S2 #06 Managing your wellbeing through the pandemic with Dr Tina Rae Artwork

Helping Children Smile Again with Amanda Seyderhelm

Whether it's the grief of bereavement, the strain of divorce or the uncertainty of a new home or school, loss and change affect children in countless ways. Teachers and parents frequently find themselves ill-equipped to help children struggling with the difficult feelings that these situations, and others like them, bring. Helping Children Smile Again offers guided support for teachers, health professionals and parents through interviews with experts in the fields of education, healthcare and parenting.

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Helping Children Smile Again with Amanda Seyderhelm

S2 #06 Managing your wellbeing through the pandemic with Dr Tina Rae

February 18, 2022 • AMANDA SEYDERHELM • Season 2 • Episode 6

The Covid Pandemic has been a collective trauma. A crash course in learning how to cope with uncertainty and change. If we were anxious pre-Covid, this suddenly escalated for children and families to a frightening level and threatened all aspects of our wellbeing. Were Mummy or Daddy going to die and leave me alone?

We were also worried about our health. We didn't have the vaccines. We didn't understand how this was going to work. We didn't understand the impact emotionally, the fear of this unprecedented unknown.

Dr Tina Rae used her skills and 30 years experience as a clinical psychologist to support parents and carers who themselves didn't feel regulated, felt heightened levels of anxiety, and were having to support their children, to be that nurturing, supportive, safe base for children.

We reflect on the Pandemic through a post-traumatic growth lens. Looking at adversity and learning - what can we learn and take forward? Some of the strategies and reflective practices parents used to survive, are useful to keep within our wellbeing toolkit because they lead us to be compassionate towards ourselves, and others. That's all good for our collective mental health and wellbeing.

We talk about:

1/ The importance of focusing on the present, what we can control.
2/ Finding social connection through social media.
3/ Changing the way we respond to things out of our control.
4/ Doing good for other people.
5/ Creating daily magic moments.
6/ Thoughts are not facts, find the evidence to reframe.
7/ Practising gratitude.
8/ What we've learnt about resilience.
9/ Journaling as a reflective, expressive practice.
10/ Being a therapeutic base within yourself.

This conversation is full of inspiration.

About Dr Tina Rae

Dr Tina Rae has 40 years’ experience working with children, adults and families in clinical and educational contexts within local authorities and specialist services. She is currently working as a Consultant Educational and Child Psychologist in a range of SEMH and mainstream contexts and for Fostering agencies as a Consultant Psychologist supporting foster carers, social workers and Looked after children. She was an Academic and Professional tutor for the Doctorate in Educational and Child psychology (University of East London) from 2010-16. She is a registered member of the Health and Care Professions Council, a member of ENSEC (European Network for Social and Emotional Competence) and a former trustee of Nurture UK.

Tina is a member of the editorial board for the journal Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties and for the International Journal of Nurture in Education. She is also a member of the Advisory board for Fresh Start in Education.

Twitter @DrTinarae
YouTube @DrTinaRae
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-tina-rae-82666330/

Connect with Amanda Seyderhelm

Visit my website to download my free eBook 10 Simple Play Therapy Techniques You Can Use To Help Your Child With Grief, Loss and Change

If you are supporting a bereaved child, or know someone who is, you can purchase my books - Isaac and the Red Jumper (for 4-10 yr olds) and Helping Children Cope with Loss and Change

@TheKidDecoder on Twitter
@amandaseyderhelm on Instagram and Linked In