The Coping Toolbox, a Child Psych Podcast

Mindful Parenting with Dr. Marina Heifetz

In this episode, Dr. Mary is joined again by Dr. Marina Heifetz, Child and Adolescent Psychologist and mindfulness educator from Toronto (Ontario) for a discussion on mindful parenting. They review the benefits of mindful parenting and explore how to bring this into practice through approaches, such as the TINGLE method and responding rather than reacting. The importance of parents’ awareness of their own emotions, appropriate expectations for each child, and self-compassion are discussed.
Resources:
https://www.gottman.com/blog/mindful-parenting-how-to-respond-instead-of-react/
Dr. Kristin Neff: https://self-compassio.org/category/exercises/#guided-meditations 
 

Mindfulness for Children and Teens with Dr. Marina Heifetz

Dr. Mary is joined by Dr. Marina Heifetz, a Child and Adolescent Clinical Psychologist and mindfulness educator from Toronto (Ontario), for a discussion on mindfulness. They discuss benefits for children, youth, and parents as well as practical tips for incorporating mindfulness into a busy lifestyle. Dr. Marina guides listeners through a relaxing mindful practice.
Resources:
Apps: Headspace, Smiling Mind, Calm.
Book: Breathe Like a Bear - 30 Mindful Moments for Kids to Feel Calm and Focused Anytime, Anywhere by Kira Willey.
Website: Mindful.org

Social Media, Technology Use and Youth Mental Health with Dr. Kim Hellemans

In this episode, Dr. Laila is joined by Dr. Kim Hellemans, professor and Chair of the Department of Neuroscience at Carleton University (Ottawa, Ontario) and co-host of the award winning podcast, Minding the Brain. They explore the link between excessive social media and technology use and children's mental health, and discuss coping tools for both youth and parents.
Resources:
https://www.cmaj.ca/content/192/6/E136
https://cmha.ca/blogs/screens-and-your-child-the-inside-scoop
https://www.cps.ca/en/documents/position/screen-time-and-young-children

Mental Vacation Visualization

In this mini episode, Drs. Mary and Jenn review a visualization relaxation tool called Mental Vacation. The "Relaxing Beach" script used in this episode was created by AnxietyCanada.com.
Resource:
https://anxietycanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Mental-vacation.pdf

Box Breathing

In this episode, Drs. Jenn and Mary review a relaxation technique called Box Breathing. 
Resources: 
https://www.ementalhealth.ca/Canada/Deep-Breathing/index.php?m=article&ID=62559
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tEmt1Znux58&feature=youtu.be

Selective Mutism – When Your Child Isn’t Talking with Dr. Erika Penner

In this episode, Dr. Jenn interviews Dr. Erika Penner, R.Psych., a Clinical Child Psychologist from Vancouver, B.C. Topics include: discussing differences between shyness, social anxiety, and selective mutism, how to help a child who can’t talk in certain situations, and the evidenced-based treatment of selective mutism.
Resources:
https://www.anxietycanada.com/disorders/selective-mutism/
https://www.selectivemutism.org/

Psychoeducational Assessments with Dr. Angela Digout Erhardt

In this episode, Dr. Laila interviews Dr. Angela Digout Erhardt, C.Psych., a Clinical Child Psychologist located in Ottawa, Ontario. Topics such as what to expect during a psychoeducational assessment, the types of tests administered and common referral questions are discussed.
Resources:
www.ldathome.ca
www.understood.org

Depression and Low Mood in Children and Teens

Drs. Mary, Laila and Jenn discuss topics such as challenging negative thoughts, behavioural activation and the importance of social support.
Resources:
CHEO's Depression Handout
Book: Conquer Negative Thinking for Teens workbook by Dr. Karapetian and Anne McGrath.

Teen Sleep

Drs. Jenn, Laila and Mary discuss the importance of sleep in adolescence. Topics such as the benefits of sleep for mental health and strategies for improving sleep are covered.
Resources:
CHEO's Sleep Handout
Sick Kids Sleep Video

Anxiety in Children and Teens, Part 2 (Coping Skills)

In this episode, we explore coping skills such as challenging anxious thoughts, relaxation techniques and exposure.
Resources:
Healthy Thinking
Facing Fears or Exposure