ONE of the most striking aspects I’ve noticed about working with teenagers in schools over the last 18 years is the sheer level of determination and commitment to self-improvement. When I was growing up as a teenager in the ’90s I never heard of abs or obliques. I never had a conversation about macros and micros.…

In last weeks article I discussed how The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently classified online gaming as a new mental health condition. For all of us working in the mental health profession, especially with teenagers, this came as little surprise, because parents have been accessing services for many years now seeking advice for their children…

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recently recognised a new kind of mental health condition. For many parents and psychotherapists alike it will be a familiar aliment, one that has been present in the family and clinic for many years now. It is a disorder that psychotherapists have had difficulty finding language for, because up until June…

The terrible crimes that shook this country over the last number of weeks left all of us feeling a little numb and confused. Anastasia Kriegal’s murder at the hands of, what now appears to be, her classmates, is as incomprehensible as it is terrifying. And the senselessness of the Jastine Valdez abduction and murder by a stranger…

Parents often come to me feeling they have exhausted every avenue and are looking for practical steps to help their child’s anxiety. The parents often present as being very anxious themselves.When parents ask me ‘so, what should we do?’ I begin by looking at what has been their approach so far. It’s important, in the…

One of the most prevalent issues I encounter in the therapeutic setting is that of teenage anxiety. It can take the shape of many forms, from social anxiety to school refusal to general feelings of not wanting to go outside to a complete paralysis due to excessive worrying or ritualistic behaviours. Living with a child that is…