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A Playful Approach to Preparing Children to Return to School During COVID: Part 3

August 25, 2020 by Shannon Eidman

When to seek extra support

Hopefully by now you have plenty of ideas to support your child in their return to school, but you may still be wondering if it’s enough. So let’s consider when it might be most appropriate to seek extra support.

It is important to remember that anxiety is a normal feeling, and it plays a very important role in keeping us safe. It is natural for children to be feeling anxious in the run-up to school! Anxiety is “the expectation of something bad happening” (John Piacentini, 2016). Where anxiety becomes problematic is when children feel a real sense of danger when they are in fact perfectly safe, or when the anxiety (or attempts to avoid the anxiety) has an impact on their ability to function. If your child is avoiding things which they enjoy doing, or is exhibiting behaviours which are concerning or out of the ordinary (not sleeping, eating, refusing to go to school, isolating themselves, complaining of frequent stomach aches or headaches, etc), it may be time to seek assistance with the issue. Check in with your GP and check out www.iaptp.ie and www.iahip.org where you can find play therapists and child and adolescent psychotherapists in your area. There are excellent behaviour support services available also, such as www.reachchildrens.com.

Most importantly, be easy on yourself and on the little ones, too. We are all figuring this thing out together, and children are looking to the grown-ups to see how we are feeling about this big change! Let’s show them safety, reassurance and compassion. You’ve got this.

Resources

My top recommendation at this time is a book by an Irish Clinical Psychologist, Dr. Malie Coyne. “Love In, Love Out: A Compassionate Approach to Parenting your Anxious Child” is a beautifully written book which guides parents through an evidence-based and compassionate approach through supporting your child through their anxiety. There are many resources inside this book which might be helpful in navigating the back-to-school transition!

The Whole Brain Child, by Dr. Daniel J. Siegel & Dr Tina Payne Bryson

The Opposite of Worry: The Playful Parenting Approach to Childhood Anxieties and Fears, by Dr. Lawrence J. Cohen

Raising a Secure Child, by Kent Hoffman, Glen Cooper, and Bert Powell

References

Piacentini, J. (2016) ‘Recognizing and Treating Problematic Fear and Anxiety in Children’, Youtube, Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQnKJvuWXf8

Eleanor is a Child and Adult Psychotherapist and Play Therapist at her private practice. After years of working as a Social Care Worker and SNA, Eleanor felt that play was the missing piece in her work (and life!). Jumping back into third level education, Eleanor recently finished her MA in Creative Psychotherapy! During her training, Eleanor also became a mother to her now 2 year old daughter and has since developed a strong interest in empowering and supporting parents.

Uncategorized back to school,  COVID support,  prepare for school,  school anxiety,  special needs

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Business Name /Contact Person: Reach Children’s Service

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Westmeath
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Wishing a Happy New Year to all the wonderful families we support and all our wonderful followers 🥳 We are looking forward to a great 2023 🤩 ... See MoreSee Less

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Wishing a Happy New Year to all the wonderful families we support and all our wonderful followers 🥳 We are looking forward to a great 2023 🤩
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To any of our BCBA friends, if you're looking for a unique and insightful CEU, this is for you. Dr. Sarah Cassidy will be talking about her approach to supporting emotion regulation and mental health in children and adolescents. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the applications of ACT and RFT to promoting positive mental health.
To learn more and register, visit https://connections-behavior.com/events/…
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2 months ago
To any of our BCBA friends, if youre looking for a unique and insightful CEU, this is for you.  Dr. Sarah Cassidy will be talking about her approach to supporting emotion regulation and mental health in children and adolescents. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the applications of ACT and RFT to promoting positive mental health. 
To learn more and register, visit https://connections-behavior.com/events/cassidy-magpies-1/
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So proud of our dear friend and colleague Dr. Sarah Cassidy for relasing this brilliant new book for children. ❤

There's still time to register for her webinar this Thursday on school anxiety and avoidance for youth. I can't wait to hear what she has to say. If you want to learn more, visit https://reachchildrenslearning.thinkific.com/cours…
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Athboy psychologist launches children’s book on anxiety tonight | Meath Chronicle

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