Download - Schools Counselling Northern & Western areas Phil Lindsay, CSM BACP Accredited Counsellor
Schools Counselling Northern & Western areas
Phil Lindsay, CSM BACP Accredited
Counsellor
Who are we
CSM Phil Lindsay MBACP Accredited Counsellor BSC Hons Youth & Community work Cert CAMHs
CounsellorsPatricia Lindsay
Certified Play Therapist Qualified Counsellor
Carmel Rooney Accredited Counsellor
Ann Johnston Child Psychotherapist
Locum workers Mairead O’Donnell Tommy Marron
Our aims
to increase children’s emotional well-being, and
improve their learning
potential
What we do
Time 4 Me One to one counselling
Time 4 Us Groupwork
Bespoke groupwork
Pyramid Programme
Hero book Programme
Time 4 Staff Staff Training
Staff consultation
Time 4 Parent Awareness raising for Parents / consultation
Road shows
Incredible Years Programmes
Work children young people and their families in primary and special needs post primary……………In individual schools and clusters
Which geographical areas do we cover
Northern Area
Western Area Mid-Ulster through Derry,
Enniskillen/Fermanagh
Mental Health: Handling Emotions and Behaviour
Key Ingredients for working with any young person: Maintaining an open
mind Each day is different Understanding each
child as an individual Sense of humour Understanding
behaviour as communication
Keeping Your Child in MindOvercoming Defiance, Tantrums and other everyday behaviour problems
by seeing the world THROUGH your Child’s Eyes by Claudia M.Gold, MD
“Being understood by a person we love is one of our most powerful yearnings, for adults and children alike. The need for understanding is part of what makes us human. When our feelings are validated we know that we’re not alone. For a child, this understanding helps develop his mind and sense of himself. When the people who care for him can reflect back his experience, he learns to recognise and manage his emotions, think more clearly, and adapt to his complex social world”.
What do your current strategies look like?
If its working why try fixing?
If its not working why keep doing it?
Key background reading which can help us to understand and then find ways to support our children and young people in self regulation
Attachment
‘Adolescent’ brainEmotional regulation
strategies
Attachment: Attachment theory can help to make us more compassionate. We need to think about it in a wider, longer – term sense.Explore key attachment patterns
Emotional Regulation:Can the child identify and express a range of emotions Do they have an emotional languageDo they recognise links between feelings and thoughtsCan they recognise sensations, facial expression and tone of voiceDo they respond inappropriately to others emotions Adolescent Brain Development:
Brain development continues right throughout adolescence and into the twenties and thirties.During adolescence with all the biological, hormonal and physical changes that come with puberty the most dramatic change is happening to the pre frontal cortex.
Strategies: Calm Box
“Mr Happy / Calm box” Suitable for: all age ranges of children and young people as well as special needs sectors This is a creative technique which compliments the current resources used in schools to support children and
young people with moderate to severe disabilities; however it can be suitable for all age ranges and abilities. Each box is unique and is decorated with pictures/stickers etc which are personal to the child’s interests. The
contents contain various objects suitable to the particular child/young person’s age, aptitude, needs and capabilities. The box aims to stimulate positive feelings which all children and families need for healthy growth. The objects within, are used in a fun way to create positive feelings of happiness and calm. The counsellor, parents/carers, key contact, class teacher and child can all plan together suitable and effective techniques and resources can and should be placed in the box. The contents include a range of resources which can be used in the classroom and in therapy sessions. Two boxes can be made during the sessions with the client, one for school and one for home.
The box encourages staff and family members to enter into the spirit of fun, pride in the child’s achievements and personal creativity as well as promoting open communications.
Suggestion of objects to place in the box include: A Safe Place C.D Relax kids CD Affirmation sentences Texture – tissue/coloured paper Massage ball/stress ball Turtle card Squidgy ball Springs/ slinkys A4 paper and crayons and Colouring books Material such as: Felt, rough stuff, silk, satin, rough, prickly, aromatherapy oils or lavender wipes Toy soldiers Play dough Colouring stuff/markers Glitter bottle – can be bought or made (eg)Bottle water – drops of colour – sprinkles Photographs of multi sensory room – home/bed etc and parks etc
Emotion dictionaries
They can be used to identify own and others emotions
Creating a book of the different emotions,
what they look like, feel like and what do about them when you come
across them
Other strategies and techniques to assist in creating understandings of an emotional language and self regulation
The following can be used to introduce a variety and varying degrees of emotions
Scaling lines Cue cards hassle logs role play video
Strategies Key points from Attachment Support
Attending to… Empathy before discipline ‘wondering aloud’
Providing containment Being kept in mind Commentaries Create new opportunities Empathy and hope Integrating advice and information
Underpinning all of this is a secure key adult relationship
Strategies: comic strip conversations/social stories
Use of colours to signify the underlying emotion
Using thoughts in the form of thought bubbles to support
Using a magic remote control Using comic strips to replay and
review situations and drawing upon the colours and bubbles to indicate thoughts actions and phrases