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Supporting Children Through Big Emotions

by The Center in PA February 4, 2026

Emotion regulation isn’t about stopping big feelings; it’s about learning what to do with them. Kids feel emotions just as deeply as adults do, but they don’t quite have the tools to manage those feelings yet in a way that is safe and appropriate. That’s where emotion regulation comes in and where adults play a really important role.

Emotion regulation is the ability to notice, manage, and recover from emotions in a way that appropriately fits the situation. For children, this can look like hearing “no” without having a full-blown meltdown, feeling excited without losing control of their body, and being disappointed while still staying safe with their words and actions. When children struggle with emotional regulation, it often shows up in tantrum-like behaviors, such as hitting, stomping, throwing objects, or screaming. These behaviors aren’t signs of a “bad” child, but instead signs of undeveloped or what Dr. Ross Greene calls “lagging skills.” It’s also important to understand what emotion regulation isn’t. It’s not pretending everything is fine and forcing a smile during uncomfortable moments. And it’s certainly not living in a world where no one ever gets upset. Emotion regulation is about learning how to feel emotions and manage them.

Emotion regulation is a learned skill. We are not born learning how to calm ourselves down, tolerate frustration, or cope with disappointment. For children especially, this is a skill that develops slowly over time and takes lots of practice. The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain responsible for impulse control and decision making, and for children, this is still very much underdeveloped, making it difficult to pause before reacting. Before they can self-regulate, they must first co-regulate. Co-regulation is the process in which an adult helps a child regulate their emotions through connection, validation, and modeling. Adults already have more developed emotional and cognitive skills. When we stay grounded and validate a child’s experience through a calm tone, we’re essentially teaching them over time how to do this for themselves. Most parents can relate to the exhaustion and frustration that comes with frequent tantrums. Co-regulation is important because emotions can be contagious and when your child is dysregulated, your nervous system often feels it too.

Simple Strategies to Support Emotion Regulation

1.         Label the Emotion

Naming feelings helps children make sense of what’s happening inside of them. For example, “It looks like you’re feeling really frustrated right now.”  The key here is to validate the emotion without validating the behavior. Labeling helps show your child that you understand what they are feeling while also helping them learn to notice and name their own emotions over time.

2.         Adjust your Tone

This can be incredibly hard when you’re also frustrated, but a calm voice can reduce the intensity of the child’s emotional response. Your tone can often be more regulating than your words!

3.         Use a Grounding Exercise

Grounding techniques help regulate the nervous system and bring the body out of fight or flight. Practicing these techniques before a meltdown occurs makes them more accessible during hard moments. Some tools include:

·  Deep breathing (belly breathing, blowing out the candles)

·  Progressive muscle relaxation

·  Cold stimulation (splashing cold water on the face or using an ice pack)

·  A movement activity (going for a walk, stretching)

Emotion regulation is a skill children develop over time, and they need adults to help them practice in real moments. With calm co-regulation, validation, and consistency, children can build the skills necessary to navigate emotions in a healthy way.

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Understanding and Navigating Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)

by The Center in PA April 9, 2025

Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), also known as Mild Neurocognitive Disorder (MND),is a condition that leads to subtle but noticeable changes in thinking skills such as memory, thinking, attention, language, reasoning abilities, and more. While these changes can be concerning, they are not severe enough to significantly impact daily functioning (e.g., driving, managing finances/medication, bathing, dressing, toileting, etc.). Individuals with MCI may find that they forget recent conversations or appointments, but they can still carry out everyday tasks independently

MCI can show up in two main forms:

  1. Amnestic MCI, which primarily affects memory. Individuals may begin to forget important details, such as conversations or recent events.
  2. Non-amnestic MCI, which impacts other cognitive functions like decision-making, planning, and judgment. People with this type of MCI might struggle with tasks like organizing their home or managing finances.

What Causes MCI?

The exact cause of MCI is not fully understood, but it is believed that in some cases, MCI may signal an early stage of a neurodegenerative disease. However, not everyone diagnosed with MCI will progress to dementia, and other factors, such as lifestyle and genetics, can influence its development.

How is Age Related to MCI?

MCI is more commonly noticed in individuals over the age of 50, but it can appear earlier or later. As people age, some cognitive changes are typical, but MCI represents a noticeable decline beyond normal aging.

Is There Medication for MCI?

While there is no cure for MCI, medications can sometimes be used to help manage symptoms. Cholinesterase inhibitors, such as donepezil, galantamine, or rivastigmine, are commonly prescribed. These medications may help slow the decline in memory and thinking abilities. However, it’s essential to consult with a healthcare provider to evaluate all current medications.

Factors That May Influence the Progression of MCI

Certain factors may increase the risk of MCI progressing to dementia, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, smoking, depression, and lack of mental or physical activity. Eating a balanced diet, getting enough sleep, and reducing alcohol intake are also beneficial.

What to Do After Diagnosis

Individual:

  1. Stay active with mentally stimulating activities and physical exercise.
  2. Use reminders like calendars and lists to help with memory.
  3. Engage in social activities, spend time with family, friends, or neighbors.
  4. Communicate with your medical team for optimal healthcare.
  5. Consider talking with a mental health professional to navigate the emotional impact of the diagnosis.

