Jacintha Field on Helping Kids Regulate Big Feelings After Trauma

When life cracked wide open during COVID, separation, solo parenting, and her son’s emotional dysregulation, Jacintha Field didn’t just survive it — she turned it into a mission. In this powerful conversation, G-Rex and Dirty Skittles talk with Jacintha about trauma, parenting, emotional literacy, and how helping kids feel safe starts with learning to be kinder to ourselves.

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Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads is a 2024 People’s Choice Podcast Award Winner (Best Health), 2024 Women in Podcasting Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), 2026 Podcast Tonight Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), and 2026 NYC Podcast Award Audience Choice Winner (Best Hosts), with over 4.5 million downloads and listened to in over 160 countries.

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Mental Health Quote

“Every part of you is welcome. Every big feeling has a place.” — Inspired by Jacintha Field

Episode Description

When Jacintha Field’s son started school during COVID, her world was already upside down. She was navigating a brutal separation, solo parenting, and the emotional fallout of a child who didn’t yet have the words or tools to explain what was happening inside. His outbursts were intense. Her heart was breaking. And with child mental health waitlists stretching six to twelve months, Jacintha did what so many parents do when there are no easy answers — she went looking for them herself.

In this deeply honest episode, G-Rex and Dirty Skittles sit down with Jacintha, a Family and Child Counselor, Art Therapist, and founder of Happy Souls Kids, to talk about trauma, parenting, sobriety, self-compassion, and the messy beauty of learning as you go. Jacintha shares how surviving domestic violence, getting sober, and rebuilding her life helped her understand that healing is not about being perfect. It is about repairing the rupture, naming the feeling, and choosing connection over shame.

This conversation is for parents, caregivers, educators, and anyone who has ever wondered, “Am I messing this up?” Jacintha reminds us that kids do not need perfect adults. They need safe ones. And sometimes, the most powerful thing we can say is, “I’m here. We’re a team. We’ll figure this out together.”

Keywords: child mental health, emotional regulation, trauma healing, parenting support, self-regulation for kids, emotional literacy, solo parenting, domestic violence recovery, sober healing, mindful parenting, play therapy, child anxiety, family counseling, resilience, Happy Souls Kids.

Meet Our Guest — Jacintha Field

Jacintha Field is a Family and Child Counselor, Art Therapist, and founder of Happy Souls Kids, a global mental health platform helping children ages 5–12 regulate big feelings through storytelling, gamified tools, and the voices of athletes and role models they admire. After surviving domestic violence, emotional burnout, and solo parenting through her son’s anxiety and dysregulation, Jacintha turned her lived experience into a mission to help 100,000 children by 2027.

Website: https://www.happysoulskids.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/16633spBm7
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacinthafield
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacinthafield
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jacinthafield

Key Takeaways

• Kids are not “bad” when they have big emotions — they are often overwhelmed and asking for safety in the only way they know how.
• Self-compassion is not optional in parenting. The kinder we are to ourselves, the safer we can become for our children.
• Emotional literacy starts small: naming feelings, drawing them, talking about them, and giving kids space to understand what is happening inside.
• Connection comes before correction. Sometimes a game of Uno does more healing than a lecture ever could.
• Parents do not have to be perfect. Repair, accountability, and honesty matter more than pretending everything is fine.
• Healing after trauma can become service, purpose, and something beautiful — but only after we let ourselves move through the mud.

Actionable Items

• When your child has a big feeling, pause and ask: “What emotion might be underneath this behavior?” before reacting.
• Try Jacintha’s circle exercise: draw a circle on paper and ask your child to draw how they feel inside it.
• Practice repair after rupture. Try saying, “That was my big feeling coming out. I’m sorry. Can we try that again?”

References Mentioned

The Red Beast: Controlling Anger in Children with Asperger’s Syndrome — a children’s book that Jacintha referenced as a helpful tool for talking about anger and emotional regulation.

Happy Souls Kids: https://www.happysoulskids.com

Raw with Jay Podcast — Jacintha’s podcast focused on real, honest conversations for parents and emotional healing.

Important Chapters

• 00:00:37 – Welcome to the Episode G-Rex and Dirty Skittles introduce the show and welcome Jacintha Field, also known as Jay, from Australia.
• 00:02:04 – COVID, Separation, and Her Son’s Big Feelings Jacintha shares how her son’s intense outbursts during COVID and separation became the catalyst for her work in child counseling and emotional regulation.
• 00:04:51 – Self-Compassion and Parenting Through Tantrums Jacintha explains how learning to be patient with herself helped her respond more compassionately to her son’s big emotions.
• 00:06:47 – Therapy, Separation, and Rebuilding Jacintha opens up about attending 26 psychology sessions in one year and how support helped her move through the mud of separation.
• 00:14:26 – Naming Emotions and Being Real With Kids Jacintha talks about showing up authentically with her child, naming emotions, and letting kids know every feeling has a place.
• 00:18:04 – Tools for Helping Kids Express Feelings Jacintha shares practical tools like drawing emotions, breaking down the story behind the feeling, and helping children problem-solve without jumping in to fix everything.
• 00:19:29 – Connection Before Correction Jacintha explains why children need connection, play, and emotional safety before they can respond well to guidance.
• 00:24:44 – Winning, Learning, and Repairing Ruptures Jacintha talks about reframing failure, emotional dysregulation, and why repairing after a hard moment matters so much.
• 00:30:58 – Advice to Her Younger Self Jacintha shares what she would tell her younger self: that she is worthy, valid, and never too much.
• 00:35:43 – Happy Souls Kids and How to Connect Jacintha shares how listeners can find Happy Souls Kids, join beta testing, and connect with her work.
• 00:37:42 – Final Message for Parents Jacintha leaves listeners with a reminder to be kind to themselves because every parent is doing the best they can.

Closing CTA

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#MentalHealthPodcast #MentalHealthAwareness #Grex #DirtySkittles #Podmatch #ChildMentalHealth #EmotionalRegulation #BigFeelings #TraumaHealing #ParentingSupport #MindfulParenting #SoloParenting #DomesticViolenceRecovery #SoberHealing #SelfRegulation #EmotionalLiteracy #PlayTherapy #ChildAnxiety #ResilientKids #HappySoulsKids

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