Summary: A children’s 10 week workshop for better mental health

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The purpose of this workshop is to build emotional literacy and therefore better coping skills to deal with day-to-day stresses (resiliency). Children ages 11-18 have been greatly impacted by the pandemic that started in March 2020. From worry and uncertainty to learning how to navigate school completely from their home computers, all children’s lifestyles have been greatly affected. Listening to their parents fears about their own jobs and the media also contributed to the worry and uncertainty that children experienced these last two years. Children are having difficulty processing their emotions and learning how to be resilient in the face of change.

We are aware that many in our community were just as overwhelmed by the pandemic without the same resources as other non-Hispanic families. We are also aware that a portion of our community consists of limited English speakers which puts their children at a slight disadvantage for mental health services.

The objective of this program is to teach children emotional literacy, how to get in touch with their true feelings, identify those feelings and understand that their emotions are tools to help them learn and grow. Students will create art, collage, tell stories and learn about their own “parts-of-self” in order to have a better sense of self. With the use of cognitive behavioral therapy, creative depth coaching, mindfulness therapy children will learn how to stop negative thoughts, work through limiting beliefs and reframe their personal stories.

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This workshop is now available to any organization that seeks support in teaching children emotional literacy.