07: A Passionate Play Therapist Shares Her Love for the Nurtured Heart Approach

In This Episode:

Tammi Van Hollander is a Registered Play Therapist that teaches us about the Nurtured Heart Approach ®.

The founder of the Nurtured Heart Approach ® is Howard Glasser.  

At www.childrenssuccessfoundation.com a free online eCourse is available to help children with challenging behaviors.

Our guest Tammi Van Hollander, was feeling “stuck”, she wanted another tool to be consistent and effective for parents and teachers.

Building on the children’s inner wealth, looking at their greatness and helping them to flourish is key.

“Children do not awaken by fear of punishment, they awaken to their greatness.” is Tammi’s favorite quote from Howard Glasser.

Putting energy into the positivity is so much more effective to help children with problematic behaviors.

This approach has 3 Stands:

Stand 1 - “Absolutely NO  I wll not energize negativity” focuses on the benefits of staying calm, collective and “resetting” if necessary.

Stand 2 -  “Absolutely Yes, I will relentlessly create and energize positivity and success in my child.

Stand 3 - “Absolutely Clear, if you cross the line, there are very clear consequences that go with that (the adult stays calm and loving)

It’s important not to ignore negative behavior; if negative behavior is ignored things may get worse and worse.

This approach highlights the benefits for recognizing the child and honoring them for showing self-control by recognizing what they didn’t do such as hit their sibling, leave the room, etc...

Clarity and predictability is so important for the child, as in the analogy of the video game that Tammi talks about in this episode.

This approach supports a healthy child parent relationship as well as help regulate their emotions.

Using the passion and gifts that comes with intensity  that children sometimes exhibit can make a huge difference when helping children with challenging behaviors.

The Nurtured Heart Approach ® is used in schools and homes all over.