Children, Adults, and Big Emotions Ft. Dr. Alana Lopez
Dr. Alana Lopez
Meet our guest
Dr. Alana Lopez is a parent coach, psychologist, and mom. As a parent coach, she takes parenting science and research and makes it practical for the everyday parent. Her mission is to help parents understand their child’s emotions, build their parenting tool belts, and grow their parenting confidence. To help parents go from “Am I doing this right?” to “I’ve got this!”
Dr. Lopez has over 10 years of experience working with parents, children, and families in a variety of settings, including preschools, hospitals, schools, in-home, and private practice. She offers parent coaching in-person and online for parents of little ones through age 10.
Check out her free parenting tips, tools, and videos on Instagram @dralanalopez.
““We shape generations through relationships; how are we going to show up”?”
Teacher Takeaways
Children and Big Emotions…
Every child has a voice and a message that deserves to be heard.
Show up, be present, be responsive as parents/educators/adults.
Ask self: What’s my bias?
What are my inner feelings?
What are my triggers?
Asking these questions makes you calmer when you enter these situations bc you know where you stand.
Going from reactive to responsive when helping a child with big emotions.
Don’t talk when kids aren't ready
Take yourself out of it, it’s about helping the kid in the moment.
We are a safe space.
Safety Signals:
Tone of voice: not too low, too high, or monotone
Offer only 1 or 2 words: “I’m here”, “How can I help?”
Movement: how fast or slow are you moving?
Mirror body language of the child.
Think: How am I conveying safety? What’s my energy like?
Resources
Referenced in the Interview
Book for thinking through some root causes of behavior — “Social and Emotional Development in Early Intervention” By Mona Delahooke
