For my first ever webinar I was delighted to have Dr Sanni Norweg (a psychologist and NHS lead of the Bristol Eating Disorders team) as my guest, to talk about food, eating and body issues, as this is a complex and challenging topic which worries a lot of families. There was useful myth busting, as well as addressing difficult scenarios, and we touched on how parents and carers can also be good role models.

Read this blog for more information and resources which you may find helpful.

I was delighted to be joined by NHS and University of Bristol senior psychologist Dr Rachel Stirland to discuss what all parents need to know about self-harm (trigger warning). Even before the pandemic self-harm (cutting, injury, self-poisoning/ overdoses) was rising as a coping strategy for emotional pain. The pandemic has only added to this. It is a very difficult scenario to deal with at home, and we covered healthy coping strategies, how to react to self-harm at home, and where to get help.

Read this blog for more info and resources which may also help.

An insightful conversation with Dr Laura Wade (a clinical psychologist specialising in ADHD). We cover what parents need to know, the occurrence of other mental health conditions in young people with ADHD, how you can be supportive, and when to get help.

This blog summarises more about the webinar and links to good resources.

Watch an absolutely fascinating conversation with national and local Autism specialists Dr Ian Ensum and Andrew Powell. We talked about language, diagnosis (ignore those TikTok videos), mental health and autism, and how to help your autistic child.

Read this blog to learn more about the webinar, and practical resources.

An in depth chat with Professor Lucy Serpell of University College, London. Lucy is a Professor of the Psychology of Eating Disorders, as well as a mum of 2 teenagers. We covered a lot, and discussed what to watch out for, what to say (and not to say!) if you are worried about your teen.

Read more in this blog about the webinar, which also summarises some great resources.

Listen in to a fascinating conversation between me and my two guest experts, Dr Rachel Stirland, a senior NHS Clinical Psychologist, and Cat Taylor, an NHS trained mental health therapist for 8 to 18 year olds, talking about school avoidance. It seems to be an increasingly common issue, and Rachel and Cat shared top tips for managing this stressful problem as well as their key advice to ‘focus not on attendance but on the needs of the child’.

Read more in this blog about the webinar.