Susan Hopkins and Stuart Shanker use a situation from Susan’s parenting experience as a teachable moment about the Self-Reg approach to helping children deal with strong emotions. They discuss the difference between the cognitive approach — trying to help the child understand and process the strong feelings — and the Self-Reg approach — helping the child with the tension and energy of the stress resulting from the strong emotions.
Supporting My Daughter Through a Big Disappointment: How We Respond to Strong Emotion as a Self-Reg Parent


Dr. Susan Hopkins is the Executive Director of Dr. Stuart Shanker's organization, Susan has been a teacher, school administrator, inclusive schooling coordinator, curriculum developer, educational researcher, and educational leader. She has worked in every area of education from the early years to post-secondary, from remote Northern schools to the Department of Education, and across contexts that include Italy and the Northwest Territories.