In this heartfelt conversation, Dennis Ougrin, a professor of child psychiatry, discusses his work in developing Intensive Community Care Services for children with mental health issues, particularly in the context of refugees and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

He emphasises the importance of community support, routine, and honest communication with children about their experiences. Ougrin shares insights on recognising PTSD symptoms in children and the effectiveness of creative interventions like art therapy.

He concludes with a call to action for listeners to consider how they can contribute to ending wars and supporting affected children.

Some key take aways from our conversation are:

• Intensive Community Care Services can be more beneficial than inpatient care.
• Community support is crucial for children's mental health recovery.
• Routine and predictability are essential for children, especially those affected by trauma.
• Honesty with children about traumatic events fosters trust and healing.
• Art therapy can provide a non-threatening way for children to express themselves.
• Teaching Recovery Techniques (TRT) helps children manage PTSD symptoms.
• The power of community can significantly aid in the healing process.
• Recognising specific PTSD symptoms in children is vital for effective support.
• Parents and educators should create safe spaces for children to talk about their experiences.
• Ending wars is essential for the well-being of children affected by conflict.

Some key words from this conversation are:

• child psychiatry
• community care
• PTSD
• refugees
• Ukrainian children
• mental health
• art therapy
• recovery techniques
• support strategies
• war impact

Our conversation contains references to some disturbing facts about war. Go carefully on here, some of the information that follows is very direct, so make sure you’re happy to keep listening – leave it and come back later if you need to.

If you are worried about the immediate well-being of yourself or someone else you can find more support in our “Where to go for Help” Section link below:

Nip in the Bud - Where to get help

https://nipinthebud.org/where-to-get-help/

In this episode of the Nip in the Bud podcast, Jessica Bondy shares her journey from a successful career in communications to founding a charity aimed at ending childhood verbal abuse by adults. She discusses the profound impact of verbal abuse on children's mental health, the importance of raising awareness, and practical steps adults can take to foster positive communication. Jessica emphasizes that words matter and can shape a child's self-esteem and future, urging listeners to build children up rather than knock them down.

This episode covers verbal abuse, childhood, mental health, effective communication as parents and educationalists, brain development awareness, coaching, legacy, self-esteem, empowerment, and education.

The main takeaways from this episode are:
Verbal abuse affects two in five children, often going unnoticed.
The long-term effects of verbal abuse can include anxiety, depression, and self-harm.
Adults often inflict verbal abuse unintentionally, highlighting the need for awareness and education.
Positive reinforcement can significantly impact a child's self-esteem and development.
It's never too late to apologise and repair relationships after verbal abuse.
Raising awareness about verbal abuse is crucial for societal change.
Children's brains are highly susceptible to the effects of verbal abuse during critical development stages.
Building authentic relationships with children can help mitigate the effects of verbal abuse.
The charity aims to provide resources and training to help adults communicate positively with children.

Listen to the end for tips and advice on how we can all build children up to be the best versions of themselves.

Words Matter
https://wordsmatter.org/

NSPCC
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/

Nip in the Bud - Where to get help

https://nipinthebud.org/where-to-get-help/

Today I speak with Jolene Ironside. Jolene is an Integrative Counsellor using the Arts, ADHD Coach and holistic therapist who specialises in children and young people, families, trauma, sensory processing and neurodivergence.

She is a trained trauma therapist, sensory profiler and skilled in nervous system regulation. Jolene brings the mind and body into her practice, providing a holistic approach to support her clients.

Summary
In this episode of the Nip in the Bud podcast, Jolene shares her extensive journey from the travel industry to becoming a holistic therapist and counselor specializing in working with children and young people, particularly those with ADHD and trauma. She discusses the importance of understanding trauma, the role of the nervous system in emotional regulation, and how to create supportive environments in schools. Jolene emphasizes the need for a holistic approach to ADHD, focusing on strengths rather than deficits, and provides practical strategies for parents and educators to help children thrive.

Throughout our conversation we look at different strategies that Jolene encourages those who care for children to use. I think one of the main takeaways for me is to make sure, as parents or professionals, we are recognising and responding to the needs we see in front of us with speed. We can make small tweaks and changes to the environment, to routines, to our expectations and to the resources we use. These changes will help prevent a child from getting to the point of overwhelm. Once in overwhelm the child becomes dysregulated and it is far more challenging to help them. Prevention seems to be key here.

Listen for ideas on how to help those children you care for from burn out or meltdowns that in some cases can be avoided.

Main takeaways

• Jolene's journey includes diverse experiences in therapy and education.
• Trauma is an emotional and psychological reaction to uncontrollable events.
• Understanding autonomic responses helps shift the narrative from 'bad behavior' to 'survival response'.
• Nervous system regulation is key to emotional well-being.
• Children need supportive environments to thrive, not just behavior management.
• ADHD is a spectrum of traits with both strengths and challenges.
• Mindfulness and movement breaks can significantly aid focus and emotional regulation.
• Co-regulation involves providing cues of safety to dysregulated children.
• Creating sensory circuits can help children process stress effectively.
• It's essential to celebrate children's uniqueness and strengths.

keywords
trauma, ADHD, nervous system regulation, holistic therapy, education, mindfulness, emotional regulation, neurodiversity, children's mental health, supportive environments

Links

Jolene Ironside
https://www.heartinmind.co.uk/

Nip in the Bud - Where to get help

https://nipinthebud.org/where-to-get-help/

We're joined by GP and mother of two teenage daughters and a twelve-year-old son, Dr Davies to discuss moving towards a smartphone free childhood. Five years ago, when deciding how to manage smartphones within her own family, Dr Davies founded the charity PAPAYA (Parents Against Phone Addiction in Young Adolescents).

