Guiding Arrows Counseling

09/25/2025

When one child in the family experiences high levels of aggression, parents often carry heavy worries for their other children....

These fears are real. And yet, they don’t have to be the end of the story.

When one child in the family experiences high levels of aggression, parents often carry heavy worries for their other children. “Will this cause trauma?” “Will they ever have a close sibling relationship?” “Am I neglecting one child to manage the other’s behaviors?” These fears are

08/28/2025

As your kiddo comes home from school, remember this:

- Meltdowns aren’t manipulation; they’re release.

- And unmasking isn’t a setback; it’s healing.

If you’re a parent of a neurodivergent child, you might know this pattern all too well: your child seems calm, polite, and “fine” all day at school, but the second they walk through the door at home, the meltdowns begin. You may feel confused, frustrated, or even blamed. But here’s the truth...

08/17/2025

New week, new day, new capacity. It only takes 3 questions to come back to yourself and your child.

Have you ever noticed that some days you wake up ready to take on the world and other days, just getting out of bed feels like a victory? That’s capacity. It shifts daily, sometimes even moment by moment. Two minutes ago you walked to the kitchen feeling just fine to do the dishes, but then you

08/03/2025

Back to School Without the Meltdowns: For Parents of Neurodivergent Kids

Neuro-warrior parents, If you're staring down the school year with a mix of hope, dread, and 17 unanswered emails from the district, take a breath. You’re not alone. And you’re not behind. For our neurodivergent kids, back-to-school doesn’t just mean new folders and fresh shoes. It often means

06/23/2025

🌿Welcome to Guiding Arrows Counseling

We’re your trusted group practice in Aledo supporting children, teens, and families through the understanding of neurodivergence, emotional dysregulation, anxiety, and big life transitions. Whether your child needs play therapy, teen support, or holistic neurofeedback, our team is here to walk alongside you every step of the way. 💛

02/12/2024

A lot can happen with a little reframing. Manipulation is a “calculated exercise of harmful control over others.” Children’s brains are not quite capable of that type of calculated action. What you ARE seeing though is a strong signal of unmet needs. Children are simply exercising survival responses that are ingrained into all of us.

Instead of asking, “Why is my child so manipulative?”, ask yourself, “What are they actually trying to accomplish? What do they really need?“

02/08/2024

There is a hidden cost when it comes to silence. When kids hold in emotions, they carry a heavy burden. Let’s not assume the quiet ones are always okay.

02/06/2024

‘Trauma Through a Child’s Eyes’ by Peter Levine unpacks how trauma disrupts our nervous system and highlights the lingering effects. Trauma hits the pause button ⏸️ on our natural fight-flight-freeze responses, leaving us stuck in a state of heightened alertness 😳 or numbed withdrawal😞. It is critical that we understand trauma from a physiological framework, and this book is a fantastic start.

02/05/2024

Every misbehavior highlights an unspoken emotion. Your child might be struggling to express themselves verbally, and their actions are their way of reaching out. 🫶🏼 Be slower to correct, and faster to connect.

Using the concepts from we know that connecting to a child’s emotions is a powerful way to understand their world.

02/04/2024

The concept of “Connection before Correction” is a fundamental principle in Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI). TBRI emphasizes the importance of building a strong connection with a child before addressing behavioral issues, dysregulation, or offering corrections. By prioritizing connection, caregivers aim to create a safe and nurturing environment where co-regulation can occur. Once a secure connection is established, the child is more receptive to correction and guidance.

02/03/2024

Changing behaviors works on a surface level, often driven by external motivations- stickers, toys, electronics. It’s like rearranging the furniture in a room. While it may look different for a short time, the underlying structure is still the same. On the other hand, healing nervous systems dives into the root causes, acknowledging the connection between thoughts, emotions, and physiological responses. THIS is where sustainable transformation takes place.

02/01/2024

We are designed to feel. It is a gift within our human nature. Embracing our child’s emotions is vital for their growth, but let’s not confuse accepting feelings with endorsing behaviors. All behavior is communication, so it is our duty to help uncover what the child is trying to say. Here are some sentence starters to help drive connection during a behavior follow up:

⏩ “I noticed something might be on your mind. Is now a good time to talk or would you like me to come back in 5 minutes?”

⏩ “Help me understand what’s going on by describing what your body is feeling right now.”

⏩ “It seems like today has been a bit challenging. Can you help me understand your emotions better?”

⏩ “I’ve noticed a change in your mood. Can we talk about what’s happening in your world?”

⏩ “Sometimes emotions can be hard to put into words. How about we work through them together?”