In this three-part series, “Mental Health with the Brain in Mind,” participants explore the brain reasons for behavior and the mind methods for preventing challenging behavior. Drawing from the field of Interpersonal Neurobiology, Laura shares 21st-Century practices for promoting mental health and well-being.
Participants gain valuable evidence-based strategies for developing the mind and brain that go beyond typical child guidance suggestions. This training offers the unique distinction between the mind and the brain. The result? The ability to promote second-order, or lasting, change. This training may be tailored for mental health practitioners from Pre-K through Grade 12.
Starting with the fundamentals of mental health
Training One, sets the foundation for this series. Participants enter into the journey of exploring the mind and brain in the context of relationships. To begin, Laura invites adults to “update their software” regarding children’s (or adults!) challenging behavior based on the science of the brain and mind. With particular attention to what mental activity entails and how it might suffer in certain conditions. Next, instead of labeling children as “defiant” or “challenging” and managing their behavior, practitioners commit to developing the child. By attuning to the child’s mental activity, adults begin to understand why children don’t always “do better” when they “know better.” Participants engage in small group reflection regarding teaching practices, or mind methods, that prevent challenging behavior and promote social, emotional, relational, and cognitive development.
Mental health with the brain in mind
In Training Two, participants discover the brain’s drive to meet three basic needs as the primary reason for challenging behavior. What’s more, Laura demonstrates the difference between “needs” and “wants” to strengthen understanding the child’s interior landscape. In short, to attune to the child’s perspective. Importantly, participants will learn the risks to a child’s mental health when adults confuse needs and wants. Furthermore, Laura shares cutting-edge teaching practices, or mind methods, designed to meet these three basic needs in developmentally appropriate and culturally responsive ways. Taken together, these practices replace outdated practices that ultimately serve neither the teacher, nor the child.
Bringing it all together
Training Three integrates the brain reason’s for behavior and mind methods for preventing challenging behavior. To this end, participants examine the function of behavior. What are children trying to get, avoid, and/or express (emotion) when they have challenging behavior? Going deeper, Laura introduces the brain’s drive to avoid, approach, and/or attach to meet the three basic needs and three functions of behavior. This solidifies participant’s ability to see the child behind the behavior. Taken together, the science and practical strategies for the classroom prepare adults to work smarter not harder to promote children’s mental health.
This series provides mental health consultants with the resources to promote mental health in children and to help adults teach based on science, not habit. For more on this topic, please visit my You Tube Channel.