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The problem with praise
If you want your kids to feel good about themselves then let them overhear you tell other people good things about them - the ways...

elainenichollsnvr
Jul 29, 20242 min read


The language of children's harmful behaviour
The terminology around children's harmful behaviour is tricky and language matters. The language we use influences whether families...

elainenichollsnvr
Jul 28, 20242 min read


BRAVING - the elements of trust in relationships
Researcher Brene Brown came up with the acronym ‘BRAVING’ - seven elements of trusting relationships. I think it’s a useful tool to...

elainenichollsnvr
Jul 20, 20245 min read


The NVR map
One of the really good things about NVR is that it provides something of a map for those times where we might be in survival mode. Most...

elainenichollsnvr
Jul 13, 20242 min read


Kind stories
This is a really hard one for parents/carers of children who struggle to regulate their emotions or manage their behaviour in safe and...

elainenichollsnvr
Jul 9, 20242 min read


Letting go
There's a lot of letting go in NVR. One of the things we can let go of is the idea that we're responsible for the actions and responses...

elainenichollsnvr
Jul 5, 20241 min read


Disability support
Did you know that you can apply for disability living allowance (PIP) if your child needs help above and beyond what would typically be...

elainenichollsnvr
Jul 4, 20242 min read


Achieving better connections
Last year friend and colleague Al Coates and I wrote a parenting course for a local authority to use as their default training for...

elainenichollsnvr
Jul 2, 20241 min read


The measure of parenting success
A quote by lived experience trauma therapist Glenn Patrick Doyle - "We're not ourselves when we're triggered. We become who we think we...

elainenichollsnvr
Jun 30, 20241 min read


Mindful parenting
I’ve been doing a lot of driving lately - a lot - and I’ve been listening to audiobooks to make the most of the time. So far I’m still on...

elainenichollsnvr
Jun 23, 20241 min read


Teachers hold a key
I love this quote by Haim Ginott (1922-1973) - a teacher, psychologist, and psychotherapist who was passionate about educational...

elainenichollsnvr
Jun 21, 20241 min read


Creating the conditions for felt safety
I love this but… Yes - and no. Let’s keep the measure of success to things we can control. Children with significant levels of trauma,...

elainenichollsnvr
Jun 14, 20241 min read


You can't do everything
I don’t believe we can do everything. Actually, I don't believe we can do anything either. I have my limitations and I believe we all do....

elainenichollsnvr
Jun 10, 20242 min read


Where's the harm?
An exercise we do in our groups (and sometimes in one to one sessions) is thinking back to a thing we did as a child that our parent/s...

elainenichollsnvr
May 31, 20242 min read


Parental presence
This to me is parental presence. Everything we do (and don't do) influencing their development, influencing their values, influencing the...

elainenichollsnvr
May 30, 20241 min read


FRIES?
Looking for a resource to help with conversations about consent? There are some interesting videos out there using 'a cup of tea' to open...

elainenichollsnvr
May 27, 20242 min read


We all go through things differently
It’s tempting to compare ourselves, our parenting, our children, to others. But we don’t all experience things the same. We don’t all...

elainenichollsnvr
May 26, 20241 min read


I'm so sorry
Apologies cover a multitude of parent mistakes and parent dysregulation. We all have ‘stuff’ that drives everything from behind the...

elainenichollsnvr
May 25, 20241 min read


Parenting Styles
The four parenting styles are fairly well-known. Permissive (top left) is an approach to parenting where there’s a lot of warmth,...

elainenichollsnvr
May 23, 20242 min read


Don't compare how you feel to how others appear
Don't compare how you feel on the inside to how others appear on the outside. Remember - what people present on social media is a poor...

elainenichollsnvr
May 22, 20241 min read
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