PAPAYA aims to educate and empower parents on the mental health problems associated with smartphones and social media, and to help parents work together when navigating how they can delay technology with their children.

In this podcast we discuss common issues and concerns that arise when children have access to smartphones and social media at a young age. Susie talks about her experience as a GP coming across the mental health issues linked to unlimited phone, social media and internet use. And her experience as a mother dealing with the challenging parenting approaches that are required to keep your child safe, happy and healthy as they grow and develop.

We cover themes such as phone addiction, gaming disorder, accessibility to porn and the impact on the developing child, and cyber bullying. She goes into detail about how all of these can impact negatively on our children's mental health and how parents and professionals can work together to protect our children from these issues and support them to navigate the online world safely and age appropriately.

Her book, The Healthy Selfie, is due out in Autumn 2024 and if you sign up to the PAPAYA website you can find out how to purchase it.

PAPAYA - parents against phone addiction in young adolescents:
https://www.papayaparents.com/

Nip in the Bud Blog -
https://nipinthebud.org/blog/

Join our mailing list. -
https://nipinthebud.org/join-our-mailing-list/

Jonathan Haidt - The Anxious Generation
https://www.anxiousgeneration.com/book

Anna Freud - Mentally Healthy Schools -
https://www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/factors-that-impact-mental-health/school-based-risk-factors/bullying-and-cyberbullying/

Order your copy of The Healthy Selfie: www.thehealthyselfie.co.uk (use discount code PAPAYA

Nip in the Bud - Where to get help

https://nipinthebud.org/where-to-get-help/

Lucy works part time at the Charity Tourettes Action and consults with schools and education professionals to optimise understanding of, and support for pupils with TS. She provides resources and training to education provisions in order to increase their knowledge and understanding and to help them learn how best to support a learner with TS. Lucy has a background of SEN in schools and has worked in mainstream schools as a primary school teacher for 15 years before joining Tourettes Action. She also has a son with TS.

Today we talk about Tourette’s Syndrome, what this means and how it may present. We also speak about how parents and carers can support a child with TS and where they can find information and advice as well as a thriving community that they will be welcomed in to.

Tourettes Action: https://www.tourettes-action.org.uk/

Nip in the Bud - Where to get help

https://nipinthebud.org/where-to-get-help/

This clip is from my longer podcast in which I speak to clinical psychologist Dr Naomi Fisher on supporting children through (EBSA), and how teachers and parents can meet the developmental needs of children effectively.

Do you have, or know, a child who has started illustrating new behaviours around school attendance?

Keep listening because in this nugget for parents we talk about what signs and indicators you may look for as parents and carers to notice when your child is struggling to get to school.

Naomi discusses how to speak with your child to help understand them better, and to help them to understand themselves and why their feelings about school may have changed.

We talk about the importance of building a relationship with your child’s school so that together things can be put into place to meet your child’s needs.

Nip in the Bud - Where to get help

https://nipinthebud.org/where-to-get-help/

This clip is from my longer podcast in which I speak to clinical psychologist Dr Naomi Fisher on supporting children through (EBSA), and how teachers and parents can meet the developmental needs of children effectively.

Do you have, or know, a child who has started illustrating new behaviours around school attendance?

Are you noticing rising numbers of children who are struggling to get into school? Have you got a child in your class who has started to show growing trends of non-attendance?

Keep listening to this clip to hear some explanations around EBSA and some practical ways you can work with the child to get them back into school and back to being a happy and effective learner again.

Nip in the Bud - Where to get help

https://nipinthebud.org/where-to-get-help/

Dr Naomi Fisher

Dr Naomi Fisher is an independent clinical psychologist and EMDR-Europe trainer. She specialises in trauma, autism and alternative approaches to education. She works with children, adolescents and adults.

She is the author of Changing our Minds: How Children Can Take Control of their Own Learning (Robinson, 2021) and A Different Way to Learn: Neurodiversity and Self-Directed Education (JKP, 2023).

In today’s episode Naomi offers her psychological insights, theories and practical techniques and we look closely at emotional based school avoidance or school distress. Naomi gives some practical techniques to help support children not only to return to school, but to return as learners and thrive once there.

Useful Links

Nip in the Bud films and resources for teachers:
https://nipinthebud.org/films-for-teachers-professionals/

Nip in the Bud films and resources for parents and carers:
https://nipinthebud.org/films-for-parents-carers/

Dr Naomi Fisher Website:
https://www.naomifisher.co.uk/

Dr Naomi Fishers books:
https://www.naomifisher.co.uk/books

Changing our Minds: How Children Can Take Control of their Own Learning (Robinson, 2021)
A Different Way to Learn: Neurodiversity and Self-Directed Education (JKP, 2023)

Anna Freud - Addressing emotionally based school avoidance
https://www.annafreud.org/resources/schools-and-colleges/addressing-emotionally-based-school-avoidance/

Nip in the Bud - Where to get help

https://nipinthebud.org/where-to-get-help/