Ep 70 When Worry Doesn't Go Away: Helping Kids Understand Their Emotions with Dr. Louise Mansell
Conversations with KristiShow Notes
In this episode of Conversations with Kristi, Kristi sits down with clinical psychologist Dr. Louise Mansell to explore a powerful question:
Why are we waiting so long to teach children how to understand and manage their emotions?
Dr. Louise shares how her early experiences supporting her own mother through anxiety shaped her career, and how years of working with children-particularly those experiencing trauma-revealed a major gap in how we support emotional development.
Rather than accepting that gap, she created a solution.
Introducing Tedology - an innovative, therapeutic teddy bear designed to help children understand, regulate, and process their emotions in a safe and accessible way.
Together, Kristi and Dr. Louise unpack why children aren’t meant to “get rid” of emotions like worry, how emotional suppression impacts long-term wellbeing, and why early emotional education has the potential to change entire generations.
This conversation is warm, honest, and deeply practical. It challenges common parenting approaches and offers a new way of thinking about how children can be supported-long before issues become overwhelming.
Content Covered in This Episode
Why emotional education needs to start earlier
The difference between regulating emotions vs. avoiding them
Why children can’t (and shouldn’t) “get rid” of worry
How unprocessed emotions impact mental and physical health
The role of play in helping children understand feelings
Why many children struggle to talk about their experiences
The impact of trauma, silence, and emotional suppression
How sensory tools support emotional regulation
Why children need safe spaces before they can use their voice
How Tedology supports children between therapy sessions
Why This Conversation Matters
Many children today are struggling with anxiety, overwhelm, and emotional dysregulation.
But as Dr. Louise explains, the issue isn’t that children are “too sensitive” or “not coping”-it’s that they haven’t been given the tools to understand what they’re feeling or what to do with it.
When emotions are ignored, dismissed, or misunderstood, they don’t disappear.
They grow.
This episode encourages parents and carers to shift from:
“How do I stop this feeling?”
to:
“How can I help my child understand and work through this feeling?”
Because when children learn how to process emotions early, they don’t just cope-they thrive.
About Dr. Louise Mansell
Dr. Louise Mansell is a clinical psychologist who trained and worked in the UK before moving to Australia.
Her work has focused on childhood trauma, emotional development, and early intervention-particularly supporting children who struggle to express or process their experiences.
Through her clinical work, Dr. Louise identified a major gap in accessible emotional support for children and created Tedology to bridge that gap.
Tedology combines psychology, sensory regulation, and play-based learning to help children build emotional awareness and resilience from a young age.
About Tedology
Tedology is more than a teddy bear.
It’s a therapeutic support tool designed to help children:
Understand and name their emotions
Regulate overwhelming feelings
Practice expressing thoughts safely
Build emotional confidence over time
Each Ted includes:
Guided emotional support features
Sensory elements for calming and regulation
Emotion cards and play-based learning tools
A companion guide for parents and carers
Tedology is not a replacement for therapy-but it can be a powerful bridge, helping children feel safe, supported, and understood in their everyday environment.
Learn More About Tedology
🌐 Website https://tedology.com.au
📱 Social Media Instagram / Facebook: @tedology
💡 Access Support Tedology may be accessible through NDIS or available grants depending on eligibility.
Practical Support & Resources
If this episode resonated with you, Kristi offers trauma-informed education and practical tools to support children a
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