Disclaimer: This article reflects my professional experience as a therapist working with children, young people and families. It is intended as general guidance and isn't a substitute for individual advice. Every child is different, and parents should make decisions based on their own child's needs, development and family circumstances. Hello and welcome back to The Therapist Diaries , My partner is the father of two boys, aged six and seven, and this week we've found ourselves talking a lot about the headlines surrounding children and technology. From the ongoing debate about restricting social media for young people, to concerns about screen time, to recent investigations into platforms such as Roblox, it's a conversation that seems impossible to avoid. ( Roblox Investigation ) I'm not a parent myself, but I have spent almost a decade working alongside children, young people and families. One thing that still surprises me is how many children have unrestricted ac...
Hello and Welcome Back to The Therapist Diaries, When I was around ten years old, my aunt bought me my very first Matryoshka doll after we went to see Beauty and the Beast at the theatre in Blackpool. I remember sitting on the floor when I got home, carefully opening each wooden doll to reveal another hidden inside. One by one they appeared, each a little smaller than the last, until I reached the tiniest doll nestled safely in the middle. At the time, I simply thought it was beautiful. Years later, I found myself returning to that same little doll in my work as a therapist. During my training, I spent much of my time working with children and adolescents. One of the biggest challenges in therapy with young people is finding ways to explain complicated emotions and experiences in a way that makes sense. Children don't learn through lectures. They learn through stories, play, curiosity, and objects they can touch and remember. If they leave the therapy room with an image or a meta...