In 2001, fresh out of graduate school, I began my practice as a school social worker at a time when self-esteem groups were a common intervention in the schools. I ran countless groups with curriculums that focused on feeling good about yourself, building self-worth, and evaluating yourself through a positive lens. But I always felt that these curriculums were missing something. I noticed that when life handed these kids a curveball - a failed test, peer conflict, or life not going as they had planned - their self-esteem would take a nosedive. What I was sensing is now mor ..read more

​GOOD MORNING! Or is it… Do you grudgingly wake up each morning wishing you didn't have to get out of bed?  Do you push the snooze button until the very last minute and then you're in a rush to get out the door?      Even if you don't consider yourself a morning person, you do have some choice in HOW you start your day.  Those very first moments after you wake up can have a big impact on HOW the rest of your day plays out. So take a moment and reflect on how you typically greet the day and see where you can make a few simple changes to start ..read more

For many of us, living on autopilot means we develop unhelpful habits of reacting to the challenges and stressors that arise in our everyday lives.   Changing how we respond to these challenges requires that we’re aware of how we’re reacting in the first place.  For children, learning to respond to their experiences more skillfully and mindfully often requires the support of an adult.   A simple way to help children move from autopilot to mindfulness is by using  “stop and notice” language at home or in the classroom.  This prompt invites children to b ..read more

A feelings chart is a widely-used tool for building emotional awareness in children. While many provide images of faces expressing emotion to help children identify and put a name to what they’re feeling, we intentionally created an “I feel” visual with characters that include the whole body. In this mindful work of teaching children skills for well-being, we recognize that effective emotional regulation includes the skill of paying attention to physiological cues. Because our bodies were designed to communicate, the I Feel poster encourages children to be curious about the importa ..read more

It’s that time of year again! We're sharing some of our very favorite gift ideas and this year, we're thinking outside of the box when it comes to gift-giving!  Our 2021 list includes presents that can be unwrapped as well as gifts of knowledge, connection, awareness, and experience. From our Well-Bean family to yours, wishing you a joyful and healthy season of celebration. LITTLE YOGI DECK This is hands down our favorite yoga & mindfulness card deck!  48 cards that are beautifully organized into eight color-coded categories—anger, worry, excitement, sadness, joy, jealous ..read more

​GOOD MORNING! Or is it… Do you grudgingly wake up each morning wishing you didn't have to get out of bed?  Do you push the snooze button until the very last minute and then you're in a rush to get out the door?      Even if you don't consider yourself a morning person, you do have some choice in HOW you start your day.  Those very first moments after you wake up can have a big impact on HOW the rest of your day plays out. So take a moment and reflect on how you typically greet the day and see where you can make a few simple changes to start ..read more

For many of us, living on autopilot means we develop unhelpful habits of reacting to the challenges and stressors that arise in our everyday lives.   Changing how we respond to these challenges requires that we’re aware of how we’re reacting in the first place.  For children, learning to respond to their experiences more skillfully and mindfully often requires the support of an adult.   A simple way to help children move from autopilot to mindfulness is by using  “stop and notice” language at home or in the classroom.  This prompt invites children to b ..read more

A feelings chart is a widely-used tool for building emotional awareness in children. While many provide images of faces expressing emotion to help children identify and put a name to what they’re feeling, we intentionally created an “I feel” visual with characters that include the whole body. In this mindful work of teaching children skills for well-being, we recognize that effective emotional regulation includes the skill of paying attention to physiological cues. Because our bodies were designed to communicate, the I Feel poster encourages children to be curious about the importa ..read more

The MIND-BODY-GROW program maintains that when students feel safe and are provided with opportunities to tune in and pay attention to their inner world, they are building skills linked to self-regulation.  With a supported and consistent practice that cultivates self-awareness, students can then harness learned coping skills to help them manage feelings, thoughts and behaviors that may be barriers to their learning. The more opportunities to put these skills into practice, the more self-aware and self-reliant students become.       The program also recognizes th ..read more

photo credit Daniel Malinkovich @malinkovich ​Shortened cold, gray and damp days are hardly elements that motivate us to get outside, right?  When I talk with teens in my office about spending time in nature, particularly in the winter months, the conversation quickly shifts to avoiding the cold and waiting until Spring when things warm up and everything starts to brighten and bloom again.   I get it. We’re more inclined to associate winter as a time for solitude and it's important to make time for rest, but the reality is when we allow the conditions of eac ..read more