Susan Hopkins EdD

06/02/2026

Thank you to Alex Kronstein for this thoughtful and important reflection on Self-Reg, autism, and the growing anxiety epidemic facing young people today.

Alex explores how hidden stressors sensory overload, sleep disruption, social pressure, digital overwhelm, and chronic stress - can deeply impact neurodivergent youth, and why looking beneath behaviour matters so much.

One part that especially stood out was the reminder that adolescents today are carrying far more than many adults realize.

What hidden stressors might the young people in our lives be carrying that we haven’t fully recognized yet?

Read the full blog here:

Anxiety in youth is increasing as stressors grow at school and home. Explore autism, Self-Reg, adolescent stress, and mental health.

06/01/2026

📚 The Arc of the Day Matters More Than We Think

Some moments in the day are predictably harder for children — after lunch, during transitions, late in the afternoon.

In Self-Reg, we look beyond the behaviour itself and ask what the nervous system may be telling us.

In this new blog from The MEHRIT Centre, Ltd. we explore how stress and energy states shift throughout the day, shaped by movement, sensory load, nourishment, rest, and the cumulative demands placed on children throughout the day.

This is also one of the important conversations we will continue at SRSS 2026, where educators and early childhood professionals will come together to explore practical ways to reduce stress and support regulation across the school day.

Read more:
https://self-reg.ca/the-arc-of-the-day-is-not-just-a-schedule-it-is-a-stress-plan/

What moments in the day seem to ask the most of the children in your setting?

06/01/2026

Self-Reg invites us to notice - not just the loud stressors, but the quiet, hidden ones too.

05/31/2026

Thank you to Figen Özer for this deeply moving reflection about her sister’s experience in school.

As I read this piece, I kept thinking about how many children are carrying stress that we cannot see - and how quickly stress behaviour can be misunderstood as misbehaviour.

What touched me most was Figen’s reflection that her sister did not need more consequences. She needed to feel safe. She needed understanding. She needed someone to believe in her.

When children do not feel safe, rooted, trusted, or capable, it changes how they move through the world - and how they see themselves.

As educators, caregivers, and professionals, perhaps one of the most important questions we can hold is this: What might change for a child if they felt safe enough to trust the adults around them?

Thank you again, Figen, for sharing your sister’s story with such honesty and compassion.

Read the full reflection here:
https://self-reg.ca/self-reg-haven-for-my-sister/

05/29/2026

Have you ever found yourself puzzling over a child’s behaviour? Maybe they shut down suddenly, explode over something small, or just seem unreachable some days.

This beautiful new blog from The MEHRIT Centre, Ltd. reminds us that stress does not live in only one place. The five domains of stress — biological, emotion, cognitive, social, and prosocial - are always interacting with one another.

When we begin to see behaviour through this lens, something shifts. We stop reacting to the behaviour and start responding to the child underneath it.

I am especially excited because these conversations are at the heart of SRSS 2026. Day 2 of the symposium will explore the five domains in such thoughtful and practical ways, helping us deepen our understanding together.

What is one moment where looking beneath a child’s behaviour changed how you responded?

Read the blog here:
https://self-reg.ca/what-behaviour-is-really-telling-us-a-closer-look-at-the-five-domains/

And join us for SRSS 2026:
https://self-reg.ca/srss

05/29/2026

When a student is under stress, their brain shifts. Survival systems may take over, emotional responses can intensify, and thinking and reasoning may become harder to access.

05/28/2026

Thank you, Stela Haralala, for this beautiful and deeply reflective piece.

So many of us know the feeling of constantly pushing forward, believing we simply need to do more, move faster, keep going. In this gentle reflection, Stela reminds us what can happen when we finally slow down enough to listen to what our body and mind have been trying to tell us all along.

“Self-Reg invites us to move away from judgement and toward curiosity.”

What might change if we gave ourselves permission to pause, even for a moment?

Read the full blog:

I’ve always felt like I’m running behind. No matter how much I get done, there’s always something more; another task, another deadline,

05/27/2026

The countdown is on. 🌿

In just 40 days, we’ll gather for the Self-Reg Summer Symposium 2026 - a time to reconnect, reflect, and deepen our understanding of Co-Regulation and the Five Domains of Stress.

Each year, I’m reminded how powerful it is when educators, parents, clinicians, and caring adults come together with curiosity and compassion.

These conversations matter. They help us better understand ourselves and the children and youth we support.

Whether you’ll be joining us in person or online, I hope SRSS2026 offers space to pause, learn, and grow together.

We can’t wait to welcome you.

Register here: self-reg.ca/srss

05/26/2026

Yesterday I saw wallabies just quietly gathered in a field, that was cool.

There was something about the calmness of the moment that stayed with me. No urgency. No rushing. Just connection, awareness, and a kind of ease in being together.

As our conversations this week have begun with early years educators, I’ve been thinking so much about how deeply children need those same experiences of safety and connection in order to learn and grow. Self-Reg reminds us that regulation is not about compliance or stillness - it’s about recognizing stress, restoring balance, and creating the conditions where relationships can flourish.

What an adventure this week has already been. I’m grateful for the learning, the conversations, and these small moments in nature that seem to reflect the very things we’re talking about together. 💛

05/26/2026

Over the past while, we’ve been introducing the many voices who will be part of this year’s gathering. There’s something special about the way this group comes together - different paths, different experiences, all connected by a shared commitment to understanding stress, behaviour, and what truly helps.

✨ Meet the final presenters for SRSS 2026:

Teri Rubinoff, PhD
📅 July 6, 7, 8 & 9
Teri’s work centres on co-regulation, relational learning, and supporting educators across their journey. She facilitates sessions on Self-Reg tools, creative exploration, and conversations that invite us to reflect more deeply on practice.

Trisha Mendoza, MSW, RSW
📅 July 7, 8 & 9
Trisha brings a clinical and school-based lens to Self-Reg, supporting youth, families, and educators. Her sessions include applied workshops and Co-Regulation with Adolescents: Re-Establishing Interbrain Connection.

If you’ve been following along, thank you. If you’re just joining us, you can explore the full lineup here:

🔗 https://self-reg.ca/srss-2026-presenters/

And if this feels like something you’ve been wanting to step into, you can register here: 🔗 https://self-reg.ca/srss

We’re looking forward to coming together - both in person and online.