Lauren has an in-depth conversation with Catherine Dennis, early childhood specialist, adjunct faculty, and Mom to seven kiddos. (Full Bio below.)
Catherine explains how she came to better understand the effects of trauma in children, and in what ways it changed her approach to working with children and adults.
Emotional regulation skills are needed by everyone. Teaching them at a young age gives kids tools to take them forward into adulthood. Catherine explains her own experience in truly learning emotional regulation skills. “I wasn’t ready to hear this, until I was ready to hear it.”
She also discusses what is needed for schools to create trauma-informed classrooms. Changes require a team effort and not just the work of 1 or 2 people.
Several blog post topics from The Behavior Hub website were mentioned in this interview:
- The Brain in the Palm of your Hand: Dan Siegel’s Hand Model
- Thinking Brain: The Wise Owl as well as Emotional Brain: The Barking Dog
Other items mentioned in this episode:
- 5 Frame (or 10 Frame) is a math activity used to teach counting.
- CLASS - Classroom Assessment Scoring System in Head Start
- ACEs - Adverse Childhood Experiences
Book recommendations:
- The Body Keeps the Score, by Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D.
- Help for Billy, by Heather T. Forbes, LCSW
Guest Bio:
Catherine Dennis is an Early Childhood Specialist for the Office of Head Start (OHS) Training and Technical Assistance (TTA), Region X, located in Walla Walla, WA. She provides professional level expertise in trauma-informed practice, Challenging Behaviors, Practice Based Coaching, School Readiness, Transitions, Reflective Supervision, Implementation Science, Dual Language Learners and Family Engagement.
Catherine holds a BS in Elementary Education, a MS in Early Childhood Leadership, Administration and Management and an EdS in Educational Leadership. She is a current doctoral student in Special Ed and Early Childhood. Her passion is trauma-informed practice because she sees how this supports positive child outcomes and long-term success for children and families. She is a former Director, Education Manager, Teacher and is a current adjunct faculty member in the ECE department. Her best job is a mom of seven and Gigi to two. She is a former foster parent and adoptive parent.
You can also find Catherine on LinkedIn.
Try at home tip: Implement a self “check-in”. Take your emotional temperature on a regular basis and work to bring yourself back into balance.
- Question? Let us answer it in a future episode!
Email to [email protected] or text to 717-693-7744. - Subscribe to our mailing list to find out more about the Emotional Brain.
- Check out our Facebook Group – Raising and Teaching Respectful Children
- The Behavior Hub website
Struggling with behaviors and not sure where to begin? Let me help! Schedule a free discovery call and let me be your Guide.
