Written by Dee Keller, LPC. Inspired by Michelle Baer, MA, RP, CCC
Transitions can be challenging for clients, especially children and teens. Using Teleo, clinicians have creative opportunities to support clients during key transitions like back-to-school season or the busy fall and winter months. This article explores two strategies to help clients process their feelings and stay grounded during these times.
Back-to-School Support: Puppets for Processing Worries and Events
Back-to-school transitions often bring a mix of excitement and anxiety. Using puppets in Teleo sessions is an engaging way to help clients express themselves.
Benefits of Puppet Play:
Creates a Safe Sharing Space: Puppets help clients open up about common school concerns, like making friends, meeting new teachers, or handling a tough day, in a playful and non-intimidating way.
Provides Empowerment: Clients decide how the puppet tells their story, giving them a sense of control over their feelings and experiences.
Promotes Emotional Relief: Acting out worries like starting a new class or dealing with peer challenges helps externalize emotions and makes them easier to manage.
How to Use Puppets on Teleo for Back-to-School Concerns:
There is a wide array of curated resources available within the Activity Bank, such as the Online Puppets created by Dr. Karen Fried.
To learn how to add an activity to a room, be sure to read Edit your Teleo room.
Set the Scene: Let clients choose a background, such as a classroom or playground, to create a familiar setting.
Pick Characters: Encourage clients to select puppet characters that resonate with them, like a student, teacher, or friend.
Focus the Story: Let clients decide whether to act out a full school day or focus on a specific scenario, like meeting new classmates or handling a tough moment at recess.
Facilitate Reflection: As the story unfolds, guide the client in exploring their feelings, identifying challenges, and brainstorming positive outcomes or coping strategies.
In this video, a fellow clinician, Michelle Baer, MA, RP, CCC shares her strategies on using puppets in Teleo sessions to help clients process back-to-school transitions.
Winter Calming: Themed Guided Activities for a Busy Season
The fall and winter seasons often bring a whirlwind of activities, which can be overwhelming for clients. Integrating seasonal, calming activities, such as a snowflake mandala, into Teleo sessions can help clients pause and reset.
Benefits of Mandalas and Imagery
Encourages Engagement: Playful, seasonal themes make activities relatable and fun, helping kids feel connected and excited to participate.
Promotes Mindful Calm and Focus: Mandalas and guided imagery encourage kids to slow down, focus on the present moment, and take a calming pause during a busy season.
Enhances Emotional Regulation: The repetitive, soothing nature of these activities helps kids practice managing emotions, and building self-regulation skills in a creative and enjoyable way.
How to Use Mandalas and Imagery on Teleo:
Teleo offers interactive, customizable resources, such as Mandala Gaba, that make it easy to collaborate creatively in session.
Create Together: Take turns to draw sections of the mandala or prompt clients to create their own design. This promotes connection and expression while engaging them in a calming activity.
Tailor to Experiences: Encourages relatability and relevance, helping clients connect to their own experiences and feelings.
Talk Mode Relaxation: Lead a guided imagery exercise in talk mode, such as imagining they are a snowflake gently floating down to the ground. Pair this with slow breathing techniques to help clients feel calm and focused.
Combine with Other Activities: Incorporate guided imagery while clients are using other activities in the Activity Bank, such as Teleo White Board or Music Composer. This can support clients in staying engaged, and help make the visualization more concrete for younger clients.
⭐ Quick Tip
Join fellow clinicians in the Teleo Community Group for more ideas.
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Dee Keller, LPC, is a licensed professional counselor, parenting consultant, and owner of Sunnyside Counseling, a virtual practice based in Virginia. Dee focuses on supporting kids, college students, and moms in navigating anxiety, perfectionism, and overwhelm. She is dedicated to helping clients uncover their strengths and embrace balance and growth in their lives.
Learn more about Dee’s work at sunnysidecville.com
✍️ Michelle Baer, MA, RP, CCC is a Registered Psychotherapist, specializing in Play Therapy and Creative Arts Therapies with children ages 3-17 in Guelph, ON Canada. Michelle has worked in various settings including pediatric hospital, mental health agency, community support services, and her own private practice. She has 2 kids, 2 cats and 1 dog and loves to sing, dance and bake, sometimes all at the same time!
You can learn more here: www.michellebaer.ca