The xSELerate Positivity Podcast: Recent Episodes
The xSELerate Positivity Podcast
Welcome to the xSELerate Positivity Podcast on Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). Here, you will learn from wellness and SEL experts about how to increase positivity and decrease negativity in your life! You’ll be an SEL expert in no time!
Brought to you by the Casa Center for Positive Social Change (aka Casa). Visit our website to learn about how we are teaching SEL in the Phoenix, Arizona community! https://www.casacares.org
Welcome to The xSELerate Positivity Kids' Podcast! Here you will learn all about emotions with fun stories, games, and words of the day! On our first episode, we discuss kindness. Kindness means showing concern about the feelings of others. Check it out to hear about how awesome kindness is and how you can spread kindness to others around you!
Check out this xSELent story about breaking boredom with SEL! Listen as Public Allies Arizona AmeriCorps Member, John Paul Leslie interviews Casa teacher, Tom Reardon about how SEL can be leveraged to manage boredom.
This is the 5th and final episode in our “SEL for Adults” Series! While this episode is centered on responsible decision-making, our guest Dr. Maurice J. Elias does a wonderful job at giving us an overview of the history of SEL and the importance of SEL for character development and flourishing, especially in students.
CASEL defines responsible decision-making as “The abilities to make caring and constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions across diverse situations.” You do not want to miss out on this informative and inspirational conversation!
More about our guest, Dr. Maurice J. Elias: Maurice J. Elias, Ph.D. is Professor and Past-Director of Clinical Ph.D. Training, Psychology Department, Rutgers University, Director of the Rutgers Social-Emotional and Character Development Lab (www.secdlab.org), Co-Founder and Contributing Faculty of The Collaborative Center for Civic Engagement (engage.rutgers.edu), Past President of the Society for Community Research and Action, and Founding Member of the Leadership Team for the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (www.CASEL.org).
Dr. Elias lectures nationally and internationally is frequently sought out as an expert in print and electronic media and devotes his research and writing to the area of social-emotional and character development in children, schools, and families. Books include the just-published Nurturing Students’ Character: Everyday Teaching Activities for Social-Emotional Learning, Social Decision Making/Social Problem Solving Curricula for Elementary and Middle School Students (2006-12, www.researchpress.com), The Educators Guide to Emotional Intelligence and Academic Achievement: Social-Emotional Learning in the Classroom (Corwin, 2006), Bullying, victimization, bullying, and peer harassment: A handbook of prevention and Intervention (Taylor & Francis, 2007), Urban Dreams: Stories of Hope, Character, and Resilience (2008, Hamilton Books), School Climate: Building Safe, Supportive and Engaging Classrooms & Schools (2011, National Professional Resources, www.nprinc.com), the new e-book, Emotionally Intelligent Parenting (via Kindle and Nook), Schools of Social-Emotional Competence and Character(www.nprinc.com), and The Other Side of the Report Card: Assessing Students’ Social, Emotional, and Character Development (how schools and districts can integrate SECD systematically into their ongoing student report cards—Corwin Press). He collaborated with storytellers in the U.S. and Israel, and a prominent Israeli School Psychologist, to create a book for young children: Talking Treasure: Stories to Help Build Emotional Intelligence and Resilience in Young Children(www.researchpress.com, 2012).
Dr. Elias has received the SCRA Distinguished Contribution to Practice and Ethnic Minority Mentoring Awards, APA’s National Psychological Consultants to Management Award, the Joseph E. Zins Memorial Senior Scholar Award for Social-Emotional Learning from the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), the John P. McGovern Medal from the American School Health Association, the Sanford McDonnell Award for Lifetime Achievement in Character Education, and the Jane Bostrum Service to School Psychology Award.
He is a licensed psychologist in NJ and writes a blog on Social-Emotional and Character Development (SECD) for the George Lucas Educational Foundation at www.edutopia.org. Most recently, he is the co-author of The Joys & Oys of Parenting: Insights and Wisdom from the Jewish Tradition (2016, Behrman House), Boost Emotional Intelligence in Students: 30 Flexible Research-Based Lessons to Build EQ Skills (2018, Free Spirit), Nurturing Students’ Character: Everyday Teaching Activities for Social-Emotional Learning, and Social-Emotional Learning Lab: A Comprehensive SEL Resource Kit (2021, with Victoria Poedubicky).
This is episode #4 (of 5) in our “SEL for Adults” Series!
Join Keragan, Tom, and Mickey Atkins, LMSW in a discussion on relationship skills. CASEL defines relationship skills as, “The abilities to establish and maintain healthy and supportive relationships and to effectively navigate settings with diverse individuals and groups.” We discuss what it means to communicate effectively, actively listen, negotiate conflict constructively, and more!
More about our guest: Mickey Atkins makes therapy and mental health-related content on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok in addition to working full time as a psychotherapist. She especially has a passion for sharing information about fat positivity, intersectional feminism, and creating equitable access to therapy and mental health services. She graduated with her MSW in 2018 and works in private practice under her supervisor's direction helping folks work through a variety of anxiety, depression, and trauma issues.
