Strong Sitting

Strong sitting is a technique for helping RADlets heal that I first read about in a Nancy Thomas book. I modified this particular technique so that it worked for us.


Hope has a 24" vinyl mat that she sits on. It is portable and can go anywhere with us. We have used it as a thinking spot, a cool off spot, and a keep Hope contained spot. It worked most of the time. However, when a child has already passed the point of no return, getting them to sit and a mat and collect themselves isn't going to happen very likely. That is when I had the idea to use Hope's mat for strong sitting. For six minutes (one minute per year) Hope is strong sitting on her mat before each meal.


This is what we do for strong sitting:

• Hope sits on the center of the mat, on her bottom.
• Legs are criss-cross applesauce.
• Her back is straight, hands rest on her knees, relaxed.
• She is encouraged to focus on the good choices she is going to make.

The meal is waiting for her when she has completed her strong sitting.


I am hoping that regular practice will not only let Hope reset several times a day, but make the mat a place Hope  associates with calm control.

Has anybody else used a version of strong sitting?