of reaching their potential, and realizing the wishes we have for them. The great thing about this concept is that Self-regulation can be taught:)

Brad Chapin, LCP, LMLP brad.chapin@cpschallenge.com

http://www.cpchallenge.com/

Outcomes & Evidence-based Interventions are on Everyone's Mind

For or better or worse, the days of selecting interventions that we "feel" are going to work are over.

Having a solid framework has never been more important. Our framework for working with children needs to be soundly based on outcomes and research. In addition to these pressures, are the ever-increasing demands to do More in Less time and with Less resources.

I believe that is why so many of us have migrated toward the use of Cognitive-behavioral psychology. I also believe that these pressures have forced us to address "global" themes of behaviors (like self-regulation) that can affect many areas of functioning to maximize the effectiveness of our interventions.

The model in the picture above is soundly based on Cognitive-behavioral psychology and encourages addressing Self-regulation to maximize results in several areas. This practical framework provides an Evidence-based approach, but still allows for creativity in the selection of specific interventions that are consistent with the philosophy.

Improving Self-regulation can impact a broad variety of issues including:

• Academic Success
• ADHD symptoms
• Behavioral issues
• Mood problems
• Self-esteem
• Social Skills

This list is not complete, but it's an indication of how targeting Self-regulation and training children how to better regulate themselves can impact their level of functioning in many areas.

The Challenge Software Program utilizes technology and animated scenarios to engage children quickly and teach them the basics of Self-regulation.

by Brad Chapin LCP, LMLP

email: brad.chapin@cpschallenge.com