Glenview CCSD 34 psychologist outlines strategies for parents to support children’s emotions

Dr. Sarah Gebhardt, a licensed clinical and school psychologist with Glenview CCSD 34, led a virtual parent workshop on supporting children’s emotional development, describing specific classroom resources and parenting techniques the district uses and recommends.

Gebhardt opened by stressing that "fine is not a feeling," and that "feelings are information," arguing that naming emotions gives children and adults better data to respond rather than react. She framed the session around three practical strategies: recognizing and understanding emotions, expanding emotion vocabulary, and a regulation strategy she described as "name it and regulate it." She said the latter helps parents pause and move from reacting to "responding with intention."

Gebhardt described District 34 classroom supports she said are in place across grade levels: the Second Step social-emotional learning curriculum (she said it includes an emotion-regulation unit at each grade level from pre-K through eighth grade), use of the Zones of Regulation for some students, regular SEL check-ins, "soft start" morning routines in K–5 buildings, sharing circles/restorative conversations in middle schools, calm corners in classrooms, movement rooms and active-calming centers, and "Zen Dens" in middle schools. She also listed human resources available in every building: teachers, administrators, social workers, psychologists, resource teachers, and — in middle schools — student advocates (ALOP) and student resource officers.

On restorative practices, Gebhardt cited the International Institute for Restorative Practices and the Restorative Practices Handbook as foundations for a "WITH" approach that combines high expectations with high support. She recommended parents use restorative questions such as, "What happened from your perspective? Who has been affected by this? What needs to happen to make things right?" as a way to hold children accountable while maintaining relationship and problem-solving.

Gebhardt used brief interactive polls and chat prompts to illustrate how parents vary in their responses; poll participation counts reported in the session included about 16 responses on an early poll, roughly 18 on a second, and 21 on one later scenario, and she said the session had a high of about 40 attendees. She also described developmental considerations — for very young children, she recommended repetition, visuals, and clear, developmentally appropriate expectations — and encouraged parents to model regulation aloud (for example, narrating a pause before sending an angry text) to teach children co-regulation.

The session closed with a brief question-and-answer period. Gebhardt invited parents to contact her by email with follow-ups and reiterated that restorative practices are a mindset: "Bringing self awareness and intentionality to how we are responding to our children will lead to stronger relationships," she said.