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We all feel anxious sometimes. We worry about whether we will get all our work done, or whether we might get a speeding ticket for going past that camera at 36 mph. We worry about what will happen to our children when they grow up. Anxiety is a part of human existence. We need it, it urges us to think carefully and not to rush into things.
Sometimes, however, anxiety goes beyond what is helpful. It can become a constant hum in our heads. We can feel unable to sit down or to concentrate, because we are so wound up. We can become highly distressed, because the feelings are so unpleasant and relentless.
When this happens to a child or teenager, it can affect the whole family. They often want to avoid their anxiety because it feels horrible, and then that can become a trap. Avoiding our feelings means they get more intense, and so the world gets smaller and smaller.
In my webinars and courses, I explain anxiety and how it works. I’ll outline some ways in which families can manage anxiety, so that their children can grow and thrive.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Many autistic children are anxious. Dr Naomi Fisher, clinical psychologist, will help you understand some of the reasons and will show you some ways you might be able to support your child. You will leave with a better understanding of what might be going on, and some ideas as to how you as the parent can help.
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.
In this practical and engaging course, Dr Naomi Fisher, clinical psychologist, will help you understand the developmental changes of early childhood. She'll show you how anxiety works, and how parents can make a difference. You'll understand your child better, and therefore be better able to help.
In this course, Dr Naomi Fisher will explain the developmental changes going on between the ages of 6 and 13. She'll explain how anxiety works, how children can get stuck, and what parents can do to help. This course is suitable for all children who experience anxiety, whether they have a diagnosis or not.
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.
Children are born full of curiosity, eager to participate in the world. They learn as they live, with enthusiasm and joy. Then we send them to school. We stop them from playing and actively exploring their interests, telling them it's more important to sit still and listen. The result is that for many children, their motivation to learn drops dramatically. The joy of the early years is replaced with apathy and anxiety.
What happens when you see children's distressed behaviour as a sign that they need to be punished? Suspensions. Isolation. Detentions. More than ever before and for ever younger children. Read the Guardian article about it here
In May, I published a undergraduate primer on the Psychology of Mental Health with the Oxford University Press. I’ve been working on that (short) book for five years. In it, I try to introduce to undergrads some of the complexity of working in mental health, and particularly the way in which this has changed in the last twenty years.