There are many experiences that occur in a young child's life. Some are stressful ones that arise from the challenges of coping with everyday problems. The memories and feelings from these experiences leave impressions in one's inner consciousness and affect all areas of being, but more deeply affect learning and influence how daily life is experienced.

"A holistic approach to counseling integrates the emotional, physical, cognitive, and spiritual aspects of a child," says Dr. Marie-Jose Dhaese, director for the Center of Expressive Therapy. A holistic approach is person-centered and focuses on the present needs of each individual child.

The "Play Room" at the CE House
Expressive play blossoms in a nurturing and healing environment. The play room offers this by allowing children opportunities for active expression of their feelings and thoughts through sand play, art, music, puppets, storytelling, sewing, gardening, and a miniature play house. Play is the natural means of expression for children and through expressive play, their inner strengths are discovered. This can help the child cope with challenging situations in beneficial ways.
This environment allows for symbolic expression and provides images to support the unblocking of stressful feelings and experiences so learning can take place.

"Emotions drive attention which drives learning, memory, and just about everything else." --Robert Sylvester

Students may request a meeting during a time agreed upon with the classroom teachers, student, and the counselor. Parents may also schedule a meeting time. Teachers may refer their students.

Please contact -
Shirley Rivera
441-3839
srivera@midpac.edu

Posted by Ms. Rivera at 1:01 PM | Permalink

There are key experiences that we, as parents and educators, can provide for our children that invite their soul, or heart, to be part of their total learning. Rachael Kessler wrote about these strategies, or seven gateways, in her book THE SOUL OF EDUCATION. The seventh gateway is "The Need for Initiation - honoring our children's developmental milestones."

Kessler says, "This deals with rites of passage for the young--guiding adolescents to become more conscious about the irrevocable transition from childhood to adulthood. Meeting this need for initiation often involves ceremonies with parents and faculty that welcome them into the community of adults.

The developmental milestones for younger children also need acknowledgement. Important events include transitioning from preschool to elementary, the "firsts' in developments, such as riding a bike, writing one's name, tying shoelaces, and accomplishments and performances in sports, music, dance, art, and drama.

There is also a major transition in all areas of development for those in middle childhood approaching puberty. During the transition from childhood to the onset of adolescence, puberty with its biological change also brings other physiological changes with the psychological ramifications as well. These include opportunities for growth in cognitive and social competencies, self-esteem, and intimacy (Papalia et al., 2006) Sometimes feelings of uncertainty, loneliness and isolation accompany this transition because this is also a time of searching for one's identity and one's place in the world. West African educator, Malidoma Soma, cited "A crisis of identity and purpose is an inner burning...It is a hollowness, a void, that threatens to erase meaning in everything people do (1997).

Initiation and ritual are important to mark this transition and provide understanding, guidance, and community to support the multitude of changes that are occurring. However, Kessler states, "the community that once allowed time and mentoring during initiation, and the rituals that once enfolded the individual into a group have undergone tremendous change." Our lives have become so busy that we often miss opportunities for providing these experiences.

In his book, FINE YOUNG MAN, Michael Gurian (1998) noted how young boys starting adolescence, need a clan of caregiving personnel to help him through the "second birth" and into adult masculature--the core self by which he will not only survive in adult life but flourish with passion and dignity (p. 70). Mary Pipher, in her book, REVIVING OPHELIA (1994), emphasized how girls today need loving guidance from family and friends to learn respect for their own uniqueness, and helping them find their "North Star," their sense of who they truly are (p. 154).

Here at MPI, two of the school-based programs for children transitioning from elementary to middle school include cross mentoring, where those in the fifth grade pair up with someone in the middle school to ask questions and share ideas, and an overnight organized camp experience. The "Leave Taking" ceremony at the end of the school year provides a time for recognizing the personal gifts of each of our fifth graders. The guidance of a special adult mentor, providing friendship and guidance, is also a crucial element for the youth at this stage of development.

Honoring children's developmental milestones and allowing time for initiations in the middle childhood years allows for the heart and soul to be recognized. Providing meaningful experiences that support the many changes occurring for each child, fulfills a need to bring meaning and purpose to one's life.

Shirley Rivera
CE/ Counseling
Mid-Pacific Institute Elementary

Posted by Ms. Rivera at 3:55 PM | Permalink

Think of a time in your life when you experienced tremendous joy while creating in art, music, poetry, or dance, or discovered a new way of doing a project, or developed a new idea after grappling with a challenging task. It is that spark of awe, that moment of inspiration, that the heart and soul celebrates this creative drive and feels strengthened and nourished.

Rachael Kessler, the Founder of Passage Ways Institute in Boulder, Colorado, and the author of THE SOUL OF EDUCATION, stated that one of the gateways to the soul is the creative drive. She further stated, "This is perhaps the most familiar domain for nourishing the spirit in school. It involves developing new ideas, a work of art, a scientific discovery, or a new way of looking at life that students feel the mystery and awe of creating."

There is a deep connection to the heart and soul that arises with artistic expression. This connection links us to "the source of creative inspiration--God, muse, the collective unconscious, the complexity of each person's inner being (Kessler, 2000, p.91). Kessler further elaborated "creativity is a way of thinking, learning, and expressing oneself that goes beyond the arts into the entire way we understand the world" (p.93).

