April's Support Group topic

De-escalation

As any parent knows, meltdowns are inevitable. But becoming more knowledgeable on the brain’s processes and emotional escalation arch can assist you as you seek to de-escalate intense circumstances. This is highly important as foster parents to navigate unexpected and intense situations. Most children in care have undergone highly escalated circumstances and have fewer positive examples of emotional regulation.  

Learn how to model and teach emotional regulation in your home with the following resources. 

Doctor examining child's throat in clinic

Mirror & Match

De-Escalation Technique for Parents, Teachers and Caregivers

Check out this short video on understanding mirror neurons and the de-escalation approach, called Mirror and Match. This technique can assist us in validating the emotions of our kids, or even our peers, while still reducing a heightened state of emotion.

To the Floor Instagram Reel

This Reel shows a fun and creative technique to ‘lighten the mood’ and de-escalate arguments with your significant other or even your child. 
 
Click here to view the reel.
 

The Escalation Cycle

See image below. Consider this emotional arch in your own experience.

  • What does it feel like when you are agitated, at our peak, post-crisis, etc.
  • Are there warning signs or ways to cut the cycle off at the pass?

Now consider what this looks like for your child’s escalation cycle.

escalation cycle

Additional Articles

  1. Slow the Climb: 4 De-escalation Strategies to Keep Behavior from Going Downhill 
    • This article is written for a teacher-student relationship and provides de-escalation techniques. Many of these techniques could also work well at home between parent and child.
  2. 18 Effective De-Escalation Strategies for Defusing Meltdowns
    • This article provides a great guide to the cycle of escalation and how emotional regulation in the brain can be disrupted and restored. The study provides 18 techniques (with an infographic as well) to respond to a meltdown and navigate highly escalated feelings.

Note: In the above articles, there may be information that links out to other sites or online content. Those linked resources have not been evaluated by Hope & Home. Please be sure to overlay any online resources with Volume 7 guidelines as they pertain to your role as a foster parent.