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