Cristina Varriale - LAC

Children are full of big emotions. Elementary, middle and high schoolers overflow with feelings and experiences they are trying to make sense of. Sometimes it all feels like too much for them. Whether they are pushing the feelings down or unleashing them on you, the one thing that is clear is that it is not working. Watching young people navigate the social landscape of school for the last 20 years, I know that it is not easy. Social, academic and extracurricular challenges have only increased and many kids are struggling with how to make it all work. Not to mention, you might be at the end of your rope because they just don’t seem to be responding to any of the strategies you have tried. Watching your child struggle with their emotions or behaviors is stressful. Even if the meltdowns are just at home and they are “fine” at school, you know something has to change. Turns out parents are full of big emotions, too. You worry about your child. Perhaps you find yourself pushing your emotions down or unleashing them. A large part of my work is helping parents learn how to co-regulate their emotions with their child.