One of the ways for young children to experience this deep connection is through storytelling. Stories and metaphors encourage the use of one's imagination and are a form of symbolic expression. This form of expression can help enrich a child's imagination and can provide soothing calm, joy, or peacefulness. Autobiographies and journal writing can help address issues that a child may be facing. Writing about themselves and their experiences reveal areas of a child's inner life that may need attention and healing. Parents can provide a variety of books at home, or make frequent visits to the library. Home-made journals, which can be made out of several pieces of blank paper that are stapled together, can be a safe place for sharing drawings or writings.

Providing various opportunities for nourishing a child's creative drive can bring about tremendous joy, healing, and inspiration. This helps children to understand their world in a more holistic and compassionate way.

Shirley Rivera
CE/ Counseling
Mid-Pacific Institute Elementary
441-3839
srivera@midpac.edu

Posted by Ms. Rivera at 4:18 PM | Permalink

Relationships and social interactions play an important part in a young child's life. Having a special friend or close ties with others provide support, and also strengthens one's emotional health and well being. The impressions and experiences from these early years, as well as the modeling from adults, lay the foundation and form a template for future relationships with others.

Children are usually attracted to other friends who are like them in interests, age, and ethnicity. They feel comfortable with and like to do things with friends. With friends, they "learn to communicate and cooperate better, learn more about themselves and others, and help each other weather stressful transitions" (Papalia, Olds, Feldman, 2006).

How a child acts with friends changes with age and also reflects cognitive and emotional growth. In A CHILD'S WORLD, (2006, p. 395), a study done on the stages of friendship (Selman & Selman, 1979) states--
In Stage 0 - "Momentary playmateship," ages three to seven, children are still egocentric and have trouble considering another person's point of view; they tend to think only about what they want from relationships.
In Stage 1 - "One-way assistance," ages four to nine, a "good friend" does what the child wants the friend to do.
In Stage 2 -"Two-way fair-weather cooperation," ages six to twelve, there is an overlap with stage one. Friendship involves give-and-take but still serves many separate self-interests.
In Stage 3 - "Intimate, mutually shared relationships," ages nine to fifteen, friendship is an ongoing, systematic, committed relationship that incorporates more than doing things for each other. Friends become possessive and demand exclusivity.
In Stage 4 - "Autonomous interdependence," beginning at age 12, children respect friends' needs for both dependency and autonomy.

The strongest friendships involve equal commitment, respect, and a mutual give-and-take. We, as parents and educators, can help guide our children in practicing the skills and developing friendships that provide the emotional support needed at each stage of development. Take the time to talk with your child and help him/her process his/her experiences and feelings. Help point out successes and challenges, and the effects of their actions and interactions. Be patient and understanding with your child as they go through the difficulties and joys of forming friendships. Think of times in your own childhood and your personal experiences with friendships. More importantly, at all stages, remind your child about respect for himself/herself and others. This modeling helps form the template for building lasting friendships in the future at school, home, and at work.

Posted by Ms. Rivera at 10:02 AM | Permalink

In my last article, I wrote about the first of the "Seven Gateways to the Soul," as described by Rachael Kessler in her book, THE SOUL OF  EDUCATION. Numerous research outline the need for addressing a child's emotional and spiritual yearning as a crucial part in their development. We now know that children, and adults, are more than a mind and a body.

Another gateway for nourishing a child's heart and soul is acknowledging "the hunger for joy and delight." There is a part  of all of us that yearns to reconnect with the deep sense of joy.  Kessler tells us that this hunger can be satisfied through experiences of great simplicity, such as play, celebration, or gratitude. Allowing young children to participate in various  experiences that are important to them such as play, bring forth their joy and delight. Think of a time when you felt immense joy as you participated in something creative or fun-filled, or maybe even spent the day in nature!

In A CHILD'S WORLD (Papalia et al, 2006), play is described as the work of young children, and promotes development in all areas of growth. Four levels of play are identified.

Functional play begins in infancy and involves repetitive muscular movements such as rolling or bouncing a ball. In preschool, running, skipping, and throwing are apparent, and towards the end of early childhood, the gross motor skills improve and activities such as rough and tumble play, become more visible (Pellegrini, 1998).

The second level is constructive play. Preschoolers can be seen using 
objects to make or build things, or do crayon drawings (J.E. Johnson, 1998).

The third level is pretend play, also called imaginative play. This type of play increases during preschool, and then declines as children enter middle childhood and become more involved in the fourth level of play.

This level includes formal play with rules--organized games with known 
procedures. Children at this age are usually stronger, faster, and better coordinated, and derive great pleasure from testing their bodies and learning new skills (Papalia, 2006).

Through play children learn many different skills, cope with uncomfortable emotions, deal with internal conflicts, and construct their own image of the social world. Children who are experiencing loss, disappointments, or challenges in their lives, whether 
temporary or permanent, find tremendous healing in play. Working with puppets, dress ups, and various play materials allow children to work through fears and anxieties.

As parents, caregivers, and educators, allowing time for a child to play is essential for their cognitive, emotional, physical, and spiritual development. As we witness their play, which means being truly present with a child as he or she plays, we communicate to a 
child, "I want you to know that I see you and I hear you. What you are doing is important." Play truly brings joy and delight to a young child and is often an attempt to achieve a sense of wholeness in whatever they are experiencing.

Posted by Ms. Rivera at 1:46 PM | Permalink