How to help children with Selective Mutism
Children with selective mutism are physically capable of speaking, but do not speak in specific situations or to specific people. For more information on Selective Mutism and how it presents in children, read this article: http://www.childpsych.co.za/barriers-to-learning/selective-mutism/ Selective Mutism (SM) is a debilitating disorder and may have a very negative impact on a child’s daily functioning in […]
Talking to children about death
The events surrounding the death of a loved one generally results in a very difficult and confusing time for a family. Young children are often doubly confused as the do not always understand what is going on and may not know how to express what they are experiencing. It may be normal for young children […]
Coping skills for kids – what your child needs to know
Why are coping skills important? By teaching our children coping skills we are giving them the tools that will allow them to cope with challenges in the future. It might not come easily at first, but practicing these skills from an early age can be likened to “weight-lifting” for the brain. Each time they use […]
Helping your child deal with parental rejection
Probably one of the most heart-breaking issues that I sometimes have to deal with in therapy is a parent’s rejection of their child. In the majority of cases I’ve dealt with, the parents are separated or divorced and the non-custodial parent acts as if they want nothing to do with the child. In one very […]
Imaginary Friends
Get a little creeped out when you hear your child having a conversation with thin air? Experts once believed that having an imaginary friend was a sign that something was wrong in a child’s life. They hypothesized that children who dreamed up imaginary friends were isolated, socially incompetent or lonely. Yet, it seems that the […]
The impact of child abuse on the developing brain
Child abuse is an especially poignant topic in South Africa. In 2012 there were over 50 000 reported incidences of violence against children. An even scarier statistic is that, on average, 3 children are murdered in SA every day. The impact of child abuse on adult survivors is varied. Experts have known for years that […]
Help prepare your child for new school year
The long, lazy summer holidays are slowly drawing to a close and families all across the country are preparing to send their children back to school next week. The December holidays are by far the longest holidays in the academic calendar and this often causes the transition back to school to be more difficult than […]
Helping children learn from their mistakes
As the year draws to a close it is important to help our children reflect not only on all they have accomplished and achieved, but also on the mistakes they have made this year and to help them learn from these. Too often society pressures us (and our kids) into believing that we have to […]
The importance of family traditions
It’s that time of the year again – retailers have been bombarding us with images of Christmas trees, Santa Clauses and brightly wrapped gifts for months now and in little over a week families all over the world will come together to experience the joy (and often chaos) of a traditional family Christmas celebration. It’s […]
My 5 favourite books to use in playtherapy
Playtherapy comes in many forms and at times I’ve found that nothing can really bring a message home to kids the way a good story book can. I often think of the books below as my old, reliable friends. They have never failed me and I plan to still use them a lot in the […]
