Stance of Curiosity

Gillian Boudreau and Joelle vanLent
  • 5.0 (6)
  • MENTAL HEALTH
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Child Psychologists Joelle vanLent and Gillian Boudreau tackle topics related to schooling in our modern times including navigating impossible expectations and the power of curiosity in education, empowering educators to redefine success, overcoming fear and shame and their effects on school communities with open dialogue, and balancing high demands with compassion and understanding.

  1. 6D AGO

    What is Alexithymia and how might it be a helpful concept?

    Joelle and Gillian explore together the connection between the outward expression of emotion, internal awareness of varied emotional states, and social interactions.  How might the capacity to recognize and express emotions vary among those who are neurodivergent, depressed, anxious, and coping with the impact of trauma exposure?  Are there ways that educational staff and other supportive adults can help when there is either a character trait or state that results in restricted expression of affect?  Some helpful insight and tips were identified, as well as increased curiosity into this internal experience and outward expression.  Find us on Instagram! Gillian: https://www.instagram.com/clearconnectionpsychology/ Joelle: https://www.instagram.com/joelle.vanlent/

    41 min

  2. FEB 9

    Finding hope in the midst of chronic stress

    Gillian and Joelle take a walk down memory lane to recall all of the helpful strategies and insights that we learned during the immediate aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic to consider how those approaches may help us now.  Overwhelming, disheartening, and even at times terrifying events are happening in our country and world.  We bear witness to those events while keeping our lives and work moving forward with diligence.  This can all combine into feelings of defeat, anger, frustration, and learned helplessness.  We learned many powerful and accessible ways to face this situation that we can recall and access now.  We recall ideas, such as sharing the worry and finding hope through action, as well as find new ones, such as time confetti.  Find us on Instagram! Gillian: https://www.instagram.com/clearconnectionpsychology/ Joelle: https://www.instagram.com/joelle.vanlent/

    42 min

  3. FEB 2

    "It's Not Your Fault!" What the movie Good Will Hunting has to teach us as far as the toll of offering support.

    In today's episode, Joelle reflects on re-watching Good Will Hunting, the 1997 movie classic, on a recent flight.  She and Gillian consider the themes highlighted in this film of the real psychological and energetic toll of supporting someone in a resistant stage of change, and how we can apply this to supporting the nervous systems of school professionals and helpers in general. Find us on Instagram! Gillian: https://www.instagram.com/clearconnectionpsychology/ Joelle: https://www.instagram.com/joelle.vanlent/

    43 min

  4. JAN 26

    "Fear Barfing" and "Parallel Process:" Putting words to the difficulty of working with parents.

    Joelle and Gillian explore a concept from the world of psychotherapy and how it could play out between a child, their parent, and a school professional.  When a child expresses their anxiety related to school demands to their parent, their parent may in turn express that distress to the school professional.  We are all seeking reassurance and regulation from each other.  We can trip over each other or we can compassionately respond in a firm and supportive manner.  There is a concept from the world of psychotherapy called “parallel process” that resembles this dynamic.  This concept can help us both respond effectively and shift our own stress response.   This discussion relates to this video from Josh Ship-  Like the Lap Bar on a Roller Coaster,  Teens Will Test You to See if You Will Hold Find us on Instagram! Gillian: https://www.instagram.com/clearconnectionpsychology/ Joelle: https://www.instagram.com/joelle.vanlent/

    40 min

  5. 11/03/2025

    Two wrongs don’t make a right but sometimes they do make us feel better. Why??

    Gillian and Joelle do a deep dive into justice seeking behavior, which can present as someone treating others the way they were treated or seeking to make others feel like they are feeling.  It turns out there are a lot of reasons why we might be inspired to do so.  Our most helpful response in such situations is empathy, validation, and reassurance that their needs are as important as everyone else’s.  An emphasis on the use of visual processing tools to find an alternate path to express distress, feel calm, and self-protect is highly effective.  Some options include contingency maps, comic strip conversations, SODAS, and behavior chain analysis.   Find us on Instagram! Gillian: https://www.instagram.com/clearconnectionpsychology/ Joelle: https://www.instagram.com/joelle.vanlent/

    36 min

  6. 10/27/2025

    What really is inclusion and how do we know if we are pulling it off?

    Our lovely and talented guest week, Lauren Hough Williams, offers her expertise as an educator and expert in creating inclusive educational experiences for neurodivergent students.  Lauren helps us see inclusion as a mindset that can manifest in a variety of ways.  We discuss how to encourage sharing responsibility with the classroom teacher in this effort, as well as creating an environment in which thoughtful risk taking and creativity are supported.  While there is no question that inclusion benefits our communities, we discuss how to create plans that maximize the educational experiences of all students in realistic ways.   Find us on Instagram! Gillian: https://www.instagram.com/clearconnectionpsychology/ Joelle: https://www.instagram.com/joelle.vanlent/

    52 min

  7. 10/20/2025

    Productive Venting vs Fear Barfing: Strategies for managing the adult dynamic of working well with kids

    Gillian and Joelle talk about the tension that can emerge in professional teams that are in the midst of intense work and limited time for debrief and connection.  There are some realistic and practical approaches that can help us effectively process our experiences without risking passing our stress on to our colleagues.  For example, there is intentionality in how we use the brief pauses in our day that can shift our overall cognitive and emotional stress.  There is also an art to how to express our responses in a vent that can reduce isolation, release stress, and receive a helpful next step.   Find us on Instagram! Gillian: https://www.instagram.com/clearconnectionpsychology/ Joelle: https://www.instagram.com/joelle.vanlent/

    38 min

  8. 10/13/2025

    A Curious Look At Depression

    Joelle and Gillian discuss what they have learned about depression through their clinical practice.   How can we be curious about our own responses to gain insights into how a depressed person is feeling without taking those on as our own?  What strategies and approaches are most effective?  Why is it almost as hard to support a depressed person as it is to be depressed?  Is depression the enemy or another form of self-protection?  Where do we find hope in each other and in our experience when it comes to depression?  Find us on Instagram! Gillian: https://www.instagram.com/clearconnectionpsychology/ Joelle: https://www.instagram.com/joelle.vanlent/

    45 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

Child Psychologists Joelle vanLent and Gillian Boudreau tackle topics related to schooling in our modern times including navigating impossible expectations and the power of curiosity in education, empowering educators to redefine success, overcoming fear and shame and their effects on school communities with open dialogue, and balancing high demands with compassion and understanding.

Information

  • Creator
    Gillian Boudreau and Joelle vanLent
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    30
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Stance of Curiosity
  • Show Website
    Stance of Curiosity

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