Well & Ready Kids

New resource! We've completed a validation study of the MAIA-Y Regulatory Domain in a clinical sample of maltreated youth. We found it reliably measures two dimensions of interoceptive awareness - not five: Body Orientation and Regulatory Self-Efficacy. Here's a link to a plain language summary: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UzvRPgwCj4sECUEqH25HW9Yi7EGUmGRa/view?usp=sharing

The science of emotion is still being written and the story matters for every clinician. Barrett says emotions are constructed from experience and culture. Panksepp identified seven hardwired subcortical circuits shared across all mammals. Solms bridges both, affect is biologically real, and the cortex shapes what we do with it.

The framework we hold shapes our clinical decisions: do we start with the body or the story? Regulation first, or understanding first?

Our take: it's not either/or. It's about starting with whichever door the client is ready and able to open first. Some will need to move and play before processing, and others will need to process in order to become unstuck. Some will be body phobic and others will be sensorial. Let's understand the science and then allow each client to show us how to best to work with them by attuning to their needs and abilities (Vygotsky's zone of proximal development).

The intelligence contained within the human body is truly astounding. And our skin, the largest organ of the body, is often referred to as our external nervous system. It, along with fascia, muscles, skeletal bones and internal organs are loaded with sensory receptors through which we take in information about our inner and outer world. Our brain attempts to make sense of it all through learned associations and predictions about what sensory information is most likely to mean based on experience. Those predictions are a form of energy conservation. Sometimes those predictions are helpful and other times they reinforce stuckness, anxiety, depression and fear. That’s why making time to connect with what we feel is such an important daily practice. And even with that we can all slip into habits of thinking and mental stories that create unease. It's all part of being human. Interoceptive awareness, knowing what we feel is a type of meta-awareness that opens the door to making choices, not simply repeating our well-worn patterns. Looping is such an easy thing to do, and in many ways, we are wired for it because predictions and loops are a form of energy conversation. Still, knowing ourselves, our patterns, habits of mind, and sand traps is a very personal journey that requires work and yep, some discomfort. It’s worthwhile because the quality of our emotional life and our relationships is an extension of the relationship we have with ourselves. It's an inside job that starts with mirroring by our caregivers as infants. Those who miss those early experiences need to them from a healthy adult (often a therapist) who can provide a clear mirror and sturdy container needed for inner work. (Video link: https://lnkd.in/gi4n5pJh)

This systematic review supports what we see clinically; the inter-connection between interoception and dissociation. We cannot regulate or heal what we don't feel. This systematic review supports what we see clinically; the inter-connection between interoception and dissociation. We cannot regulate or heal what we don't feel. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2026.106582

Based on therapists' requests - the MAIA-YCD is now available as a digital download. No waiting. No shipping. Available now: https://www.wellandreadykids.com/product-page/maiay-card-deck-print-pak-digital

It's finally here! The Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness: Youth Card Deck (MAIA-YCD) manual grew out of clinical practice and research with hundreds of children and adolescents and dozens of therapists across the US, Canada, Australia and the UK. The common request has been for interpretation and intervention planning guidance. The MAIA-YCD manual was designed with that in mind. Now available as an e-pub at: https://www.wellandreadykids.com/product-page/maia-youth-card-deck-user-manual-digital

More research findings to share with you!

Coming Soon: MAIA-YCD User Manual. With over 100 pages, you’ll get a clear roadmap for dual scoring (linking interoceptive scores with comprehension ratings), clinical interpretation by score type, and practical guidance for creating interoceptive awareness (IA) profiles, tracking change over time, and translating results into collaborative goals.

Go to wellandreadykids.com to see what's inside.

NEW: The MAIA-YCD now includes Comprehension-Based Scoring (CBS)! Why? Because sometimes, youth struggle to understand interoceptive related concepts. In these cases, "I don't know" is a valid answer to MAIA-YCD items. Until now, there has been no reliable method of capturing those responses while maintaining validity of dimension scale scores.

The new dual-scoring system combines the original scoring procedures and an added layer of comprehension ratings for each dimensions of interoceptive awareness assessed. Together, this system strengthens the interpretive power and clinical utility of MAIA-YCD scores by flagging comprehension issues.

Check out wellandreadykids.com to learn more.

This is a fantastic translation of the neuroscience of emotion, sensory processes and perception into useable knowledge for non-scientists. Another gem from Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett, psychologist and cognitive neuroscientist.

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