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What is the future of wellbeing and mental health in schools and what can you do to make the biggest impact on the children in your care? Join me, Shahana Knight, the Founder and Director of TPC Therapy to talk about all things related to wellbeing and mental health in schools. Each week will be full of innovative ideas, inspirational stories, practical guidance and even some freebies, so that we can actually re-define what school should be for the children of today. In these episodes, I will take you on a journey where we will recreate the concept of school, classrooms, and even the role of being a teacher itself. I will be sharing personal stories and examples along the way, offering new ideas and giving you the tools to implement them. I will challenge perceptions, think outside the box, and leave you feeling inspired and excited to make a change! I will also be focusing on you! What do you need to do to take care of your own mental health and wellbeing? How can you show up to work every day with clarity, motivation and a sense of purpose? We will dive into all of that too! You have SO much power to make some real changes, let me show you how! I am so excited you found me here, let’s dive right in!
Episodes
Thursday Dec 17, 2020
Episode 12 – 10 tips to focus on your wellbeing this Christmas break
Thursday Dec 17, 2020
Thursday Dec 17, 2020
Things have been really tricky this last year and you have worked pretty much all year without a proper break. It's been emotionally draining and Christmas is an opportunity to stop and focus on your own wellbeing. I know everyone talks about ‘wellbeing’ and having time to rest and it's so easy to prioritise that last on a long list of ‘to do’s’ but today we are going to look at why it is so important to focus on your wellbeing this Christmas! I will talk you through 10 easy but impactful ways to help you prioritise you and your own happiness and get yourself emotionally prepared for stepping back into the classroom in January.
Free resources:
Written meditation: support.tpcteach.co.uk/free-meditation-resources
Guided meditation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAaALGLf5vs&t=153s
Tuesday Dec 15, 2020
Episode 11 - Supporting children on the run-up to Christmas
Tuesday Dec 15, 2020
Tuesday Dec 15, 2020
Have you ever noticed that some children really struggle with their behaviour and concentration on the run-up to Christmas? Do you find them struggling to follow simple instructions, interact with peers and concentrate? Are they struggling to manage emotions and having more outbursts?
This podcast episode looks at why. It's easy to assume it is because children are tired because it’s the end of term - but there may be other reasons too, especially for your more vulnerable children. Holidays can often be a source of fear, isolation and trauma.
In this episode, we explore why vulnerable children may be struggling on the run-up to Christmas and what you can do to help increase their feelings of safety and security before they break up for the holiday. We then look at what you can do to help them settle back into school when they return.
Ready to take on our New Years Eve challenge, click the link below to get your free workbook and join us on the 31st December.
https://support.tpcteach.co.uk/new-year-eve-workbook
Thursday Dec 03, 2020
Thursday Dec 03, 2020
What is childhood trauma and how does it impact the children at school?
In today’s episode, we are going to unpick what trauma is and how it presents itself in the children you teach. With everything going on at school it's sometimes easy to forget that a child’s reality might be very different from the other children’s in your class. It's often so hard to conceptualise what life must be like for children who are experiencing trauma. Often we can reel of what they have experienced but we can't understand it at our core. I have the unique experience of being a child who was living through trauma whilst attending primary school AND then being the professional therapist who got to see children living with trauma come into my playroom every day and literally see their world unfold as they would play out themes and scenarios and feelings every day. I wanted to share that insight with you this week.
This episode is not one to be missed! Are you ready to see beyond the child you see in the classroom? Press play now!
To find out more about play therapy visit our website here
www.tpctherapy.co.uk/play-therapy
Thursday Nov 26, 2020
Episode 9 - How to help a child who is kicking off
Thursday Nov 26, 2020
Thursday Nov 26, 2020
I often hear teachers commenting that a child in their school has “Kicked off” and I want to dive in today’s episode and unpick how we can help these children. Often when we deal with a difficult behaviour incident we focus all of our attention on the behaviour and we forget that the behaviour has a reason. It's always a sign that a child is struggling with something and instead of trying to stop the behaviour we need to begin to focus on helping guide the child.
Children need to be taught how to manage their feelings and struggles by a caring adult who recognises that they are struggling and need help, they do not need to be punished for having a difficult feeling and learn that their need for support is met with rejection.
In this episode, we will explore some key steps to supporting children through a ‘kick off’ therapeutically, keeping connection and teaching at the core of the approach.
I hope you love today's episode, please share it with others if you do!
Friday Nov 20, 2020
Episode 8 - Let’s talk mental health in schools
Friday Nov 20, 2020
Friday Nov 20, 2020
What does mental health mean for you? I think we all have slightly different takes on it. Some think it means there is a problem in your brain, some link it to brain chemicals and medication. For some, the idea of mental health is out of our control and they may believe mental health issues just happen to us. For me, I take a different stance. I think we have a lot of control and power over our own mental health, it is about our mindset, our thoughts, belief system and perception of things. That is very much in our control. The problem is, we are not taught about it from an early age. What is mental health, why is it important, what are signs that we are struggling to manage it and then how do we learn how to look after ourselves. These are the life lessons we need to begin to teach children in school.