Get in touch with Mickey: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/mickey-atkins-tucson-az/414582 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY-_oH6_ZX0-hHS5ny3dKPA
This is episode #3 (of 5) in our “SEL for Adults” Series!
Join Keragan, Tom, and Dr. William Marsh in a discussion on social awareness. CASEL defines social awareness as, “The abilities to understand the perspectives of and empathize with others, including those from diverse backgrounds, cultures, & contexts.” We discuss the impact of COVID-19, social media, ways to enhance your social awareness, and more!
Show Notes: APULSE Assuming positive intent Practicing mindfulness Understanding others Look and listen Self-compassion Express gratitude
Resources: Sanford Harmony - https://www.harmonysel.org https://www.rulerapproach.org https://www.socialthinking.com William Marsh, PsyD - https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-marsh-psyd-b1366b35/ Southwest Behavioral & Health Services https://www.sbhservices.org
More about our guest: Dr. William Marsh is a licensed clinical psychologist, a primary supervisor for the SB&H doctoral training program, and Program Director of the Erickson Clinic. Dr. Marsh earned his master’s degree in clinical psychology at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and completed an internship at Warren State Hospital. He then earned a doctorate degree in clinical psychology at the Arizona School of Professional Psychology. Dr. Marsh fulfilled an APA accredited doctoral internship at Southwest Behavioral and Health Services at an outpatient clinic. There he learned the value of providing client-directed, outcome-informed therapy which facilitated meaningful change within the client. He subsequently completed a post-doctoral fellowship developing a school-based clinical program for a self-contained special education school for children with emotional and behavioral disabilities. He has significant experience supervising and training doctoral students in clinical psychology programs in providing individual and group psychotherapy, conducting functional behavioral assessments and creating individualized intervention plans, consulting with general and special education teachers, as well as conducting psychological assessments. Clinical training and experience have involved individual, couple/family, and group psychotherapy with a particular focus on play therapy and attachment work that integrated strengths-based and trauma-informed approaches. He is well-versed in person-centered, psychodynamic, experiential, family systems, and cognitive-behavioral theories and interventions. Additional clinical training and experience in conducting social security and veteran disability evaluations have honed his diagnostic and conceptualizing skills. He has also had considerable clinical experience working with substance use, suicide, grief/loss, medical conditions (including TBI’s), ADHD, and behavioral disorders. He was recently trained to utilize the ADOS-2. Dr. Marsh values strong clinical training and has a passion for fostering positive interpersonal dynamics that assist others, whether they are peers, students, or clients, to identify, support, and reach their goals and dreams.
This is episode #2 (of 5) in our “SEL for Adults” Series! This episode builds on the concepts we discussed in the self-awareness episode to include strategies for managing oneself! CASEL defines self-management as “The abilities to manage one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations and to achieve goals and aspirations.” Keragan and Tom are joined by Blake Song, founder of One Percent Dojo! Tune in to hear stories about how they grappled with slip-ups and the lessons these obstacles taught them. They also discuss many evidence-based strategies for enhancing your self-management skills!
More about our guest, Blake Song: Blake Song is a researcher, clinical psychologist in training, and mental health advocate based out of Redondo Beach, California. After studying Psychology and Public Health at UC Irvine, he went on to earn his master's degree in Psychology at Pepperdine University. He’s worked in neuropsychology, substance abuse rehabilitation, and most recently, he founded One Percent Dojo - a psychology-based organization focused on progressing mental wellness within our society.
You can reach Blake on: https://www.onepercentdojo.com Instagram: @OnePercentDojo LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blake-song-m-a-983087101/
This is episode #1 (of 5) in our “SEL for Adults” Series! This episode is all about self-awareness. CASEL defines self-awareness as “The ability to understand one’s own emotions, thoughts, and values and how they influence behavior across contexts.” On this episode Keragan, Tom, and Claudia take on self-awareness, discussing how it shows up for them, for students, and for clients. They also discuss strategies for enhancing your self-awareness!
More about our guest, Claudia Lopez: Claudia Lopez is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Arizona. She has her own private practice called Ave Maria Counseling Services. She provides therapy for adolescents, individuals, and couples. Her main focus is anxiety, depression, and trauma. She is bilingual and provides therapy in both English and Spanish. Below are some ways to reach her! Phone: 480-572-6393 www.avemariacounselingservices.com https://www.facebook.com/AveMariaCounseling https://www.linkedin.com/in/claudia-lopez-mc-lpc-ncc-61184469/
Additional Resources: https://casel.org
Welcome to the xSELerate Positivity Podcast on Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). Here, you will learn from wellness and SEL experts about how to increase positivity and decrease negativity in your life! You’ll be an SEL expert in no time!
Brought to you by the Casa Center for Positive Social Change (aka Casa). Visit our website to learn about how we are teaching SEL in the community! https://www.casacares.org