What Is Emotional Regulation? Why It's Crucial for Development and Well-being Artwork

The How to ABA Podcast

We are Shira and Shayna and we are so excited to bring you our first podcast episode of How to ABA! We are both BCBAs with over twenty years of experience, and as you can imagine, we have created and gathered so many resources in that time. We want to share them with you! That’s why we are here, and that’s why we created this podcast. If you are new to the world of ABA, are looking for new resources, or just looking for a fresh perspective, you’re in the right place!

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The How to ABA Podcast

What Is Emotional Regulation? Why It's Crucial for Development and Well-being

April 01, 2025 • Shira Karpel & Shayna Gaunt • Episode 196

Emotional regulation is a foundational skill that influences how we manage stress, handle challenges, and connect with others. Here, we define emotional regulation and dive into all the reasons why it’s so important for our development and well-being. We also discuss how we, as BCBAs and practitioners, can help our learners strengthen this essential skill.

The term emotional regulation refers to the ability to recognize and manage one’s emotions in a way that supports appropriate behavior and well-being. We talk about the importance of uncovering the function of behavior and how to choose reinforcement strategies. We also share why we typically start with teaching co-regulation, how to use modeling and visuals, and the importance of consistency and practice.

What’s Inside:

Why emotional regulation is necessary for our development and well-being
How to teach emotional regulation skills to our learners
How to choose the right teaching strategies

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CEU: Teaching Emotional Regulation Strategies to Reduce Anxiety