After doing the blog on my postpartum experience, I decided I wanted to do a blog on children’s mental health as it was also quite pertinent in my life at this moment.
My daughter who is nearly 5 has after 5 years of being the only child become a big sister. This was a great adjustment for her I realised this when one night after the evening routine I could see that she was anxious, she had a bewildered look in her eyes. This is when I realised that I will need to implement some things to bring back a sense of control for her and where she felt grounded again, as the whole family’s routine had been shifted by “the newcomer”. Thankfully she was greatly accepting of her new brother. My experience as a mother was challenged as my daughter was a completely different baby (our attachment was not as secure as she was a prematurely born baby) from her brother which meant our relationship had a different tone. I realised that this was okay and that I had to implement a few things that would make her feel secure again. Our routine in the evening had to include a time when we would spend one on one time with her and check in with her. The activities in our routine involved reading her a story, after we read a story we would do some grounding activities with her, and we would end our one on one time with her by checking what we are grateful for each naming three things we are grateful for, each of us took turns to repeat what the other person was grateful for also working on our communication. The routine starts with an alarm sounding on my phone and ends this way, indicating when it is bedtime as well, making bedtime a more peaceful and settled experience. There has been a significant change in my daughter she is calmer. I have also gotten her to build puzzles after coming back from school this has also helped with grounding her. I have realised that children as young as they are also need to work on their mental health and as adults we are responsible for implementing activities, guided by professionals.
My practice is currently closed as I am on maternity leave:
For support and guidance please contact SADAG 0800 567 567
From June 2023 I will be available again.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch with me for an online counselling session. Let’s together create an environment where you can connect with yourself again, an environment that fosters and encourages authenticity. An environment where you can follow your gut and get to know what it looks like.
After doing an intake I might be able to help you with a few sessions using BWRT (Brainworking Recursive Therapy) read more about BWRT on another blog on my website: https://thewellsamaria.co.za/what-is-brainworking-recursive-therapy-or-bwrt/, or we will use another technique depending on your unique needs.
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