Endings… Before they happen ~ How to ‘end well’ for mental well-being
Fact - life is full of beginnings and endings Fact - both beginnings and ending can be precious or painful, significant or nondescript. The kind of endings I am thinking about right now, are the ones that you know are coming, the ones you get to do a count down to,...
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How is your Cultural Awareness?
When you get invited to spend 12 days visiting your best friends' family in Trinidad, you go - yes? I have always been fascinated by different cultures - I think it probably goes back to when I was little and my Dad used to be away with his work a lot. He would bring...
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“I haven’t been ill this term” A Solution for Staff Illness?
That feeling of getting through a day in school with all the usual demands? That feeling of getting through a day in school with all the usual demands AND feeling like you are coming down with (or already have) something? You might be interested to read this - sent in...
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Anxiety after SATS, tests and exams
If I say Year 6 - you'd say.... ? Around this time of year...most school staff would say SATS (or it would at least be in the top 5 answers if we were playing Family Fortunes!!) So yes, in a few weeks time thousands of children across the country will be sat in...
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Too Many Cooks… Things to consider in school when a child is really struggling
What happens when a child is clearly really struggling in school? Their behaviour changes; maybe they get more withdrawn, or more aggressive. Maybe they stop communicating or start shouting. They become explosive or hard to reach at all. They become...
read moreUnderstanding Trauma – Staff Training
NEW DATE - Sept 21st, 2016 - In Partnership with Pye Green Academy.... If you work in a school with children or young people then it is likely that some of them have experienced trauma...and may still be in a state of post traumatic stress, which will be affecting...
read moreTeachers, Bodies and TRE
" I was a teacher for 25 years...and you couldn't be in your body as a teacher...you had to cope. " A lovely lady said this to me on the last day of the TRE module in London that I was assisting at last week. She had been on a 3 day adventure of mind and...
read moreOn Wanting and Washing Machines – how the past can prevent us reaching for what will fulfill us in the present
So last week I was sat in a hall observing a PE lesson being taught to a reception class. One little chap caught my eye. This is what happened:- The teacher got out lots of white soft plastic floor markers. He demonstrated how the children had to jump over them...
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You Are Not the Only One – Trauma Among Staff
Last week, following another Understanding Trauma course I ran, I had several conversations with attendees who confessed to me that at some point in the sessions they had stopped listening to me and started counting. That was fine by me - what they were really saying...
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Christmas in School… a seasonal reflection on overwhelm
Overwhelm Burnout Compassion fatigue Stress Exhaustion Crazy I have heard all these words in the last few weeks as I have spoken with a variety of professionals working in and with schools. So many children are struggling. The need is still huge... and that may or may...
read moreHow a Dad Affected his Family through Drink
One of the children I used to work with, was part of a family of 5. Through regular contact and updates with both parents I had a clear sense of the bigger picture they were all living with. So imagine this : going through multiple traumatic experiences as a family -...
read more5 years on – the story after trauma…
It was 5 years ago yesterday (2009) that I was involved in a road traffic accident... So not surprisingly, I have been quietly reflecting on all that has happened since. If you have ever heard me talk about it or read my book After The Crash, you will know that one of...
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