Click on a button to jump to our webinars, courses, books or blog posts about children aged 11-19 yrs
Teenagers are different. Puberty arrives, and everything starts to change. It’s not just about hormones and bodily changes, it’s about how their brains work. Neuroscientists now know that adolescence is a time of rapid neurological change. Teenagers start to think and react differently to younger children, and it can be really confusing for their parents. Things which used to work don’t help anymore. It’s a time of high emotions and big reactions.
Adolescence is a time of great opportunity but also vulnerability. Our teens need to look outwards and to seek new challenges and they also need us to be a safety net. They may push parents away whilst also needing to keep them close. It can be a time when some become very anxious or depressed, whilst others become burnt out and stop coming out of their bedrooms.
In my courses and webinars for this group, I talk about the changes which go on during adolescence and how parents can help their children to navigate the uncertainty and turbulence of these years.
Things have become so hard for your child that you are at home, and it's very difficult to go out. What happens next and how can you cope?
Why is change so hard for demand avoidant children? Understand why and equip yourself with the skills to help them (and you!) manage.
Tips and strategies from a teacher and educational psychologist
Being (and having) a teen is demanding. What is low demand parenting for teens, and how can we help our pressure sensitive teens thrive?
Are you a parent navigating the complexities of the Special Educational Needs (SEN) Tribunal process? Parents say it ranks as one of their most stressful life events. This course is designed specifically to guide parents through the challenging journey. Whether you're new to the process or seeking to deepen your understanding, this mini-course by Dr Abigail Fisher (Educational Psychologist) will equip you with the knowledge and confidence you need to advocate effectively for your child's educational needs.
Dr Abigail Fisher, Educational Psychologist, will help you navigate your child’s EHCP Annual Review with confidence. You’ve got the EHCP in place, but it’s only the start of the process. She describes what should happen and when, what the legal process is and what your rights are. She will share ideas about how to make the process as useful as possible, to help ensure your child is well supported and their needs are met.
Does your child's behaviour confuse you? Does most of the parenting advice you are given make things worse? Do you feel like you are walking on eggshells? In this course, Dr Naomi Fisher will explain the psychology of demand avoidance. What is it, how does it affect the nervous system - and importantly, what can parents do? You'll end with a clearer idea of what is going wrong and some ideas as to how to help.
What happens when demand avoidance meets adolescence? In this mini-course, Naomi will explain what’s going on in your adolescent’s brain, and how that interacts with demand avoidance. She’ll help you understand what is going on for your child, and give you some practical ideas as to how to help your young person (and yourself) get through these important years. This course is suitable for teenagers with and without a diagnosis.
Are you wondering if your child is neurodivergent - but aren't sure what that actually means and what you should do about it? This course is the place to start. Understand what neurodiversity means, how it relates to other ways of understanding difference and get some ideas as to how to talk to your children about neurodiversity and help them to thrive.
Why are so many autistic teenagers anxious - and what can parents do to help? Gain understanding, insight and practical tips in this mini-course by Dr Naomi Fisher.
Why do autistic children love screens so much – and what should parents be doing about it? In this mini-course, Naomi will dive into the psychology of behaviour around screens. She’ll explain why many autistic children have a special relationship with screens, and how parents can help their children develop a healthy and sustainable relationship with technology.
Some children and young people seem to withdraw from life. Their anxiety becomes so severe that anything which might have helped seemed to make things worse. They may find it hard to come out of the bedrooms or to leave the house. Parents are left not knowing what to do next. In this mini-course, Naomi will help you to think about severe anxiety through the lens of the nervous system. She’ll give you some practical ideas to help your child even if they don’t want to talk about how they are feeling.
Many children with learning disabilities are anxious - but those around them might not recognise this as anxiety. They're unlikely to say 'I'm worried' but instead will show us their feelings through their behaviour. Behaviour which can be hard to manage. How can parents recognise anxiety in their children, and what do you do then? In this course, Naomi explains how anxiety works and why it can be a problem for children with learning disabiltiies. She'll give you practical ideas to reduce anxiety and help your children thrive. It is suitable for parents of children with learning disabilities or global developmental delay.
Life is full of transitions - and many autistic children find them really difficult - which means that their parents find them hard too. Life can feel like walking on eggshells. Dr. Naomi Fisher will help you gain a new understanding of why transitions are so hard, what makes it worse - and how to help.
Dr Naomi Fisher will explain OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) and how it can interact with autism. She'll describe how parents and children can fall into OCD traps, and what to do to get out. She'll give you some ideas to help your child, even if they themselves don't think that there's a problem.
Things have gone wrong at school for your teenager, and now it’s like they have nothing left. They have lost their sense of what made life worth living. You don’t know how to help, and sometimes it seems like whatever you do makes things worse. Naomi will explain how burnout happens and what the process of recovery looks like.
In this mini course Naomi will talk about school trauma, how it occurs, what makes it worse and how parents can help. You'll leave with a new understanding of what has gone on for your child, why they are still affected by the past, and some ideas of what to do. This course will combine psychological theory with practical strategies and ideas.
Is your autistic child having problems at school? Naomi offers ways to think about the issues, and tools and strategies which will help you make changes for your child.
