Kids who seemed confident throughout childhood struggle to maintain self-assurance during the teen years. For many, adolescence is filled with self-doubt, a questionable body-image, and insecurity. 
The good news is, you can take steps to help  build self-esteem.   This section turns into an ongoing class for two ages groups.  This is our teen section, but we also offer a preteen section.   In this introductory class, we start with an exercise to build confidence when meeting people for the first time.  For the teen class, we then look at the eight dimensions of wellness and choose action steps that will help create positive experiences and in turn confidence, students may choose during the week to create self-portraits and decorate their journals and share at the beginning of our second class..  You do not have to talk if you are not ready, and showing your work is optional.  Our class will end by filling out the first page in our journal with a template provided by the teacher. This may be an online template or a handout, it varies by class.  There is no handout for class one. Each day until the next class, you will have the opportunity to journal with different prompts or templates provided, however you can put your own spin on your pages. The goal is to be as creative as possible.  During our second class, we will share our journals, design mood trackers and if there is time, begin to create a seasonal bucket list.     

Here are 4 benefits of journal writing for students:

1.     Improves writing and communication skills. It goes without saying that the more a student writes her thoughts out on paper, the better she (or he) will be at putting her emotions into words and communicating her needs to others, but what many of us don’t realize is that journals for students also provide a fun and effective way for young adults to work on their writing, spelling, and grammar skills. Of course, a journal is meant to be a private, unedited place for stream-of-consciousness writing, but you will be surprised to see how your child’s skills improve when she continues to put pen to paper.
2.     Provides an outlet. Whether your child is stressed, or takes life in stride, there’s no denying that kids of all ages have worries, and journaling provides a fabulous outlet to help them address their feelings. Younger kids often like to share journals, but if your student chooses to keep her journal private, she’ll have a place to express herself freely without feeling as though she needs to censor her thoughts for the benefit of others.
3.     Promotes a sense of calm. Writing our thoughts out on paper forces us to come to terms with the things we’re feeling, working through her thoughts will typically bring her back to a state of calm.
4.     Provides solutions. There are tons of journal prompts and worksheets for students that are designed to help kids think outside of their comfort zones, and as your child writes, she will inevitably start to come up with solutions to her problems. (Source:  Meraki Lane).
     If your student chooses to continue after our two week introduction, they should enroll either in the preteen or teen class. We meet weekly and work on topics such as:
1.  Gratitude
2.  Coping
3. Mental Filtering
4.  Goal Setting
5.  Body Image
6. Mindfulness
-and much more.