The Calais School fosters a nurturing culture where students are empowered to regulate their emotions, and build the self-esteem necessary for successful learning and personal growth. Self-regulation is an important area of focus addressed by counseling and therapeutic supports offered at the school on an individual and group basis.

Our resident mindfulness guru and Calais School Counselor, Mrs. Vitaletti, recently engaged her 8th 9th and 10th grade counseling groups in an activity to help them become more aware of the role their brain plays in self-regulation. Her students learned about the functionality of each part of the brain with a focus on the parts that control reactive and active responses. They also created model brains out of clay that are now displayed outside of her office for everyone to learn from.

Through participation in Mrs. Vitalleti’s thought provoking activity, the groups learned how to mindfully activate the reasoning part of the brain which creates thoughtfulness rather than the reactive part of the brain which can become emotionally hijacked by the fight flight or freeze response. Building this awareness helps the students cultivate mindfulness skills which will ultimately lead to self-regulation.

You can learn more about the counseling and therapeutic services offered at The Calais School here!