Family:

  1. Offer help as needed, while encouraging independence.
  2. Discuss care preferences and plans (i.e., living conditions, live-in/hired support, etc.).
  3. Attend doctor appointments together for better understanding and support.
  4. Consider joining a caregiver support group.
  5. Don’t forget to care for yourself.

Helpful Resources near Doylestown, PA:

Doylestown Health Dementia-Friendly Initiative: Offers a Memory Café and educational programs. Click here to learn more.

Bucks County Area Agency on Aging: Provides information on services such as transportation, country resources, community social and recreational activities, legal services, and more. Find  out more here.

Visiting Angels Doylestown: Provides in-home care and respite for caregivers. Discover more here.

Moving Forward: A diagnosis of MCI is not the end—it is a chance to plan, seek support, and continue to enjoy life. Use available resources and stay connected with your loved ones.

If you or a loved one are concerned about possible mild cognitive impairment, consider contacting us, The Center for Neuropsychology & Counseling, to schedule a neuropsychological evaluation. This assessment can help clarify the nature of the changes, guide treatment planning, and support informed next steps.

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Resilience During Times of Stress and Uncertainty

by The Center in PA January 21, 2025
Courtney Blog Post Tan 1
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Rejuvenate your Relationships:

by The Center in PA August 6, 2024

Applying the Gottman Method, by Emily Israel, M.S.

Relationships can provide us with comfort, security, enjoyment, pleasure, love, companionship, support, safety, and care. However, we can feel very distressed when our relationships lack these positive experiences. Most of us have experienced challenges in relationships with a partner or loved one at some point. There are ways to support the development of healthy relationships, as well as ways to help a relationship that has become more conflictual become healthy once again.

John Gottman, Ph.D., and his wife Julie Gottman, Ph.D. spent many years researching aspects that support healthy couple relationships and found tools that can benefit both couples and other relationships.

Ways to support a healthy relationship according to Gottman Research: 

  • Get to know the other person’s needs, values, past experiences, priorities, and stresses.
  • Experience and express love to those with whom you share a relationship (more specific to romantic partners but can apply to other loved ones). 
  • Turn towards your loved one and respond when they engage you. Create opportunities to spend time together to support the building of connection.
  • Try to view the person from a positive perspective.
  • Management of Conflict
    • Engage in active listening skills to develop empathy: listen intently to the person’s feelings and acknowledge them by validating and summarizing what you heard them say. 
    • Avoid defensiveness: Take accountability and create an improvement plan. Acknowledge your role in an argument and pick one way you might make it better.
    • Avoid attacking the other person’s character or criticizing them: Start with “I feel” and describe what created the feeling without attacking without directing at them and share what you need to feel better.
    • Resist Stonewalling: Stonewalling is when we become frustrated in a conflict and we walk away from our significant other or withdraw. When you are tempted to tune out a loved one, consider engaging in self-soothing techniques and taking a timed break to give yourself time to calm down instead. This break should be no more than 24 hours and is meant to bring down each person’s heart rate so that you can re-engage effectively.  
  • Discuss future dreams and understand each other’s goals to create shared meaning.
  • When one person is stressed about something such as an incident at work, unrelated to the relationship, join in on how they feel and support their position on the issue.
  • Demonstrate trust and commitment to one another.

If you would like to develop these skills further and rejuvenate any of your relationships, please contact us at the Center.

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October is National Bully Prevention Month

by The Center in PA October 26, 2016

In recent years, bullying has become a national concern. It appears that bullying has increased in settings such as school and in our local communities. Bullying can include behaviors such as verbal and cyber threats, physical aggression and excessive teasing.

What we know about bullying is that boys and girls tend to engage in bullying, but each tend to use different forms. For example, boys are more likely to engage physical bullying, while girls are more likely to engage in verbal and cyber threats. Research indicates that there is no one cause for bullying. Some contributing factors can be negative family, school and peer environments. Both bullies and victims can be at greater risk for future emotional difficulties. An additional challenge in combating bullying is that many adults do not recognize or consider bullying to be a serious issue. Additionally, many schools still do not have programs that address bullying.

The US Department of Justice reported that younger students are more likely to be bullied than older students. Bullying appears to be more prevalent between the 5th and 8th grade. Other reports indicate that students with special needs, such as Autism, are especially vulnerable to bullying.

What Can Parents Do?

  •  Parents can investigate whether their school has a preventive bullying program that goes beyond a “zero tolerance approach”. Effective school prevention programs emphasize a positive school climate with involvement and training on bullying for students, parents and faculty. This approach has proven especially effective at the elementary and middle school levels.
  • Parents can check their child’s social media activity on a regular basis.
  • Parents can keep the lines of communication open with their child with regular talks about their social and school experiences.
  • Parents can try to be aware of changes in their child’s behavior such as a child who becomes withdrawn, unhappy, has experienced a recent drop in grades, or demonstrates an unwillingness to attend school or go outside.

Jean Ruttenberg, MA

Jean is a well-known and respected specialist in the area of autism, ADHD and emotional disorders.  She assists all age groups and is skilled at solving difficult behavior problems.

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