When adults choose to return to education, it’s rarely a simple academic decision. For many, it’s deeply emotional. It’s about revisiting a place that didn’t feel safe, stepping back into environments that once damaged confidence, or confronting old stories of “not being good enough.” And these stories run deep. Adult learners often carry decades ofContinue reading “Why FlourishEd Approaches Matter for Adults Returning to Learning—Especially After Negative School Experiences”
Tag Archives: Supporting our children
Creating Safe Spaces: Environment, Policy, and Practitioner Wellbeing in Trauma-Informed Practice
Creating safe spaces is at the heart of trauma-informed practice. This reflection explores how safety is built through the quiet art of noticing without judgement — in our environments, our policies, and our relationships. It reminds us that safety begins in the small moments, shaped by the calm, compassionate presence of practitioners who hold spaceContinue reading “Creating Safe Spaces: Environment, Policy, and Practitioner Wellbeing in Trauma-Informed Practice”
Title: Play as Healing: Harnessing the Prepared Environment to Support Young Children Who Have Experienced Trauma
Introduction In recent years, the field of early childhood education has recognised more fully the prevalence and profound impact of trauma on young children’s development. Children exposed to adverse experiences—such as abuse, neglect, loss, impacts from covid, war or displacement—are at risk of disruptions in regulation, attachment, executive functioning and learning (Maynard 2019). Within thisContinue reading “Title: Play as Healing: Harnessing the Prepared Environment to Support Young Children Who Have Experienced Trauma”
When Life Gets You Down: What it means to be Browned Off, Fed Up, and the Quiet Ripples Through the Family
There comes a point in many people’s lives when they feel emotionally wrung out. Not quite depressed, but certainly not content. A quiet kind of exhaustion seeps in—resentment at daily demands, emotional flatness, the sense of going through the motions. You might mutter, “I’m just browned off,” or “I’m so fed up.” And while theseContinue reading “When Life Gets You Down: What it means to be Browned Off, Fed Up, and the Quiet Ripples Through the Family”
Getting to the Root: Supporting Children and Clients with Anxiety through a Root Cause Approach
“Anxiety is not the enemy—it is the messenger.” Dr. M This phrase echoes deeply in therapeutic settings. Throughout my work, I’ve found that the children and clients I meet are not always struggling with anxiety in its purest sense. Instead, anxiety often shows up as a symptom—a signal—of something deeper. And when we fail toContinue reading “Getting to the Root: Supporting Children and Clients with Anxiety through a Root Cause Approach”
The Soothing Power of Sensation: Why Early Sensory Experiences Matter for Babies’ Development
When you watch a baby reach for the grass beneath them, wiggle their toes in soft sand, or splash joyfully in water, you’re witnessing something profound. These simple, natural moments aren’t just adorable—they are crucial developmental experiences. As a psychologist who works with early childhood development, I often speak with parents and early years practitionersContinue reading “The Soothing Power of Sensation: Why Early Sensory Experiences Matter for Babies’ Development”
When the Strong Struggle: The Hidden Impact of High-Functioning Depression on Children and Families
High-functioning depression is often silent — but its ripple effects are not. While the person experiencing it may carry on with daily life, fulfilling responsibilities and appearing “together,” the emotional undercurrent can have a profound impact on the people around them, especially children. In therapeutic and educational settings, we often see children struggling with anxiety,Continue reading “When the Strong Struggle: The Hidden Impact of High-Functioning Depression on Children and Families”
Dr M’s thoughts 