Phyllis Fagell

Sometimes the most helpful thing to do with kids is to help them figure out what they need to do and get a handle on all of those executive functioning skills that have not yet developed because they are not at a point in brain development where they have those skills.

As Phyllis Fagell explains, “We can do a lot to ease that burden on them, simply by helping them label what it is they're feeling and why they're feeling that way. They may feel overwhelmed or anxious but may not be specific about why.”

By helping our kids break it down to figure out a solution, such as reaching out to friends if they're lonely or talking to a teacher if they're feeling discouraged about schoolwork. Middle schoolers can turn things around quickly with the right support!

Happy listening and learning: https://offtheclockpsych.com/middle-school-superpowers-with-phyllis-fagell/

Phyllis Fagell's Tools to Unleash Middle School Superpowers Listen to this episode from MindShift Podcast on Spotify. Phyllis Fagell, Psychotherapist and author of the new book “Middle School Superpowers: Raising Resilient Tweens in Turbulent Times," talks about why middle school is the last best chance to impress social skills and values upon kids; plus s...

It's just one week away...

Come learn about affirming student identity as Daryl C. Howard and I discuss Writing Their Future Selves at the Wheaton Library on December 3rd from 2-3 PM!

RSVP at the link below and feel free to share:
https://forms.gle/CHEGjNkpPsJUjxZY6

Can't make it? Stay tuned for information about my next local event at Busboys and Poets in Takoma Park on January 7th from 5-7 PM with conversation partner Phyllis Fagell!

Have you said any of these to your middle schooler? I know I have...
-Just tell them...
-Just ask your teacher to...
-Why can't you just...
It's easy for parents to expect our middle schoolers to react to social situations the way we see them. Instead, let's get curious about why it's so hard for our kid and work on small steps to move forward.

Thanks so much, Equilibrium Parent Coaching!

Electric scooters, sleep schedules, middle schooler anxieties, oh my!

Phyllis Fagell and Jessica McGuire are talking 2023 trends on the first Middle School Walk & Talk episode of the season. Listen now 🎧: https://okt.to/WaBI9m

What are you seeing at your school?

Yes, I write about colleges, but as the father of two middle schoolers, this book is already dog eared.

Phyllis Fagell spends her days as a professional school counselor working with middle schoolers, and so she brings the goods and outlines the 12 superpowers that middle schoolers need to activate when they face the most challenging situations, from flexibility to healing to balance.

My favorite chapters are on belonging and risk taking because they are not only backed by research and science, but these two superpowers in particular are critical for adolescents to develop for success later on in college.

If you're a parent, teacher, or counselor of a middle school kid, get this.

What are the superpowers you think middle schoolers need for later in life?

Middle School Superpowers: Raising Resilient Tweens Fagell’s Middle School Superpowers offers parents and educators effective ways to help tweens deal with change, social missteps, missed opportunities, and more.

Thank you, Lisa Heffernan, for the opportunity to do this Q and A with Grown and Flown! Lisa asked me about a range of topics that are covered in my new book MIDDLE SCHOOL SUPERPOWERS, from helping tweens reappraise risks as excitement to better understanding and targeting the root causes of their loneliness.

How to Activate Your Teen's Superpowers: Raising Resilient Tweens in Turbulent Times Leverage middle schoolers' powers so they can manage disappointment, self-regulate emotions, take healthy risks, recover from any setback.

How to Empower Middle School Students - Where Parents Talk Clinical professional counsellor, school counsellor, journalist, Phyllis Fagell discusses how parents can support middle school students.

How to raise superpowered tweens in turbulent times Here are ways caregivers can help their kids acquire four superpowers they need to embrace their transformation and recover from any setback.

6 Ways to Promote Emotional Well-Being in Tweens Teachers can encourage these students to develop skills that help ease stress and improve their sense of self-confidence.

I love reading and sharing good parenting books. Here are two worth reading -- from Phyllis Fagell and Devorah Heitner, PhD

https://parenthood365.substack.com/p/two-books-i-just-added-to-my-shelf

"Lost between the years of playground kid and independent high schooler are the transitional years of middle school. Phyllis Fagell, author of "MIDDLE SCHOOL SUPERPOWERS, Raising Resilient Tweens in Turbulent Times," shares resources to help parents and adolescents communicate and cope through the years when kids are impressionable and trying to fit in. "The only way to help build our kids' confidence and belief in themselves is for them to actually stumble, for them to get out there, experiment," school counselor and author Phyllis Fagell told KCUR 89.3 Up To Date host Steve Kraske. It was fun to get to record live in NPR's Washington, D.C. headquarters in advance of my trip to Kansas City today. Link to listen: https://www.kcur.org/podcast/up-to-date/2023-09-12/middle-school-can-be-scary-for-kids-a-new-book-helps-parents-navigate-these-turbulent-times

You don’t need to surveil your kids to protect them on social media | CNN Devorah Heitner helps parents learn to mentor rather than monitor their children in today’s digital world with a new book that offers a pragmatic and empathetic road map.

