Empowering The Modern Family & Youth with Life Skills
Our tools support youth, families and neurodivergent individuals build healthy connections with their nervous system, leading to better relationships with themselves and the world around them. Shutouts, Meltdowns and Burnout – our resources have it covered!
How to get started with Polyvagal Teen®
Purchase Your Card Deck or Toolbag
Book & complete your self-paced course.
Implement and share your learning.
Our Workshops
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How We Help
Have you ever wondered why sometimes your reactions get out of hand? You know how you "should be" - but in the moment it doesn't quite pan out like that? Or why your teen seems to be so unpredictable? Angry? Unmotivated? Maybe you want to be prepared for when your kids reach their teens?
Or teachers how can you manage that emotional contagion better that seems to travel like wildfire through your classroom or school even? Whether you are a parent, caregiver, therapist, employee or educator Polyvagal Teen® can help offer answers!
Through our resources & programs adults and young people alike can learn how biology shapes our social interactions and what we can do about it. Our mission is to go beyond being trauma informed - working also towards trauma prevention and cultivating safety and connection through psycho-education. Whilst aso raising awareness of the impact socio-economic challenges have on wellbeing.
By understanding our own nervous systems and of our wider collective, we gain insight that helps us strengthen relationships - both with ourselves and those around us. Unlocking this knowledge is often a critical first step in making lasting positive changes , including supporting healing from adversity and trauma.
Educators
Are you a school or trust looking for ways to create an environment that is Polyvagal Aware™️? We understand the importance of providing support for SEND students and overcoming barriers to learning and exclusion. By becoming Polyvagal Aware™️, we can help you provide an environment where pupils and staff feel safe, secure and connected to their peers and the wider community. Book a call with us today and find out how we can help your organisation achieve its goals through our customised programs and resources.
Workforce Development
Employee wellbeing should be at the forefront of an organisation's strategy for success. Studies have shown that companies who prioritise employee wellbeing are more likely to experience improved productivity, stronger customer relationships, and an overall enhanced work experience. To learn more about our programs designed to improve employee engagement and job satisfaction, book a call with our team today to discuss your needs further!
Parents
Parenting is undoubtedly one of the toughest jobs out there. It can bring a tremendous amount of stress and strain on parents, making it hard to manage family expectations and raise kids in a healthy environment. Fortunately, help is available for those who need it. We offer psychoeducation resources and programs to meet varying time constraints and financial commitments to provide parents support to manage the challenges that come with parenting. Find out more
Therapists
Polyvagal Teen® gives therapists, counsellors, psychologists and mental health professionals the tools to make the Polyvagal Framework accessible and relatable to their clients. This framework is particularly important for those working with neurodivergent individuals, young people, parents, and caregivers in order to better understand how the body regulates emotion and behavior. Learn more about our training - book a call to find out how our resources will help your practice.
What Does It Mean To Be
Polyvagal Aware?
At Polyvagal Teen® our mission is to help create generations of young people, families and neurodivergent individuals become "Polyvagal Aware™️". We provide young people, parents, caregivers and educators the tools to become friends with their nervous system. We give individuals a stronger sense of control over their physical and emotional wellbeing so they can develop healthier connections with family and friends. Equipping them with the tools and skills so they go on to become contented adults.
We also make it easy for neurodivergent individuals to unlock the potential of understanding how their nervous system works - helping them on their journey towards coming to terms with challenges like stress, anxiety, anger, shame, binge eating and trauma.
It might feel like we’re living in a world of endless distractions, and it’s true! Everywhere you turn there is something trying to grab your attention – whether it’s the latest news headlines or just everyday interactions with those around us.
All these stimuli have an impact on our nervous systems, sometimes positively but not always. It’s important that we recognise the impact this has on our nervous system so they can navigate their life healthily – both mentally and physically!
Understanding how our bodies respond to different experiences is a vital part of discovering who we are and what makes us unique.
Through the Polyvagal Teen® tools, conversations become less stressful as young people gain insight into their nervous systems without fear of judgement or criticism.
This newfound awareness can be transformative by supporting teens and adults in unlocking their true potential!
It’s important for young people to understand their nervous system, so that they can build healthy relationships and develop skills like self-regulation.
Taking the time to pay attention to our sensory experiences is a great way of tracking emotions – this helps us put feelings into words, making it easier for us all deal with life challenges in healthier ways. Research suggests that the ability to label an emotion by putting feelings into words can help people better regulate their challenging emotions¹.
These helpful insights don’t come naturally; we learn them mainly through positive relationships early on in life which gives us confidence when faced with adversity throughout adulthood too!
It’s incredibly important to take care of our youth during their development as it can have a serious impact on their mental wellbeing.
Pre-pandemic research has suggested that around half of all potential mental health problems start surfacing in the mid-teens and are three quarters full blown by 25 years old.
Sadly, one out two children struggle with understanding what is wrong so they don’t ask for help or receive proper treatment to manage issues early on³.
Our mission at Polyvagal Teen is to make sure we bring attention to this issue and introduce prevention strategies into young people’s lives while they’re still learning how best cope!
At The Polyvagal Teen®, we create resources and tools drawing on the latest in our understanding of neuroscience, wellbeing and relating.
We employ a revolutionary approach informed by Dr Stephen Porges’ groundbreaking Polyvagal Theory as well as valuable insights from the likes of Bruce Perry, Daniel Siegel, Dr Bessel Van Der Kolk & Attachment theory to construct programs that are both meaningful and practical for young people and families.
Additionally these materials have been designed with the neuro-divergent individual specifically in mind: Our creator brings personal experience living with Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and ADHD into her work – inspiring effective support systems tailored to those who can benefit most!
- 1 Lieberman M. D., Eisenberger N. I., Crockett M. J., Tom S. M., Pfeifer J. H., Way B. M. (2007). Putting feelings into words: Affect labeling disrupts amygdala activity in response to affective stimuli. Psychological Science, 18(5), 421–428.
- 1. Children's Mental Health Statistics - The Children's Society
- 2. Children and young people's emotional wellbeing and mental health – facts and figures
- Dr Stephen Pogeses Polyvagal Theory
Our Tools & Resources To Support Regulation
Yasmin
24 September 2024
Yasmin
14 September 2023
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7 September 2023
Yasmin
27 June 2023
Build Better Bonds With Your Teen Their ADHD ❤️
In this guide I will share with you how to:
- recognise when your teen is stressed so you can catch those energy draining blowouts earlier.
- practical strategies to manage the challenges of parenting a teen with ADHD – especially when you have to repeat the same thing again and again!
how to create an environment that nurtures open communication, growth and success.
Heard Criticism About The Theory? Polyvagal Theory and Its Criticisms - Yasmin Shaheen-Zaffar in Dialogue With Dr Stephen Porges.
Earlier this year, I had the privilege of hosting an event with Dr. Stephen Porges and Seth Porges (Dr Stephen Porges son) where we explored the impact of Polyvagal Theory and building better relationships.
During our conversation, I brought up the topic of criticism surrounding the theory – a subject Dr. Porges was more than willing to address.
In this short clip, I asked Dr Stephen Porges how he personally navigates the challenges of criticism, especially given the strong reactions to concepts like “neuroception,” a term he introduced. You can read more about it here
