UNDERSTANDING THE EMOTIONAL THERMOMETER

Marybeth McDonald LISW/S

Why Some Students Have Difficulty Regulating Emotion

How difficulty regulating emotions impacts educational progress

How Teachers And Administrators Can Support Emotion Regulation

How to empower parents in developing effective strategies

Difficulties Include

• Easily becomes upset

• High level of intensity when upset

• Difficulty returning to calm

Factors That Can Influence

• Temperamental Predisposition

• Adoption

• Change in living environment

• Developmental Stage

Adolescent Development

• Self conscious at baseline; feels “under a microscope”

• With social media and standardized testing, this becomes a reality

Academic Consequences

• Interferes with learning

• Can disrupt classroom environment for other students

Classroom Management

Old Model• Negative Consequences

New Model• Active Support

• Learning Strategies

• Self Soothing

• Distraction

Understanding The Emotional Thermometer

• Factors at baseline• What makes the

thermometer move up/down

• Comfort measures when the temperature is high

• When is it an emergency

CLASS ROOM MANAGEMENT

• OLD MODEL

• NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES

• NEW MODEL

• ACTIVE SUPPORT• LEARNING STRATEGIES• SELF SOOTHING• DISTRACTION

Emotion Regulation

• Opposite action

• Sieve or sponge

• Develop mastery

• Short vs long term goals

Parenting Strategies“The Gifts”

• The gift of learning from your mistakes

• The gift of learning to solve problems

• The gift of accountability

• The gift of developing empathy

Dialectical Behavior Therapy

• Mindfulness

• Emotion Regulation

• Distress Tolerance

• Interpersonal Effectiveness

Bibliography

• Dialectical Behavior Therapy with Suicidal Adolescents Alec. L. Miller Guilford Press 2007

• Parenting a Child Who Has Intense Emotions P. Harvey, J. Penzo New Harbinger Publications 2009

• The Expanded Dialectical Behavior Therapy Lane Peterson Premier Publishing 2012

• Suicide, Self Injury and Violence in Schools P., D. Grannello Wiley Inc. 2011

• Raising a Moody Child M. Fristad Guilford Press 2004