Your child isn’t happy at school. They are protesting in the mornings, or having meltdowns in the afternoons. They tell you that they don’t want to go, and you feel torn between them and the school. School are telling you that the answer is to keep pushing, as you don’t want to reinforce avoidance or behaviour. It’s starting to dominate everything about your family life, and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better.
This course by Dr Abigail Fisher helps parents struggling with anxiety and misinformation about the EHCP process. It enables parents to make sense of this process and understand more about what you can do to influence it. It covers 4 main areas: (1) Why do you need an EHCP? (2) What's the process (3) Essential tips on getting a useful plan (4) Look at some reports and tips on drafting a plan
In this mini-course, Dr Abigail Fisher, educational psychologist, delves into effective strategies for working hand-in-hand with school to support your child's unique needs. This course will give you insight into what's possible and help foster a positive and collaborative relationship with your child's school.
This mini-course is for teenagers to watch themselves. It explains burnout, why our bodies go into burnout, what that process looks like and how we can recover. It is broken down into small sections and has subtitles. Featuring Chloe from Me Just Me.
This mini-course is for teenagers to watch themselves. It explains why sometimes, everything feels like pressure and the more others try to help you, the harder it is to do anything, even things you’d like to do. It helps teens think about how to build a life which works for them. It’s suitable for anyone who experiences demand avoidance, whether or not they have a diagnosis.
Dr Naomi Fisher, clinical psychologist, will share with you how trauma and loss affect children and what their parents can do to help. With various handouts to download and extra audios, this course is a comprehensive and practical resource to help you support your child.
Demand avoidant children confound all of our expectations. You ask them to do something, and they react as if you’re shouting. You show them that you’re pleased with them, and they respond by saying they’ll never do that again. The harder you try, the more difficult things become. What’s going on, and how can therapists work effectively with demand avoidant children? In this engaging and illustrated mini-course you’ll gain an understanding of demand avoidance and what it is. You’ll learn some practical ways to engage these children. It is suitable for anyone working therapeutically with children and teenagers, including psychologists, child psychotherapists, occupational therapists, drama therapists, art therapists and speech and language therapists. It might also be of interest to school SENCos although it focuses on the one-to-one.
Eliza and Naomi talk about the process which parents go through when school stops. How can parents move forward in a positive way and plan an alternative future for themselves and their children?
EOTAS is a provision for students whose needs cannot be met within a traditional school setting, and is a bespoke, individualised education. In this course, Dr Abigail Fisher, educational psychologist, will help you understand the process, benefits, potential costs and unexpected challenges of EOTAS.
In this webinar recording, Dr Abigail Fisher (Ed. Psych. and qualitifed teacher) and Eliza Fricker (illustrator, author and parent who has been there) discuss the EHCP process from the parents’ perspective. It’s illustrated throughout with Eliza’s brilliant cartoons.
This bundle gives you all 10 webinar recordings from Activate Your Parenting through to What About Me? They are updated when new low demand parenting webinars are hosted. Recordings are available to watch for 12 months after purchase.
The bundle contains the following 5 webinar recordings: 1. Activate Your Parenting 2. Communication 3. Behaviour 4. Emotions 5. The Real World They are updated when new low demand parenting webinars are hosted. Recordings are available to watch for 12 months after purchase.
This bundle gives you the second 5 webinar recordings in the Low Demand Parenting series. It contains: 6. Other People 7. Screens 8. School 9. The Future 10. What About Me? They are updated when new low demand parenting webinars are hosted. Recordings are available to watch for 12 months after purchase.
Updated with a new version in 2024, Dr Naomi Fisher and Eliza Fricker will show you how low demand parenting is anything but 'doing nothing' and help you see your way through to creating a happy family life. It will be reassuring, positive and free of blame or shame.
Updated for 2024! It's hard to be a parent when your child doesn't respond to mainstream techniques. We'll show you a different way in this new and updated webinar recording.
Updated for 2024! Some children just don't respond to conventional approaches to behaviour. What do you do when the naughty step makes things worse?
Updated for 2024! Some children are highly sensitive to emotions and pressure, and parenting them takes a whole new skillset. Dr Naomi Fisher and Eliza Fricker explain why many mainstream parenting approaches can make things worse and how to parent to help your child learn to manage their emotions.
Updated for 2024! What do you do when mainstream parenting makes things worse - but you still need to live in the real world?
Dr Naomi Fisher and Eliza Fricker take on tutting in the supermarket, disapproval in the playground, and grandparents who can't see why you don't insist on Saying Please. And they'll discuss what happens when parents disagree about the right approach, or when professionals get involved.
Updated for 2024! How do you manage screen time, when your child doesn't play by the parenting rules?
How can you be low demand parents, whilst your child goes to school? What can you do to take the pressure off and give them the space to thrive? That's what we'll be discussing in this new webinar.
Some children are pressure-sensitive. They react to traditional parenting methods in unexpected ways. The more their parents try to set firm boundaries or implement reward systems, the worse things get.
How can you make space for yourself, whilst also doing the best you can for your children? How can you make sure your own needs matter, when your child's needs are so high that they can't be put aside? Is it even possible for life to feel more sustainable?