Being Transgender and Transitioning are for every individual, unique. Understanding of how varied these experiences are is an important step towards acceptance of the process of transitioning LGBTQ+ people. Some begin by outwardly expressing their preferred gender around people that they know and trust. They often work their way up to living as their preferred gender by adopting the clothing …
Transgender Children – How Common are Transgender Children? The true prevalence of transgender children is unknown as there are few population-based research studies, but given the numbers now coming forward, figures as high as one in 500 are being suggested. Dr Michelle Telfer, a leading specialist in the area of gender diversity at Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital, says that there …
Helping teens to develop their strengths Helping teens to develop their strengths and awareness of their positive attributes can create a basis for parents to re-connect lovingly with their child. Knowing their own personal strengths helps people of all ages- including children and teenagers feel happier about themselves all-round. In addition to a better self awareness, a boosted self-esteem …
At different times in our lives we may need assistance choosing a therapist to help us resolve difficulties. We all encounter stressful and challenging life events such as relationship breakdown, family and work-related problems, illness or bereavement, to name a few. We may wish to review childhood events, to foster our self-esteem, or to develop skills to assist in daily …
What is Body Image and Mindful Eating? Body Image refers to the way we think and feel about, and see our body. Our body image can be influenced by our own beliefs but also the beliefs of our friends, family and society as a whole. An unhealthy body image can lead to us suffering low self esteem and can adversely …
Children are amazing people. They are growing and developing at an incredible pace, taking in information, filtering, integrating and learning. Early in life, children’s neural networks are growing rapidly, and connections are being made at a phenomenal rate. In the first three years children’s brain size increases from approximately 350-400 grams to about 1100 grams. Brain development is influenced by …
Life events such as separation or divorce can have a big impact on your child’s emotions and behaviour. Your child may be anxious and clingy or perhaps withdrawn and sad. They may be anxious about going to school or struggling to keep up with their classmates. Its also possible that your child may be acting out their anxiety or confusion …
While every child will at times be inattentive, hyperactive or impulsive, the difference with children who have ADHD is that these symptoms will be overabundant, happen in all settings and be severe enough and persistent enough to interfere with their learning and relationships. What is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder? Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common …
How Early Childhood Attachments Shape our Adult Relationships This information sheet may be of interest to the following people: Adult children of alcoholics/drug addicts Adults who experienced childhood sexual abuse Mothers with Postnatal Depression Parents experiencing difficulty bonding to their children Adults prone to unsatisfactory or abusive relationships Adults who experienced childhood physical or emotional abuse Adults who experience childhood …
What are eating disorders? An eating disorder is an illness that causes serious disturbances to your everyday diet, such as eating extremely small amounts of food or severely overeating or binge eating. A person with an eating disorder may have started out just eating smaller or larger amounts of food, but at some point, the urge to eat less or …
This article looks at what boundaries are, the role they play in development of self, relationships and families and thinking about boundaries as a tool for managing children’s behaviour. Setting Healthy Boundaries with Your Child or Adolescent Below are common scenarios for today’s parents/caregivers. What we see here is what we may say out aloud and what we may be …
“All I could think about was food. Even when I became aware that my scrabbling in the dirt after raw vegetables and wild plants had become an obsession, I found it terribly difficult to free myself. I had been seduced by righteous eating” – Stephen Bratman Orthorexia Nervosa or ‘Healthy Eating’ disorder was coined by American doctor Stephen Bratman in 1997 …
“Mummy, God has made a really big mistake when making me. He was thinking girl and at the last minute made a boy.” Transgender refers to an individual whose gender identity (what they feel) does not match their assigned biological birth gender. When my son Sam said this to me, it was the moment I truly felt the enormity of despair …
Adolescence is a challenging and often confusing time for parents and adolescents alike. The period of ‘adolescence’ falls roughly between the ages of 12 to 24 years old, and during this period of development, adolescents can often be misunderstood as ‘moody’ and ‘hormonal’ and that they really just need to ‘grow up’. Thankfully, there have been psychiatrists and psychologists conducting …