Kari Sutton
Kari Sutton, B. Teach (Early Childhood Education) B. Ed. (Early Childhood Education), M Ed. (Early Childhood Education), M.Ed. (Guidance and Counselling), Dip. Positive Psychology and Wellbeing. She helps parents of children who worry a lot, are anxious, overwhelmed and struggle with life’s daily challenges. She is a mental fitness advocate, educator, speaker and author with over 28 years’ experience in education, guidance counselling and consulting.
Kari has helped over 25,000 children, parents, and educators with evidence-based strategies, tools and approaches as well as common sense tips that help kids stop worrying so much, manage their anxiety and bounce back from setbacks and challenges. Her expertise has made her an in-demand conference speaker, author and consultant who is eager to share what she knows with parents, educators and early childhood professionals who want to foster children's positive mental health. She is launching her second book “Raising a Mentally Fit Generation” in May 2020.
Kari studied with Martin Seligman, the founder of Positive Psychology, for two years and this encouraged her to further explore the evidence about how we can foster children’s positive mental health from a young age. She deconstructs the research, so you don’t have to and provides practical tools and easy to use strategies that plant the seeds of resilience, emotional well being and mental fitness in our children.
She loves spending time with her family, walking her dogs, spending time at the beach, reading good books and photographing nature all of which contribute to her mental fitness and well being.
Website: http://karisutton.com
Articles
We all experience anger, fear, frustration, sadness, rejection, disappointment, jealousy, and guilt at different times; they are simply part of being human. Uncomfortable emotions are unavoidable, but how we respond to them is our choice. Teaching children how to cope… Continue Reading >
No matter how exciting it is to be a parent the constant care of a newborn can absolutely drain you. The addition of a new baby to the family can be a huge adjustment for everyone. A whole day can… Continue Reading >
A new Netflix reality show called “Old Enough” has been sparking a spirited debate around the world about parenting and how we develop independence in our children. The show that depicts Japanese children, some as young as 2, taking their… Continue Reading >
Children love being independent. We see this when babies try to spoon-feed themselves, toddlers demand to dress themselves and pre-schoolers want to help with household chores. Young children love to do things for themselves even when it makes life harder… Continue Reading >
The key question to keep asking is: Are you spending your time on the right things? As time is all you have. Randy Pausch One of my most valued things in the entire world is a tin lunch box filled… Continue Reading >
One of the most consistent worries that I heard from both parents and teachers when I was a guidance counsellor was that this generation of children can sometimes be cynical, entitled, egocentric beings who seem to be amazingly ungrateful for… Continue Reading >
Summer holidays are drawing to a close and school is going back around Australia. Many children may be a little anxious going back to school this year after the rollercoaster of 2020. One of the most important things parents can… Continue Reading >
We all experience anger, fear, frustration, sadness, rejection, disappointment, jealousy, and guilt at different times; they are simply part of being human. Self-regulation enables us to regulate and manage how we react to our emotions. Self-regulation is the crucial foundation… Continue Reading >
The nature of children’s health around the world is changing. There is now a ‘new morbidity’ occurring, with obesity, mental health conditions, self-harm and, suicide taking centre stage. Having worked as a teacher and guidance counsellor for the past 25… Continue Reading >
In today’s digital age, it’s impossible to hide the frightening truth about global events from our children. Even if you shield them from it at home, your children are probably hearing this news from friends, teachers, or on social media. These… Continue Reading >
With the Coronavirus causing disrupted education, economic havoc and unprecedented lockdowns around the world it’s very easy to feel incredibly overwhelmed. Children have had a ringside seat watching their parents come to terms with school being cancelled, having to work… Continue Reading >
Since COVID entered our lives in early 2020 there have been a multitude of events that have caused anxiety, confusion, and numerous other emotions for our children. As our country is now being impacted by continual lock downs it can… Continue Reading >
Being a parent is never an easy job but enduring multiple lock downs caused by Covid it can feel even more challenging. Until enough of the population is vaccinated so we build up herd immunity snap lock downs may become… Continue Reading >
The nature of children’s health around the world is changing. There is now a ‘new morbidity’ occurring, with obesity, mental health conditions, self-harm and suicide taking centre stage. Having worked as a teacher and guidance counsellor for the past 25… Continue Reading >
Violence against women is preventable because we know that the cycle of violence starts with disrespect. Violence stems from sexist attitudes and disrespect of women and girls such as: that women and girls aren’t as good as men and boys, don’t deserve… Continue Reading >
The independence of childhood that many of us grew up with has now been replaced with consistent monitoring in order to keep our kids safe and reduce our level of anxiety as parents. This parental anxiety is being driven by… Continue Reading >
Consent is an important concept that has been widely used in the both mainstream and social media in the past month. It is an idea that children can learn as early as preschool — the belief that we should respect… Continue Reading >
Somehow in our culture, we have developed the belief that protecting our kids from discomfort, and the pain of disappointment, is the way to be effective parents. There is a misconception that if children suffer any discomfort growing up, there’s… Continue Reading >
The last weeks of summer are fast approaching, holidays have come and gone, and a whole new year is already underway. Transitioning back into the school routine can be a shock to the system after long lazy summer days and… Continue Reading >
When I was ten, we moved from Brisbane, Australia, to live in Oregon, USA, for a year. This meant going to a new school in a new city and making new friends. Due to the differences in school years, I… Continue Reading >
Do you remember your first childhood friend? The one you woke up excited to see as you arrived at school inside the school gates? Delightful times playing, filled with laughter, fun and adventure. For children, forming friendships is a crucial… Continue Reading >
I’m not sure if you’ve ever experienced this, but I have had days when I’ve hopped into my car and driven from one place to another, quite some distance at times, and not been able to remember how I got… Continue Reading >
As expecting, or new, parents there is a vast amount of information that you can access about how to help your beautiful baby grow into a thriving successful adult. Opinions vary wildly about what does (or doesn’t) help you navigate… Continue Reading >
During my teaching career, I often had to coach the softball team and hold tryouts to select who would make it on to the team that year. These tryouts provided me with many opportunities to observe how my students viewed… Continue Reading >
Teaching kids about their brain provides them with a strong foundation as understanding how their brain works is the cornerstone of developing emotional intelligence and resilience. When we teach our kids about their brain, we need to make sure it’s… Continue Reading >
In today’s society bullying has become a common part of childhood. In countries throughout the world national surveys indicate that the majority of children and teenagers have experienced some form of bullying in the past 12 months. One in four… Continue Reading >
It was 4:30 in the afternoon, and I’d taken Mitchell shopping after school. Both he and I were tired, but I knew I needed to pick something up from the store before they closed at 5. I was in a… Continue Reading >
I am sure we have all witnessed what happens at birthday parties these days where games like pass the parcel have been changed so no one loses, and everyone gets a prize to protect kids from experiencing disappointment and uncomfortable… Continue Reading >
In a world impacted by Coronavirus it can seem like everything fun has been cancelled. There are so many things that have suddenly disappeared from our children’s lives – birthday parties, holidays, visiting grandparents, play dates, the Easter Show- so… Continue Reading >
With everything that’s going on in our world it’s very easy to feel incredibly overwhelmed by all of the information that we’re hearing about Coronavirus COVID-19. The levels of anxiety in the community are rapidly rising and it is understandable… Continue Reading >
The nature of children’s health around the world is changing. There is now a ‘new morbidity’ occurring, with obesity, mental health conditions, self-harm and suicide taking centre stage. Having worked as a teacher and guidance counsellor for the past 25… Continue Reading >
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