Blog

What difficulties are schoolchildren currently bringing to therapy, and how might we help? Dr Sharie Coombes, a headteacher turned leading child and family psychotherapist and author, has been observing the mixed impact of the resumption of school routines. Combining psychodynamic exploration with neuroscientific psychoeducation, she shares her work with one anxious and panic-stricken child.

A pregnant woman doesn’t just share her body with the growing baby – she shares her state of mind. To mark the start of Maternal Mental Health Month, Sue Gerhardt, psychoanalytic psychotherapist and author of the landmark Why Love Matters, explains why supporting pregnant women is vital for the physical and psychological wellbeing of the next generation.

Young people’s digital use is in the headlines at the moment. But it is adults who face the challenge of monitoring children’s time on social media, and who have a responsibility to model healthy behaviour. In the second of a week-long series of blogs to mark Children’s Mental Health Week, Dr Fiona Pienaar draws our attention to the Family Media Use Plan, and suggests parents – and practitioners – get involved in thinking about digital mental health.

In the first of a week-long series of blogs to mark Children’s Mental Health Week, Dr Fiona Pienaar draws our attention to key findings from the recent survey into the mental health of children and young people. What are the current rates of mental disorder in this age bracket? Which groups are particularly at risk? And what are the trends in preschool mental health? When it comes to meeting our collective responsibility, these statistics are a galvanising place to start.