Rina Louw Clinical Social Worker

💗Introduction: Parenting is a journey that requires us to navigate the intricate pathways of our children's developing brains while understanding our own. Dan Siegel's Whole Brain Approach to parenting provides us with valuable insights to guide our interactions with our children in a way that fosters their growth and development without causing emotional distress. In previous blogs, we've explored two critical strategies: "Connect and Redirect" and "Name It to Tame It." Now, let's dive into the third strategy: "Engage, Don't Enrage." This strategy focuses on appealing to the "upstairs brain" and helping children develop problem-solving skills. Engage, Don't Enrage - Appealing to the Upstairs Brain🪴 To effectively employ this strategy, let's first imagine the brain as a two-story house. The "downstairs brain" is like the foundation, responsible for essential functions like breathing and strong emotional r

What are you feeling right now, in this very moment? Perhaps you, like many others, thought about this and responded with “great” or “fine” or "not ba.We,pecially children, find it difficult to properly label the range of emotions we experience day to day. 😕😔😞 But why is this important?❓ When we’re experiencing uncomfortable emotions — whether it’s anxiety, anger, sadness, or frustration — it can be tempting to ignore what we’re feeling. We may try to push it down. We might think that acknowledging our emotions, by saying them out loud or writing them down, could make them grow in intensity, or make them last longer. We might be afraid that verbalizing our feelings will give them more power over us, but that’s not true. 😟😩😭 Putting feelings into words can actually reduce the force of unpleasant emotions. Dr. Dan Siegel coined this concept as "Name It to Tame It." By naming what we are feeling, we reduce the intensity of the emotion and feel less overwhelmed. 😌😊

Introduction: In the ever-evolving parenting landscape, one timeless truth remains steadfast: a parent's influence on their child's emotional and social development is immeasurable. What Is Social and Emotional Intelligence(SEI)? It is crucial for the education and overall development of all individuals. It refers to the process of acquiring knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop a healthy sense of self, manage emotions, achieve personal and collective objectives, exhibit empathy towards others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and compassionate decisions.   🦜 What Are Social-Emotional Intelligence (SEI)Competencies? The Five Core SEI Competencies Core Competency #1: Self-Awareness🤳 Awareness refers to an individual's ability to comprehend their own emotions, thoughts, and values, and how they impact their behavior in different scenarios. This includes the capacity to be aware of the importance of the body, mind, and spirit as uni

🦋🦋 🌈T he concept of the "Four S's" stands out as a framework for understanding how healthy relationships and minds are formed. These Four S's — "Safe, Seen, Soothed, and Secure" — delve deep into the fundamental elements that shape our emotional well-being and our interactions with the world around us. These are essential ingredients parent-child relationship and the development of the child. 🌷1. Safe: Feeling safe is a fundamental human need that forms the cornerstone of emotional health and resilience. When individuals feel safe, whether in their relationships or environments, they are better equipped to explore, learn, and express themselves authentically. For children, feeling safe is crucial for healthy brain development, enabling them to form secure attachments and navigate the challenges of life with greater confidence. 😍2. Seen: To feel "seen" is to experience genuine recognition and validation from others. When we feel seen, we devel

🙋‍♀️ Is there a need for parenting training? Do parents attend parenting training? What are parents' needs in parenting training? Are we as therapists addressing parents' needs? Do we know how to address parents' needs?   ❓I started with a Whole-Brain Parenting program at a primary school in Mpumalanga, South Africa. Nobody attended the first session and I sent a questionnaire to my Business WhatsApp community.  A total of 38 people responded of which 36 are parents. Question 2 indicated that most of the parents that responded were parents of primary school. This can be explained as I am rendering services in primary school.  The following 2 questions were looking at topics parents might be interested in for training. What is interesting is that the majority of participants indicated the need for training in the social and emotional development of their children.  Under "other" the following responses were received: "Trauma counseling for my 3 year old becau