In a post-pandemic world, tweens face unprecedented challenges, and humor emerges as an unexpected superpower.

Author of Middle School Superpowers: Raising Resilient Tweens in Turbulent Times, Phyllis Fagell shares her insight into how tweens can harness humor to reinforce their optimism in our latest blog.

Check it out here: https://medium.com/journalistic-learning/why-tweens-need-a-good-laugh-655fab96bdb0

As I write in my latest Edutopia article, tweens must negotiate a more complex social and academic system, without life experience, while in the throes of puberty, and with still-developing brains. That can cause significant emotional discomfort. Teachers may not be mental health therapists, but here are 6 skills they can teach students (including some that caregivers can do at home) to reduce their stress. With insights from Mary Alvord, Joseph Bostic, Lisa Heffernan from Grown and Flown, Cara Natterson, MD, Zachary Cohen, Jennifer Breheny Wallace and Miriam Plotinsky.

6 Ways to Promote Emotional Well-Being in Tweens Teachers can encourage these students to develop skills that help ease stress and improve their sense of self-confidence.

8 Ways Educators Can Help Adolescents Take Academic Risks Tweens think in polarities and will go to great lengths to avoid embarrassment at school. Here are 8 ways educators can help them learn to take academic risks.

Teachers Can Unlock These 12 Middle School Superpowers Plus two big takeaways for teachers ...

All Middle Schoolers are Superheroes in the Making: How to help kids build psychological resiliency in an increasingly complicated world - AMLE That’s why I was excited to hear about Middle School Superpowers, a new book from Phyllis Fagell that’s all about building psychological resiliency in this age group. I sat down with Phyllis to learn more about these superpowers and why she felt this book was needed now more than ever.

'Middle School Superpowers' book helps parents negotiate the often-tough middle school years The book gives tips, strategies and anecdotes for parents of middle schoolers.

'Middle School Superpowers' book helps parents navigate the often-tough middle school years The book gives tips, strategies and anecdotes for parents of middle schoolers.

Advice | How to raise superpowered tweens in turbulent times Here are ways caregivers can help their kids acquire four superpowers they need to embrace their transformation and recover from any setback.

NEW in the AMLE Store! 📚

From Phyllis Fagell, author of Middle School Matters, discover how to bolster any middle schooler’s resilience by leveraging the 12 Middle School Superpowers they need to manage disappointment, self-regulate emotions, take healthy risks, and recover from any setback.

Grab your copy of this essential middle school title 👉 https://okt.to/cTIDdB

Phyllis Fagell | Author and Licensed Clinical Counselor Phyllis L. Fagell is a licensed clinical professional counselor, certified professional school counselor and journalist.

I am so excited that my new book, MIDDLE SCHOOL SUPERPOWERS, just got a shout-out on CBS Mornings! Amazon Editorial Director Sarah Gelman chose it as a "top back-to-school book pick." Thank you, Sarah! Link to listen to the segment: https://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play;_ylt=AwrFNEtki9tkaPAQwRC3mWRH;_ylu=c2VjA3NyBHNsawN2aWQEZ3BvcwMx?p=sarah+gelman+cbs+mornings+books+back-to-school&vid=062c07f63e413737dd55a4491f242953&turl=https%3A%2F%2Ftse2.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOVF.wleFmY2xqyF2wY11aX4nDA%26pid%3DApi%26h%3D150%26w%3D250%26c%3D7%26rs%3D1&rurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DIoJASyl99Dg&tit=Back-to-school+book+recommendations+for+parents+and+caregivers&c=0&sigr=6YH5yoFlNoZx&sigt=De2wvOJfZKN3&sigi=M21CoaeTguwB&fr=p%3As%2Cv%3Av&h=150&w=250&l=285&age=1692105311&fr=iphone&tt=b

I had such a great discussion with Phyllis Fagell for this episode!

Phyllis just released a brand new book, Middle School Superpowers: Raising Resilient Tweens in Turbulent Times. We haven’t specifically talked about middle schoolers on the show before, and I knew Phyllis would be just the right person to tackle this with. She’s a parenting author and speaker – and I had to laugh when I saw on her website: “Phyllis has lived through middle school three times: first for herself, then with her kids, and now as a counselor.” She’s a school counselor in Washington, DC, and her first book Middle School Matters could be likened to “what to expect when you’re expecting a middle schooler.”

🎙️ Listen wherever you get your podcasts!