Testimonials – Chill Skills

Chill Skills Testimonials

From the Kids

I liked the Chill Skills classes because I now know how to get rid of the sick butterfly feelings that I get in my body. I like doing the slow movements and imagining I’m a tree and I liked imagining starlight around me.

LeahAge 8

I liked learning about positive thinking and affirmations in the chill skills classes, it helps keep me focused.

AshleyAge 11

I know what to do so I can feel safe now.

MariaAge 6

From the Parents

My daughter, aged 3 wasn’t sleeping well. I didn’t know what to do, so I tried playing your Meditation for Kids CD to her at night. She loves it and is now sleeping well, it’s amazing! Her favourite track is Tree Magic.

KristyVIC

My 10 year old wasn’t sleeping properly; I didn’t think that she would listen to the Meditation for Kids CD because she has never done meditation before. But I gave it a go anyway and put it on for her when she went to bed at night. I couldn’t believe it worked so well, she is able to get to sleep now.

LisaVIC

My daughter age 10 has trouble sometimes getting to sleep at night; she has the CD player next to her bed and knows to play the Meditation for Kids CD, to help her get to sleep. She has been listening to it for 2 years now!

JulieVIC

My daughter age 8 is now more settled since attending the Chill Skills for kids classes. The angriness is gone, the tear tantrums have gone, she is a totally different girl. We don’t have screaming matches anymore. Her meltdowns don’t happen anymore. Her doctor diagnosed her at the age of 10 months as being unable to regulate her emotions. So if she got upset then she would just cry and cry as a baby and that type behaviour carried through to her childhood. If she got upset, she didn’t know how to calm herself down, the classes have really helped her.

She uses a lot of the skills that she has learnt in the classes at home and has shown me some of the things that she has learnt. Together we use those skills to assist her when things are really troubling her.

My daughter aged 5, has been diagnosed with select mutism. Since coming to Chill Skills she has more self-awareness with her feelings and is finding the confidence to speak more freely with people. She is overcoming her anxiety; she is finding ways to cope with it.

MichelleGoulburn Valley, Victoria, 2021

Comments from teachers

Summary of teachers’ observations of teaching and learning outcomes from pilot studies in primary schools

After doing the meditation, students were able to focus better in class and have an improved sense of wellbeing and happiness.
Provides an avenue to disperse restlessness when the students are restricted physically; e.g. wet weather timetable.
Promoted questioning and connected learning to real world experience.
Helps to provide a positive and safe classroom environment.
Provided students with strategies to deal with and manage their own anxiety and stress.
Assisted students to expand on thinking (thinking outside the box) and reflect on and improve themselves.
Students response to classes was very positive with many students writing and drawing pictures at home in diaries and bringing them to school and discussing with and showing other students.
The program provides teachers with a different source to engage students in art and English lessons.
The program provides students within the VELS level 1 to 4 to develop many skills that are associated with the desired learning outcomes.
Sharing ideas and group discussion has been a very good activity to evaluate students speaking and listening skills.
Builds listening skills and focus in students.
Encourages a high level of engagement.
Encourages share time, which helps the children gain confidence in their ability to stand up in front of the class and express themselves. Confidence gives the ability to stand up and speak out, (saying what’s on their mind) which in turn creates resilience; this is a valuable life skill, which amongst other things assists the children with issues such as bullying.
Discussion is generated after the meditation. As the children become more relaxed and have more open discussion time they disclose more, e.g. In one discussion it was disclosed that one child thought that if a teacher is cross at them then that means that the teacher doesn’t like the student. The teacher explained that she likes all students and wants them all to do well; it is the behaviour that the teacher does not accept.

About our training

I am both delighted and privileged to be one of the first graduates of Chill Skills for Kids Coaching.

My journey began originally with a quest to find a way to help my son regain his self confidence and learn to relax naturally.

Lisa Hemmings and Allan O’Keefe, founders of Path of Calm have opened up a whole new world to me with this programme with their experience, openness and genuine quest to better the lives of emotional children.

I have lost count of the number of conversations I have had with parents, teachers, childcare workers etc., who believe this programme can help and I look forward to sharing it with the community.

Ricky (Rochelle) Busuttil

I undertook the Chills Skills for Kids online training program with Chill Skills in June 2016. Lisa and Alan were amazing! They presented the subject matter in a straight-forward way, covering all the aspects of the Chill Skills program. They made sure that I understood things each step of the way. Lisa and Alan were both extremely approachable and open to questions and input. On completion of the training, I couldn’t wait to start putting the program into practice. I now run my own Chill Skills for Kids programs (with wonderful feedback from parents) and also conduct one-on-one Chill Skills sessions. I went into the sessions with confidence due to the practical nature of the training program. I would not hesitate to recommend this training package to anyone who has an interest in children’s heath as well as a passion for treating clients holistically.

Hayley Derwent

From a Community Organisation

Supporting Vulnerable Children in Our Community

Primary Care Connect have partnered with Chill Skills to deliver the “Chill Skills for Kids” program to children aged between 5-12 years old who have or are experiencing Family Violence.

The program draws on evidence-based practices including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Mindfulness, Creative visualisations and systemic teaching of relaxation techniques to assist children to connect to calm and confidence. Sessions are delivered in small groups of up to six children and the program runs for six weeks.

Chill Skills co-founders Allan O’Keefe and Lisa Hemmings have delivered the programs while training and supporting PCC staff towards becoming program facilitators. One on one sessions have also been provided to children who were unable to participate in the group environment.

The programs have led to improved outcomes for the children who have attended. Parents have noted the children are more calm, are able to express their feelings in helpful ways, better able to concentrate and work at school and they feel more confident and positive about themselves.

Primary Care ConnectExtract from Primary Care Connect 2017 Annual Report