Hello and welcome! My name is Asiya Ateeq, and I am the Primary School Counselor at English Modern School – Doha.
My role is to support our students so that their learning journey is as smooth, positive, and successful as possible. I work closely with students, teachers, and parents to help children develop the skills they need to thrive both in and out of the classroom.
I support students with their social, emotional, and academic needs, helping them build confidence, manage feelings, develop positive relationships, and overcome challenges that may affect their learning. I also collaborate with teachers and families to ensure every child receives the guidance and support they need to grow and succeed.
My goal is to help create a safe, caring, and supportive environment where every child feels understood, valued, and ready to learn.
At English Modern School – Doha Primary, The safeguarding team is committed to ensuring that every child feels safe, protected, and supported at school. The team works closely with students, teachers, parents, and leadership to promote student well being and to respond promptly to any concerns related to a child’s safety or welfare. Through clear procedures, regular communication, and a strong culture of care, the safeguarding team helps create an environment where students feel comfortable speaking up and where their physical, emotional, and social wellbeing is always a priority. The team also works proactively with staff and families to support students and ensure that the school remains a safe place for every child to learn and grow.
The past few years have brought many unexpected challenges for families changes in routines, uncertainty around work and finances, shifts in schooling, and periods of isolation. During times like these, one skill becomes especially important: resilience.
Resilience is the ability to adapt, recover, and keep moving forward when life feels difficult. For parents and students alike, resilience is not something you either “have” or “don’t have.” It is something that can be built intentionally over time.
One helpful framework comes from Kenneth Ginsburg, who describes the 7 Cs of Resilience. These seven elements work together to create a strong “resilience toolkit” that supports both adults and children.
The seven Cs are:
Competence
Confidence
Connection
Character
Contribution
Coping
Control
Each one plays a role in helping families and children navigate challenges in healthy and productive ways.
Competence is about recognising skills and abilities. For students, this might mean academic strengths, creativity, problem-solving skills, or social abilities. For parents, it includes life experience, parenting skills, and professional expertise.
To build competence:
Help children identify what they do well.
Encourage reflection: What skills have helped before when things felt hard?
Support learning new skills where gaps exist.
Teach problem-solving rather than immediately solving problems for children.
Resilience grows when children believe they are capable.
Confidence develops when competence is recognised and celebrated. Children build confidence when they see evidence of their own growth.
Try this simple family exercise:
Ask each family member to name three strengths they have.
Reflect on three small achievements from the past week.
Identify one small step outside the comfort zone to try next week.
Small challenges build courage. When children learn they can handle manageable discomfort, they are better prepared for bigger challenges later.
Strong relationships are one of the most powerful protective factors in resilience. Children need to feel safe, supported, and valued.
Consider:
Who are the trusted adults in your child’s life?
Who does your child feel comfortable talking to?
Are there regular opportunities for meaningful family conversations?
Connection is also about modelling healthy relationships. Encourage empathy, listening, and mutual support within the home.
Character involves values, integrity, and a sense of right and wrong. When families are clear about their core values, decision-making becomes easier during stressful times.
As a family, reflect on:
What values matter most to you?
What behaviours are non-negotiable?
How do you want others to feel when they interact with your family?
Values provide direction when circumstances feel uncertain.
Children develop resilience when they feel they matter. Contribution gives purpose.
Encourage children to:
Help at home in meaningful ways.
Support a classmate.
Participate in community or school initiatives.
Share their ideas and talents.
When children understand that they can positively impact others, they are more motivated to persevere during challenges.
Coping refers to the strategies used to manage stress — mentally, emotionally, and physically.
Support healthy coping by:
Encouraging regular routines and sleep.
Promoting physical movement.
Teaching emotional regulation strategies such as deep breathing or journaling.
Modelling calm problem-solving.
It is important to practise coping strategies during calm periods so they are accessible during stressful ones.
Resilience strengthens when families focus on what they can control rather than what they cannot.
A helpful strategy is to sort worries into three categories:
Circle of Control – Things you can directly change (daily routines, reactions, effort).
Circle of Influence – Things you can influence over time (communication, collaboration).
Circle of Concern – Things you cannot control (global events, others’ decisions).
Encourage children to take action in their circle of control, plan steps within their circle of influence, and practise letting go of their circle of concern. This protects emotional energy and reduces unnecessary stress.
Resilience is not built overnight. It grows gradually as families intentionally strengthen each of the 7 Cs. When competence is supported, confidence grows. When connection is strong, coping becomes easier. When values and purpose are clear, setbacks feel more manageable.
