Jack’s mother knew there was something wrong with Jack’s health.  He wasn’t himself.  His doctor asked her to take him for blood work and an MRI, and knowing that her son had anxiety and a fear of needles, Jack’s mom didn’t know how these tests were going to get done.  Jack wouldn’t even get in the car if he knew he was going for a blood test let alone sit in

As powerful as Wonder Woman’s inner gift of super-human strength, positive psychology research tells us that the superpower of kindness is in all of our kids. We can help our kids to unlock this natural ability and utilize this superpower to be happier, have better relationships and can help our kids promote a pay it forward generation. 

Let’s first define kindness so we’re all thinking about the same thing:

Every parent wants their child to be happy. Happy children fill our anxious parenting hearts with the belief that there must be something that we are doing right. But, what happens when you have a child that, despite your constant glass half full speech, does not seem happy? What we know, and I know as a child therapist, is that happiness can be learned. For some children, happiness is like a muscle that needs to be exercised in order to carry the weight of life’s stresses. 

“Social emotional learning, or SEL, is the process of acquiring the competencies to recognize and manage emotions, develop caring and concern for others, establish positive relationships, make responsible decisions, and handle challenging situations effectively.”[i]

Halloween is fast approaching, and most kids and families are excitedly getting their costumes ready and homes decorated. For some kids, however, Halloween can be stressful or frightening. I experienced this last year, when I took my 3 year old trick-or-treating. Things started off well, but a few houses in he exclaimed he was done trick-or-treating because of some scary masks he had seen.

With the start of a new school year underway, parents, families and educators may be wondering how they can help children navigate the online world with success and have a positive impact on their health. They may want to talk to children about balancing “screen-time” with healthy behaviours and its affect on their mental health. In this guest blog, Dr.

The official launch of the BC Children’s Hospital Centre for Mindfulness was successful and highlighted our goal of establishing mindful community.

The first research articles that focused on mindfulness practices were published in the late seventies and early eighties. Since then, there has been an exceptionally rapid progress, in terms of both the amount of publications released, and the advancement of the research methods and designs. The following figure illustrates the number of academic journal articles published including the term “mindfulness” in the title by year.

Through real stories, expertise, and practical tips, ‘Where You Are’ helps families promote their mental health and wellness, navigating important topics. In Episode 2: Present Matters: Mindfulness and Mental Well-being, Paul Irving (mindfulness champion) and Dr. Dzung Vo, founding Director of BC Children's Hospital Centre for Mindfulness) explore questions from parents and caregivers about mindfulness – How do we fit this into our busy lives? Does mindfulness actually help my child or youth's mental wellness?