
Beyond Breathing: Creative Approaches to Mental Health for Kids with Cassie Brooks
From Raising Resilient Kids: For Parents, Teachers and All Who Work with Kids by Tom and Jeannie Klisiewicz
April 1, 2025 · 22 min · Season 2 · Episode 8
About this episode
Cassie Brooks shares practical strategies for teaching mental health skills to children.
In this enlightening episode, we're joined by award-winning educator Cassie Brooks, who shares practical strategies for teaching mental health skills to children. With 25 years of middle school health education experience, Cassie offers invaluable insights on how parents, teachers, and coaches can model and teach mental wellness techniques. Cassie discusses the importance of normalizing mental health conversations, comparing emotional pain to physical pain like headaches to reduce stigma. She shares specific techniques including the Tapping Solution, the value of creating personalized mental health self-management plans, and how to implement calming activities that children can choose based on their preferences. As president of the Indiana Society for Health and Physical Educators and a volunteer ambassador for Erica's Lighthouse, Cassie also highlights resources available to support youth mental health education. This episode provides actionable tools for anyone looking to better equip young people with skills to manage their emotional wellbeing. Listen for practical advice on how to move beyond simple breathing exercises to engage children in meaningful mental health practices…
People in this episode
Hosts: Tom Klisiewicz, Jeannie Klisiewicz
Guest: Cassie Brooks
Topics covered
- mental health
- children
- education
- parenting
- wellness
- strategies
Keywords
- mental health
- children's wellness
- Tapping Solution
- self-management plans
- calming activities
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Indiana Society for Health and Physical Educators, Erica's Lighthouse
Places: Brownsburg, Indiana
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