Are you looking for some support specifically for the relationship between you and your child? Do you feel that your child is struggling and you would like to be able to support them better?
I am training in Video Interaction Guidance (VIG) and am now at level 2 of 3. I’ve found VIG to be a really helpful new method that has transformed parent-child relationships for a number of clients recently. Read my VIG page for more information on the method and about special introductory rates.
Talking to your child about your concerns is really important because it shows you care.
Everyone talks of “Father issues” but how was Mothers’ Day for you this year? For some mothers, it can be a wonderful time of being appreciated ‘for once’, or there can be disappointment that there isn’t the connection there that you would long for with your offspring. Alternatively, it can be an incredibly sad time, if you’ve lost a child or not been able to have children. At times like this, the flowers the rest of the world are buying and receiving are just excruciating reminders. Continue reading Happy Mothers’ Day?
It can be the hardest thing in the world to accept that our child or teen is struggling emotionally. We often unconsciously avoid admitting this because of the level of blame and responsibility we dread may be laid at our door.
It’s more straightforward to blame tiredness, school pressures or friendship problems than to look deeper and recognise that they are hurting and need our support. Finding a label such as ADHD may become important to us, linked as it is with the possibility of apparently simple treatment. However, there may be other more complicated factors involved and we may find it hard to face our own vulnerability and difficulty in coping. Maybe we weren’t able to bond with this particular child for whatever reason. Maybe preoccupation with our relationship breakdown has robbed us of time focussing on the needs of our child. Maybe we need them to be strong at the moment, so it’s easiest to believe that they’re coping fine. Sometimes we need help to face our own imperfections. We may need someone alongside us when dealing with the complexity of these feelings so that we can be our best for our child.
I’m pleased that the Duchess of Cambridge has opened the debate on these issues during this “Children’s Mental Health Week” . This is a cause very dear to my heart, as I’m in the final days of training for my Diploma in Child Counselling. Keep following me to find our more about the counselling work I offer to children from the age of 3 years old up. Please feel free to contact me to discuss how you can get the support you need on this journey.