Braincalm Institute™
Welcome to the Braincalm Institute. Our mission is to empower parents and school staff to help children become focused, calm, and able to self-regulate their behaviour through our range of courses and programmes.
A story of necessity
Founded by Brenda Cassidy, the original Braincalm Programme was launched in 2015 under the name ‘Regulation Stations’ and the Braincalm Institute was founded in 2021.
Brenda created the Braincalm™ exercise programme to help her oldest child, who was dealing with a lot of anxiety at a young age. Fearing a long path to diagnosis and various medications, Brenda decided that she wanted to find a way to help her daughter immediately. She took a career break from her role as an Occupational Therapist and discovered that the anxiety and meltdowns were being caused by sensory overload and exhaustion from weak core muscles. And so Braincalm™ was born and Brenda found her calling.
Following the Braincalm™ Intensive 15-minute programme at home, combined with a weekly dance class made a huge difference to her daughter’s life. She became stronger and more comfortable with her body, less anxious, happier and more confident.
Empowering Parents
Soon, other parents began asking Brenda for help because they felt that ‘something was going on’ with their child and felt helpless. Waiting times for state support can take months, or even years in some cases and Braincalm™ was able to give parents the knowledge to be able to make a difference immediately, whether they were going down a path to formal diagnosis or not.
Before long, Brenda was appearing on radio and TV to discuss Braincalm™ and how parents could be empowered to help calm and regulate children with sensory issues – if they received simple and down-to-earth training.
Braincalm™ in Schools
In 2016, Brenda was asked to visit a particularly challenging primary school, where around 50% of pupils experienced some form of dysregulation. The staff responsible for their care were looking was practical training that would get results.
After Braincalm™ pilot involved training classroom assistants and support staff through the programme and looking at the results in a real-world environment. The pilot was a success, with children becoming calmer and better able to self-regulate.
The Braincalm™ Institute now produces a range of courses and programmes aimed at preschool and primary staff and to date has trained over 5000 school staff and parents.
Have a question for Brenda?
If you suspect your child has "something going on" or you would like to know more about our signature programme. Call with Brenda at your chosen time to assess your next steps.