It is also important to remember that rest is part of resilience. Taking breaks, acknowledging emotions, and allowing time to reset are healthy and necessary.
By investing in the 7 Cs — competence, confidence, connection, character, contribution, coping, and control — families equip themselves and their children with the tools needed to face challenges with strength and adaptability.
Which of the 7 Cs feels most important for your family to focus on right now?
Author unknown
"Watch your thoughts,
They become your words.
Watch your words,
They become your actions.
Watch your action,
They become your habits.
Watch your habits;
They become your character.
Watch your character;
It becomes your destiny."
Mindfulness is a profound practice that invites individuals to be fully present in the moment, to cultivate a deep awareness of their thoughts, feelings, and surroundings without judgment. It encourages us to slow down and savor each experience, whether it's a simple breath or a complex emotion. By anchoring our attention to the present, mindfulness enables us to disconnect from the chaos of our busy lives and find a sense of inner calm. Through techniques like meditation, deep breathing, or even mindful walking, it helps us gain clarity, reduce stress, and foster a greater connection with ourselves and the world around us. Mindfulness isn't about eliminating life's challenges, but rather, it empowers us to navigate them with grace, resilience, and a sense of peace. As we embrace mindfulness, we embark on a journey of self-discovery, self-acceptance, and a more profound appreciation for the beauty of each passing moment.
EMS says NO to use of Bad words.
Let's be Polite.
Staying focused for the EMS academic year end.
Confidence buiLding in EMS
Acts of kindness can include something as simple as Opening a door for another person!
Once you have a nightly goal based on the hours of sleep that you need, it’s time to start planning for how to make that a reality.
Start by making sleep a priority in your schedule. This means budgeting for the hours you need so that work or social activities don’t trade off with sleep. While cutting sleep short may be tempting in the moment, it doesn’t pay off because sleep is essential to being at your best both mentally and physically.
Improving your sleep hygiene, which includes your bedroom setting and sleep-related habits, is an established way to get better rest. Examples of sleep hygiene improvements include:
Sticking to the same sleep schedule every day, even on weekends.
Practicing a relaxing pre-bed routine to make it easier to fall asleep quickly.
Choosing a mattress that is supportive and comfortable and outfitting it with quality pillows and bedding.
Minimizing potential disruptions from light and sound while optimizing your bedroom temperature and aroma.
Disconnecting from electronic devices like mobile phones and laptops for a half-hour or more before bed.
Morning and evening routines prime you for success. They help you achieve more, think clearly, and do work that actually matters. They keep you from stumbling through your day and make sure you get the most important things done.
All it takes is a bit of discipline, along with routines that will set you up for success. Here are the what and why of routines, along with 12 morning and evening routines you can implement to create more perfect days.
Power Posing was first introduced by Amy Cuddy in 2010 when she suggested that standing in “high power” produces power by increasing testosterone and decreasing cortisol levels.
While recent studies have been unable to reproduce these findings to that extent, they do suggest that power posing does in fact affect confidence and stress levels.
In one study, High power posers were more likely to assume risk and gamble (86% vs 60%), whereas low power posers played it safe. The high power posers also demonstrated increased testosterone and decreased cortisol levels, as well as reporting feeling more powerful (2.57 vs 1.83 out of 5) after posing.
In another study, prior to a mock interview, participants were instructed to perform a high power pose or a low power pose. The high power posers received significantly higher scores on hireability and performance. They maintained their composure, projected more confidence, and presented more captivating and enthusiastic speeches.
Body posture influences our brains and our feelings. According to science if you pose like super Hero, you’ll think like a Super Hero, and act like a Super Hero. So, the next time you have a big presentation or a stressful event, take 2 minutes and stand like Super Hero!
GOOD AND BAD TEAMWORK
CONTROLLING ANGER
Often a child can become anxious in a new setting or environment. This could be because of a range of triggers, new friends, new teachers, new emotions etc. In this article we have development 3 strategies in which we use with anxious kids of all ages to make them feel safe and comfortable in their environment so they can continue to achieve greatness!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-tGoT5If5OqWsP6vXnGaWwn4CvD4aw5H/view?usp=sharing
There are a few things that are no control like the COVID-19.
There are a few things where you have some control like work schedule.
Then there are a few things with the most control like following instructions from your teachers.
We need to work on understanding the things we have in our control that helps us become better individuals and not blame ourselves in situation where you have no control.