I love these answers. Clearing the room - what an interesting concept. That WOULD take some doing, as I work with kids in middle and high school, and the other half of the building is K-5... so the other staff would have to be "in on" it. It might be seen by the other teens as punishment for THEM due to misbehavior by the one. But it is an interesting concept. I love that I can get help from you all here. Thank you.
My goal is to help each kid in my care become able to manage their anger, sadness, or any other emotion, and to never feel judged by me for HAVING the emotions. We've made HUGE strides with some very troubled kids. This particular kid has told me that I am nice, and (again, interesting) that they appreciate me for telling them THE TRUTH. Makes me wonder if other adults have attempted to placate them with white lies. When not in an agitated state, this child shows love for me. When agitated... wow. The look on their face is one of those "if looks could kill" experiences that leaves you wondering if an alien took over for a minute.
