School is meant to be a fun and carefree time for children, unfortunately this is not always the case and it can be a confusing and painful time for many students.

 

There are many traumas and difficulties that can strike in the school years, ranging from:

 

• bullying

• peer pressure

• adjustment issues relating to a new school

• drug and alchohol abuse

• eating disorders

• academic difficulties

• sexual abuse

• unplanned pregnancies

• exposure to domestic violence

• divorce

• death of a close friend or relative

 

Children deal with trauma differently to adults.

 

They are at a different place developmentally and therefore integrate and cope in ways that can be confusing to the adults that are trying to assist. Sometimes children have difficulty being verbal and talking about what is bothering them. Whereas an adult can verbalise a trauma, a child cannot always do this.

 

My experience has aided me in discovering the inner world of a child through non-verbal methods. Through play therapy so much can be revealed and worked upon to discover what a child is feeling, and from there to help them appropriately.

 

Unfortunately there also various dangers that school children are often vulnerable to such as sexual abuse, drugs, teenage pregnancies and  abusive relationships. Research has shown with the preventative education many of these problems can be avioded.

 

Some of my workshops include: 

 

• self esteem workshops

• identifying and avoiding sexual abuse

• identifying and avoiding abusive relationships

• educating about the dangers of drug and alchohol abuse

• sex education

 

I have worked at a number of diiferent schools as a teacher and as a counsellor: Houghton Primary, McAuley House, Beth Jacob and Yeshiva Maharsha.  I have also been a student counsellor to children of different ages. Through my experience, I have been exposed to a wide range of cultural and socio-economic backgrounds.

 

The school years can be turbulent, but they are so important in the development of a child. Giving a child the tools to navigate these tumultuous years is priceless.

 

Please contact me for more information.