Emotional Wellbeing

CONTENTS

1. Introduction 1

ELSA 4

Psychological theory 5

Maslow's hierarchy of needs 5

Emotional literacy 8

Research around ELSA 10

Building relationships and modelling appropriate skills 12

About this third edition 14

2. Keys to good communication 21

Introduction 23

Connecting with children and young people who have experienced trauma 26

Elements of communication 28

Non-verbal communication 28

Some useful verbal strategies 28

Use of pauses and silence 29

Barriers to communication 30

Working with parents and carers 31

Let's get practical 32

Case studies 34

3. Recognising and managing feelings 37

Introduction 39

The impact of feelings 40

Brain physiology 42

Let's get practical 45

Ideas for helping children become more aware of their brain physiology 45

Activities for developing emotional awareness 47

Case studies 50

Working with parents and carers 52

4. Self-esteem 55

Introduction 57

1. Security (trusting, warm relationships) 58

2. Selfhood 60

3. Affiliation/belonging 62

4. Mission/motivation 63

5. Competence 66

Case study 70

Working with parents and carers 72

5. Working with angry feelings 77

Introduction 79

Understanding and managing anger 80

The assault cycle 81

Normalising anger 83

The firework model 84

The trigger 84

The fuse 85

Physiological changes 85

Calming strategies 87

Expressing angry feelings effectively 89

Working with puppets 90

Working with parents and carers 94

6. Anxiety 97

Introduction 99

Common triggers 101

Identifying children and young people who may be experiencing anxiety 102

Let's get practical 105

Case studies 115

Working with parents and carers 118

7. Friendship skills 121

Introduction 123

Let's get practical 125

Setting up a friendship group and clarifying the aims of the group 125

Selecting pupils 127

The group meetings 127

Content of the sessions 128

Tricky behaviour 130

Case studies 133

Working with parents and carers 135

8. Therapeutic stories 139

Introduction 141

Denial 143

Stages of change 144

Case study 145

Hearing about new strategies 148

A consistent approach 149

Let's get practical - writing a therapeutic story 150

Case study 151

The use of ready-made stories 155

Case studies 156

Working with parents and carers 158

9. Social skills and writing social stories 161

Introduction 163

The nature of communication 165

Basic social communication skills 166

A staged approach to teaching social skills 167

Let's get practical 168

Eye contact 168

Facial expression 169

Gesture 169

Posture 170

Proximity 170

Touch 171

Social skills groups 173

Lego® therapy 174

Child-friendly principles of attunement 175

Social stories 176

Case study 179

Working with parents and carers 180

10. Supporting children through loss and bereavement 183

Introduction 185

The process of grieving 188

Developmental responses to death 190

Death of a close relative 192

Case studies 194

Death in a school (and case study) 196

Complex grief 198

Family break-up 199

Let's get practical 202

Case study (family break-up) 204

Looking after yourself 205

Working with parents and carers 206

11. Resilience 209

Introduction 211

Factors underlying resilience 212

Risk factors 214

External protective factors 215

Internal protective factors 217

Let's get practical 219

Case study 223

Working with parents and carers 224

12. Supporting children who have experienced trauma or adverse childhood experiences (ACE) 227

Introduction 229

Understanding trauma 230

Types of adverse childhood experiences 230

The impact of trauma on development 231

Let's get practical 233

Trauma-informed care 233

Developing a positive relationship 233

The tree of life 234

Teach emotional literacy / self-regulation skills 236

Professional development for staff 239

Case study 240

Working with parents and carers 242

Appendix 1: Target-setting in intervention programmes 245

Appendix 2: A therapeutic story created by an ELSA within a friendship skills group 249