Since 2021, February has been National Family Support Awareness Month. A month to recognize the importance of parenting educational programs, and one such program offered by Child Advocacy at Golisano Children's Hospital in Fort Myers is the Emotional Regulation program.
Rashel Carcamo and Brianna Dubois, mental health specialists at Golisano Children’s Hospital Child Advocacy, joined Gulf Coast News to explain how this program helps teach kids how to identify, name and manage their feelings in fun and empowering ways.
Child Advocacy seeks to raise awareness about social issues, provide childhood injury prevention education, and partner with our community.
Some of their programs include parenting classes, Mental Health First Aid training and Emotional Regulation.
Emotional Regulation is available to schools and other children's organizations. Other classes include Safe@Home (grades 4-6), Safe Sitter, Family & Friends CPR, Pediatric CPR, AED and First-Aid and Infant Safety.
The Emotional Regulation program is available for free. This is a newer program was developed for schools and children’s organizations to help teach kids (as young as 3 years old through high school) how to identify and manage their feelings. Each session includes interactive, age-appropriate activities that ask children how different situations make them feel, introduce new "feelings words," and guide them through strategies to boost self-awareness and emotional regulation.
Parents and teachers learn to:
- Practice Empathy: Understand that challenging behaviors often reflect unspoken emotions
- Validate Feelings: Acknowledge what the child is feeling and let them know their emotions are valid
- Ask Questions: Seek to clarify their emotions to better understand their experience
- Provide Guidance: Help children develop healthy coping skills for managing their emotions.
For more information, visit kidsmindsmatter.com . For anyone interested in scheduling Emotional Regulation, contact the Mental Health Specialist Team at kmmpubliced@leehealth.org.
WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW ABOVE!