In this episode, we pick apart why it is so important for us to focus on mental health and wellbeing in school. What factors might be influencing our children’s mental health and then what you can do to begin to make a difference and teach them the life skills they need to manage theirs!
Sign up for the free resources:
https://support.tpcteach.co.uk/free-lesson-plans-and-resources
Get on the Therapeutic Teacher Association waiting list and read more:
Thursday Nov 12, 2020
Episode 7 - What we really need to teach children about technology and social media
Thursday Nov 12, 2020
Thursday Nov 12, 2020
As adults, we often talk about the impact of technology on children and young people, after all, it has a huge impact on their development and is part of their experience of childhood.
In podcast episode 7 we are going to explore
1. How technology has the potential to unlock an age where children can now take control of their own careers, be creative and innovative whilst creating income that is focused around who they are and what they love- a lesson they are not taught in school.
2. How teaching children about technology is so important- and I don’t mean teaching them about staying safe online or limited screen time but more about how they can utilise technology and focusing on what they consume. Mindset is everything, what you allow into your consciousness impacts your wellbeing and your beliefs. That is a lesson worth teaching!
3. What you can do to begin to teach these two points to the children in your care and begin to take action 😊
If you work in a primary school. high school, foster care or have children of your own then this one is for you!
Shahana x
If you want to know more about how technology and social media can impact children and young people you can:
- Listen to a podcast I recorded with Optimus Education
https://blog.optimus-education.com/wellbeing-podcast-social-media
- Teach my pre-recorded online social media and technology lesson to your class now
https://www.tpctherapy.co.uk/wellbeing-curriculm
Thursday Nov 05, 2020
Thursday Nov 05, 2020
Let’s talk about your classroom!
Did you know that children who are stressed, anxious or struggling with childhood trauma find it difficult to learn?
Did you know that your classroom might actually be preventing children from learning and adding to their feeling of stress?
Children's brains can often be overwhelmed with stress hormone and they need help to feel calmer before they can access their learning brain.
Your classroom can play a huge part in this!
Join me in this episode to find out how you can use your classroom to cultivate learning, where you might be going wrong with your classroom and learn some simple tips to make a difference!
Read my article about creating therapeutic environments In the Head Teachers Update Magazine
Want to become a therapeutic teacher? – Keep a lookout for updates on my upcoming Therapeutic Teachers Association an become a member
Thursday Oct 29, 2020
Thursday Oct 29, 2020
Do you know that child in your class who struggles with their behaviour and gets angry or volatile at the smallest thing? Sometimes you find yourself saying “But there was no trigger for that?”, sound familiar? In this podcast, we will explore what a trigger actually is and how they can impact the children’s responses and behaviours. I share some of my own story in this episode and some examples of triggers I have developed over the years. I will also explore what you can do to identify when a child has been triggered and how to approach this. Most importantly, I will touch on how you can help the children become aware of their own triggers - because after all, they are going to have to manage them for the rest of their lives.
Another episode where we redefine what ‘teaching’ really means.
Do you want to learn more about triggers? Take the first module of the Therapeutic Teaching Course completely FREE!!!!
https://support.tpcteach.co.uk/free_1111
Do you want to train your staff in this approach? Learn more and enrol the whole school on the Therapeutic Teaching Course https://www.tpctherapy.co.uk/therapeutic-teaching-course or email us at info@tpctherapy.co.uk
Thursday Oct 22, 2020
Thursday Oct 22, 2020
I am going to let you into the BIGGEST and most important piece of science about the brains of your children. If you understand and apply this simple bit of neuroscience to your teaching, it will make a huge difference. Let me teach you all about the children’s developing brain, what fight, flight, freeze is and why it is the reason for most of the behavioural incidents, outburst and emotional struggles you find children have in school. Most importantly let me teach you how to harness this little bit of science to tweak your approach to behaviour management strategies. This episode is so important so share it with everyone you know!
Do you want to learn more about the brain? Take the first module of the Therapeutic Teaching Course completely FREE!!!! https://support.tpcteach.co.uk/free_1111
Do you want to train your staff in this approach? Learn more and enrol the whole school on the Therapeutic Teaching Course https://www.tpctherapy.co.uk/therapeutic-teaching-course or email us at info@tpctherapy.co.uk
Thursday Oct 15, 2020
Episode 3 - Why teaching mindset can have a long term impact on children’s outcomes
Thursday Oct 15, 2020
Thursday Oct 15, 2020
I love talking about mindset and the power of thought. In this episode we will explore how powerful mindset is and how being aware of our mindset can set us apart in the world. Does having a positive mindset impact your outcomes in life? Does it change what is possible for you? Are we in control of our thoughts and our beliefs? The answer is yes! Let’s explore that together today and look at how thoughts play a huge part in our lives and most importantly how you can teach the children to be aware of them, take control of them and use them to get the best from their lives! We are in control of our life, we get to decide what we think and believe. Let’s teach our children that!
Looking for resources to help you teach your class about the power of mindset? You will find an online mindset lesson with me on the wellbeing curriculum, you will also find lesson plans too!
Don’t have the wellbeing curriculum? Learn more here https://mailchi.mp/5aafc40442c4/wellbeingcurriculum