Several times a year at the Institute of Healing Arts, we gather children ages 4 - 12 to attend our Children’s Clinic called Friendly Feelings. Parents and students work as coaches to help guide children as we teach emotional health concepts. In this one-hour class, we help children understand that all of their feelings are important messages and these messages are communicated as heavy feelings or light feelings.
We work to empower children to recognize their heavy feelings and then model and teach skills of awareness so that they can feel confident in doing something good with their heavy feelings. Learning to direct their feelings into productive activities can help them up-level their levels of happiness and increase hope.
Heavy feelings are just information and we can learn to respond to heavy feelings and even challenge negative thoughts by keeping a journal, talking through negative feelings, or releasing them by coloring them out on paper. Visualization, meditation and exercise are also excellent ways to change our state of mind.
Children are uncomplicated and acutely aware of what is going on around them. Yet children today are experiencing pressures and are bombarded with so much information. It is hard for them to process it all. Little ones are sensitive to others pain and are often not sure how to communicate what their needs are to their parents. Some children are showing signs of anxiety and express fear about their future. Teens today are manifesting low levels of hope or trust in the world around them. Here at IHA we are working to heal the past and empower children to hold onto their innate gifts of innocence, hope, love, and joy.
Join us for our July 2020 Children’s Clinic. Come prepared to social distance and meet any other state mandates like wearing masks so that we can continue to protect those that are at risk. Be sure to pre-register by contacting the office at 801-785-5259.
Love,
Pam
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