Faculty Advisor(s)
Lori Charney
Abstract
Little Minds, Big Emotions is a doctoral capstone project designed to support the development of emotional regulation skills in preschool-aged children through the areas of program development, education, and clinical skills development. Emotional regulation is an essential component of children' s participation, social interactions, and overall well-being, yet many young children experience difficulties identifying emotions and using effective calming strategies. The purpose of this capstone project was to develop and implement a developmentally appropriate, play-based emotional regulation curriculum for preschool children while also providing educational resources for caregivers. This program was implemented three days a week for 14 weeks at a daycare and included structured group activities focused on emotional identification, self-regulation and calming strategies, positive peer interactions, and problem-solving skills. Educational components of this capstone also included the development of videos and handouts to promote carryover of emotional regulation strategies into the home environment, as well as two presentations delivered through the Pediatric Workshop Series at Misericordia University. Additionally, this capstone included clinical skills development under mentorship at an outpatient pediatric setting, with a strong focus on emotional regulation and interoception. Outcome measures for this capstone included behavioral observations, emotion-labeling, caregiver surveys, pre and posttests, and Goal Attainment Scaling. Findings supported the ability of the capstone to enhance emotional regulation skills in children, increase caregiver confidence, support OT student learning, and increase personal clinical skills. Overall, the project demonstrated the value of occupational therapy in promoting emotional regulation through developmentally appropriate, play-based, and educational interventions across multiple settings.
Publication Date
2026
Document Type
Poster
Department
Occupational Therapy
Keywords
occupational therapy, capstone project, emotional regulation, preschool children, social-emotional development
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences | Occupational Therapy | Rehabilitation and Therapy
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Fattorusso, Marissa, "Little Minds, Big Emotions" (2026). Entry Level Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstone Projects Class of 2026. 6.
https://digitalcommons.misericordia.edu/otd_capstone2026/6