Raising Happy Kids - An interview with Maureen Healy, Author of The Happiness Workbook for Kids

Award-winning author, Maureen Healy is my guest on this week’s episode to talk all about emotions. When you think that our brains aren’t fully developed until our mid-twenties, it puts into perspective how difficult it is to deal with ever-changing emotions at the age of, say, 8 years old. My guest, Maureen, talks about her book ‘The Happiness Workbook for Kids’, and how it can help you as a parent or teacher to teach kids how to deal with emotions in a healthy way.

The topics we cover in this episode are;

Why Maureen decided to write the book

Emotions are temporary so how do you deal with them at that moment?

There are no bad emotions

Patience is key with learning how to let difficult emotions pass

Why you should celebrate wins

How thinking of the science of brain development can help

What are the best activities in getting kids to stop, think and make better choices?

Thinking about your ripple effect

Breathing exercises

Having the students as the teacher

Different forms of Meditation

About The Guest - Maureen Healy

Maureen Healy is an award-winning author, sought-after speaker and leader focused on children’s emotional health. She writes a popular blog for Psychology Today, which has reached millions worldwide. Tal Ben-Shahar said, “Maureen has provided an important antidote to the difficult times so many of our kids are going through these days” describing her new book: The Happiness Workbook for Kids. Healy’s prior book, The Emotionally Healthy Child (preface from Dalai Lama), won the Nautilus Book Award, Book Excellence and Forward Indie in 2019.

With 15+ years of experience, Maureen has guided 1000’s of parents and their children, worked with educators globally, taught in the classroom, and given keynote talks throughout North America, Europe and Asia. She’s also appeared across all media outlets such as: ABC’s “Midday Live” in San Francisco, New York Times and Forbes, PBS’s “This Emotional Life” series, and Scholastic magazine, as examples.

Maureen’s educational credentials include a BA and MBA from Clark University in Worcester, MA and a PhD program in Child Clinical Psychology at Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, CA. Additionally, Maureen has studied with happiness teachers globally, which has bolstered her joy immensely. She says, “Life is never boring,” especially as she continues to learn from every experience she has and person she meets.

​​Website - https://growinghappykids.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/maureendhealy/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/mdhealy

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens. ‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books? 

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay