Leadership & Coping Skills for Tweens & Teens

A Harry Potter– or Percy Jackson–Inspired Interactive Workshop

What if learning emotional regulation, confidence, and leadership felt more like stepping into a magical world than sitting through a lecture?

In this highly engaging, experiential workshop, J. Victoria Laszlo, LCSW, LCADC helps tweens and teens develop essential coping and leadership skills through a fantasy-inspired format grounded in real psychology, neuroscience, and emotional intelligence.

Using themes inspired by Harry Potter or Percy Jackson, participants are invited into a world where courage, resilience, self-awareness, and inner strength matter more than perfection. Through interactive activities, guided reflection, creative exercises, and playful metaphors, students learn how their emotions work — and how to work with them instead of against them.

Rather than focusing on “fixing behavior,” this workshop teaches young people how to:

• Understand stress, anxiety, frustration, and overwhelm

• Recognize their unique coping and leadership styles

• Develop emotional regulation skills they can use in real life

• Build confidence, communication skills, and healthy boundaries

Participants explore how different personalities respond to challenges, much like characters in fantasy stories face obstacles using different strengths. Tweens and teens learn that there is no single “right” way to cope or lead — only strategies that work better in certain moments.

What Makes This Workshop Different

This is not a lecture. It is an experience.

Through movement-based activities, creative “potion” exercises (intention-setting and mindset shifts), small-group interaction, and story-based learning, participants practice:

• Identifying emotions as signals, not problems

• Separating helpful coping strategies from unhelpful ones

• Shifting self-talk from self-criticism to self-compassion

• Making choices from courage instead of fear

The workshop subtly integrates mindset (self-understanding), heartset (emotional regulation and empathy), skillset (communication and coping tools), and toolset (practical strategies for calming the nervous system) in an age-appropriate, engaging way.

Participants Leave With

• A stronger sense of self-awareness and confidence

• Practical coping tools they can use at school, home, and with peers

• Improved emotional vocabulary and communication skills

• A deeper understanding of their strengths and leadership potential

• The message that emotions are powerful allies — not weaknesses

This workshop is especially impactful for:

• Tweens and teens experiencing anxiety, stress, or social pressure

• Highly sensitive or high-achieving kids

• Youth navigating transitions, peer conflict, or self-doubt

• Schools and organizations seeking proactive mental health education

Format: Interactive workshop
Audience: Tweens & teens (ages customizable)
Length: 60–90 minutes
Theme Options: Harry Potter–inspired or Percy Jackson–inspired