Janine Halloran, Coping Skills
Janine Halloran
Helping Teens with Stress: An Interview with ...

Every child needs 3 to 5 people to be part of their orbit to help shape their world and will have a significant influence on them. Whatever role you have, you could be that key person in a teenager’s life to discuss the more stressful moments in their lives. There are signs and symptoms we can look out for in our teenagers. Stress is a normal reaction for anybody in different situations. But what if these reactions are taking over our young people’s lives? 

Coping Skills
Janine Halloran
Coping Skills Spotlight: Take a Mini Mental ...

Today, I’m highlighting one of my favorite coping skills to use: Take a mini mental vacation wherever you are. You’ll hear an example of what a mini mental vacation can look like and how to practice this method. 

This is a coping skill that is in the Coping Skills for Teens Workbook. I’m excited to share that I’ve recently recorded and launched the audiobook version of the Coping Skills for Teens Workbook…

In this episode Janine discusses…

Janine Halloran, Coping Skills
Janine Halloran
Overcoming Social Anxiety from Childhood to ...

What is social anxiety and how big an impact does this have for a child and the difference for an adult? How can you tell the difference between social anxiety and being an introvert? These are just some of the questions Janine speaks about with Natasha Daniels as she also talks about her memoir Out of My Shell. 

They also speak about:

Janine Halloran, Coping Skills
Janine Halloran
The Power of Independent Play: An Interview ...

How do you encourage your kids to be more independent? When do you as a parent step back to give them the space to step up? How can you encourage them in their fears? What are some of the easy parenting norms that we can try?

Lenore Skenazy joins Janine today to discuss some of these questions. They discuss: 

Janine Halloran, Coping Skills
Janine Halloran
Becoming a Tech-Intentional Family with Emily ...

What does it mean to be a tech intentional family? Now phones, ipads and other forms of technology are in most areas of life. There’s no size that fits all and what works for you and your family will look so different to your next door neighbor and the other parents you meet at the school gate. So where do you begin? 

Interview with Ted Quinn from Activate Care

Interview with Ted Quinn from Activate Care

Ted Quinn is the CEO and Co-founder of Activate Care, a digital health company helping everybody engaged in the healthcare system - clinicians, patients, families, and communities - act together to make health happen, wherever they are. Ted has decades of experience leading healthcare IT and technology companies. Prior to Activate Care, Ted served as COO of Vecna Medical, driving revenue growth and new market penetration. Before Vecna, Ted served as President & General Manager of a Taylor Corporation Company, as a Business Manager and Product Manager for the FLEX platform at Teradyne Corporation, and as a management consultant at Accenture. Ted holds a BS in Economics from Brigham Young University, an MBA from the Harvard Business School, and an unflinching loyalty to the Boston Red Sox.

In this podcast episode, Ted and I talk about the pandemic and the impact it has had on mental health and education and how important it is for people to work together to support those who need help and ways we can make that easier.

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Self-Care in COVID-19

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Self-Care in COVID-19

Self-care can feel like just another thing to add to your to-do list. I KNOW life is hard right now. My kids are fully remote, and sometimes it's a struggle to make it through the next class or piece of homework. I have to thank my colleagues because I keep getting emails and seeing posts about self-care. It's a reminder to me to talk about it and do it. I find that I need to take time for myself. Otherwise, I find myself being more crabby or cranky, and it's hard to accomplish anything. And I need to practice what I preach.

Four Simple Ways to Introduce Mindfulness to Kids

Four Simple Ways to Introduce Mindfulness to Kids

This time is so stressful and full of anxiety! This is the perfect time to start to explore the practice of mindfulness with kids.


Mindfulness is being aware of what’s happening in the present moment. It’s not about trying to clear your mind, but allowing thoughts and emotions to come and go without judgment and familiarizing ourselves with the present moment. It takes practice to be able to do this.

Mindfulness helps kids focus on the present instead of focusing on the past or future. As they grow into adults, they need to learn to manage stress in healthy ways and make sure they have a healthy balance in their lives.

Mindfulness can also be a helpful tool for kids who have challenges with self-regulation or difficulty managing emotions, or want to improve their concentration. it would be helpful for them to be able to calm down and be aware of the present. When they are aware of the present, it will help them be more able to see what’s happening around them and settle themselves and their minds.

In this podcast episode, I talk about four different ways to introduce mindfulness to kids. Take a listen!

Using a Question Box to Encourage Conversations

Using a Question Box to Encourage Conversations

When I think back to my time as a school counselor, my best memories are laughter and connection during lunch groups. Lunch groups are a great way to get to know a lot of students throughout the year. It’s also an excellent way for children to meet new peers and potentially make new friends. What I thought was the best part was the natural opportunity to practice conversations. The way I would encourage conversations is by using a question box.

Three Benefits of Using Distraction Coping Skills

Three Benefits of Using Distraction Coping Skills

In this episode of the podcast, I’m focused on distraction coping skills, which include things like playing and fun activities. Distraction coping skills aren’t meant to help kids avoid or suppress their feelings. Take a listen to the podcast to hear the three benefits of using distraction as a coping skill, and for some resources that you can get from Coping Skills for Kids.

Using Art and Poetry to Explore Perspective Taking with Kids

Using Art and Poetry to Explore Perspective Taking with Kids

Last year, I did a whole series of perspective taking on the Calm & Connected Podcast, but I wanted to revisit the topic and discuss two other ways I like to explore perspective-taking with kids. Why do I keep talking about this topic? It’s a building block for empathy, a skill we all want to build in our kids. For two more ways to work on perspective-taking using art and poetry, listen to the podcast

Using Dominoes to Show How Kindness Can Spread

Using Dominoes to Show How Kindness Can Spread

In this podcast episode, I share this simple yet powerful visual activity to help kids see how kind acts can spread and make a positive impact. I also share some wisdom from Dr. Alan Chu from the University of Wisconsin Green Bay about the ripple effect of sending gratitude letters, and small acts of kindness. Take a listen to the podcast:

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Unique Ways to Keep Kids Busy This Summer

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Unique Ways to Keep Kids Busy This Summer

A social distancing summer looks super different, right? Back in January, I had major plans to go to museums and take day trips with my kids. Most of that has gone out of the window.

What are we doing instead? Instead, we're choosing to explore outdoor spots that are new to us and close by. Last week, we went on a hike to a place we'd never been before, and they were limiting how many people were going in, so that felt safe in terms of our ability to keep the appropriate social distance.

I wanted to hear ideas from others with unique ways to keep kids busy this summer, and I got a ton of responses.

© Encourage Play, LLC / Coping Skills for Kids 2021