In this week's episode, Joelle and Gillian discuss how we tend to conceptualize, and what we tend to recommend for "breathtakingly inappropriate" behaviors and words that can come up in any classroom, but particularly on the middle school and high school level.  We discuss the role of social media as having the capacity to bring folks down darker "rabbit holes" when they are mentally dissociated and somewhat vulnerable to assimilating information outside of their values, and the ways in which children might find themselves exposed to material that normalizes a lack of consent in words and behavior.  We talk about how kids might bring repeat these to/at each other or adults as a "counterphobic" response to material that they didn't know what to do with or how to process.  We also talk about the importance of clearly labeling harmful behavior as such, rather than subsuming it under the vague and over-used category of "unexpected" behavior.  We talk about how sexualized behavior and comments among adolescents is often more about power than sex, and consider ways to bring in healthy power dynamics where unhealthy ones have contributed to inappropriate and harmful behaviors.  We also talk about the importance of balancing clear limits with positive regard for students, intact connection with students, and a communication of trust in their ability to learn and grow, especially at adolescent ages when peer approval is likely to come with a higher dopamine reward.

Find us on Instagram!

Gillian: https://www.instagram.com/clearconnectionpsychology/

Joelle: https://www.instagram.com/joelle.vanlent/