Helping Your Child Manage Big Feelings: Why Connection Comes Before Correction

Big feelings are part of being human. Anger, sadness, worry, frustration and disappointment are emotions we all experience, but for children, these feelings can sometimes become overwhelming.

Our emotions are an innate part of being human. They help us recognise danger, protect ourselves, connect with others and understand what matters to us. Rather than seeing difficult emotions as something to get rid of, we can help children become more familiar and friendly with their feelings, learning to listen to what they might be telling us. 

When your child is shouting, crying, withdrawing or struggling to cope, it can be difficult to know how best to respond, particularly when their emotions activate big feelings in you too.

In this blog, you'll learn about:

• • Why emotions are important and what they might be telling us

  • How our own childhood experiences can influence our parenting responses

  • Why parental self-regulation and co-regulation matter

  • How to recognise and respond to your child's feelings

  • Why behaviour is often only the tip of the iceberg

  • How to support children through anger, sadness and shame

  • Why discipline should focus on teaching rather than punishment

  • Why problem-solving works best when everyone is calm

Read more: Helping Your Child Manage Big Feelings: Why Connection Comes Before Correction

When School Feels Too Much: Understanding Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA)

For some children, going to school can feel overwhelming. What may begin as reluctance to get ready in the morning can develop into tears, anxiety, physical complaints or increasing difficulty attending school.

As parents, this can be worrying and confusing, particularly when your child cannot explain why school feels so difficult.

Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) is a term used to describe when a child experiences significant emotional distress around attending school or being in the school environment. It is not a diagnosis, but a way of understanding that difficulties with school attendance are often linked to underlying emotional needs.

In this blog, you'll learn about:

• What emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA) means

• Why some children find school overwhelming

• Early signs of school-related distress

• How anxiety and avoidance can become a cycle

• Ways parents and schools can support children

Read more: When School Feels Too Much: Understanding Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA)

EMDR Therapy for Children and Young People: A Parent's Guide

Every child experiences challenges as they grow, but sometimes difficult experiences continue to affect their confidence, emotions or everyday life long after they have happened.

Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a therapy that can help children and young people process distressing experiences so they no longer have the same emotional impact.

In my work with children and young people, I use a neuro-affirming, trauma-sensitive and play-based approach to EMDR, recognising that every child communicates, experiences emotions and makes sense of the world differently.

In this blog, you'll learn about:

What EMDR therapy is and how it work

• • How the brain processes everyday and distressing memories
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  • When EMDR may be helpful for children and young people

  • How play and creative approaches are integrated into EMDR therapy

  • My neuro-affirming and trauma-sensitive approach

  • What happens during children's EMDR sessions

  • What age EMDR is suitable for

  • Whether EMDR can help with anxiety and school-related distress

  • Online and face-to-face EMDR therapy

  • How many EMDR sessions your child may need

  • How to decide whether EMDR is right for your child

Read more: EMDR Therapy for Children | A Parent's Guide

What Does a Dyslexia Assessment Involve? A Parent's Guide to Understanding Your Child's Learning

A dyslexia assessment is about much more than answering the question, "Is my child dyslexic?" At its heart, it's an opportunity to understand better how your child learns. Every child has their own unique pattern of strengths, differences, and ways of engaging with learning, and a thoughtful assessment helps build a clearer picture of that individual learning profile.

As an Educational Psychologist, I see assessment as a way of helping children feel understood rather than judged. The aim isn't simply to identify areas that feel more challenging, but also to recognise strengths, celebrate what children do well, and provide practical recommendations that help them flourish at home, in school, and beyond.

In this blog, we'll explore:

• What a dyslexia assessment involves.
• What dyslexia is and why it is described as a Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD).
• What happens during a dyslexia assessment.
• Why some children's learning differences are not always recognised straight away.
• How dyslexia can influence confidence, wellbeing, and day-to-day learning.
• How understanding your child's unique learning profile can help shape meaningful support.

Read more: What Does a Dyslexia Assessment Involve? A Parent's Guide to Understanding Your Child's Learning