Roos - Hearts and Minds Lab

The Hearts and Minds Lab, a big focus is understanding at sort of a micro level and at a macro level in the family system. How do we promote child resilience in the context of adversity and supportive parenting practices? And a lot of that work is you’re bringing together some best practices in attachment focused parenting and behaviorism or behavior focused parenting, sort of around this emotion focused topic that really aims to understand the function of child emotions and child behaviors and the function of emotions that we have as adults or as caregivers, and what we might how we might act and respond to those big emotions to move towards creating an emotionally safe environment. For kids to express the emotions that they have, for parents to tolerate the big behaviors that might come from those emotions, and to sort of move forwards in a way that doesn’t escalate big emotions and big behaviors and helps kids navigate the world around them no matter what they’ve got going on inside. 

So we’re not placing expectations on kids that are going to be a mismatch for what they’re able to handle on any given day or given a stressor that they’re encountering, whether that is housing instability or caregiver transitions. But it’s helping kids to express what their emotional needs are and to help caregivers understand what to look out for and how to have those supports in place so that kids can have an outlet to experience those emotions and express them when they’re ready. And then sort of move forwards in a way that feels protective and doesn’t increase kids’ fight or flight response or increased kids’ alarm systems that they’re existing in an unsafe environment or where things are really insecure or threatening.