Childhood is the richest period of our life. Everything is new, everything is a discovery that needs to be understood and incorporated. The brain at this age is at its highest plasticity.

Learning takes first place through the body : the child learns to move, feel before being able to put words on what she experiences. Therefore, when difficulties arise, those tend to express themselves through behaviours:

• Eating disorders,
• Trouble sleeping, nocturnal awakenings, crying, night terror,
• Overwhelming tantrums,
• Learning difficulties, lack of interest and/or attention,
• Difficulty to separate from the parents, when first integrating kindergarten and/or school,
• Aggressive behaviour,
• Lack of interest for things that used to be enjoyed…

What can be done to ease the pain :

A child doesn’t know what his/her body is trying to tell him/her until an adult puts it down in words. Although no one knows your child, like you do, a third party can offer a different point of view, exempt of emotional engagement.

To get started, I offer :

• The art of play as therapy – equipping the child with tools to express  a different point of view of what his/her body is telling them,
• Psychological testing,
• Mapping the connections in a child’s life and relationships that may be contributing to the distorted body image.

Three steps psychological care:

Because a child is mostly a member of a family, I :

1. Meet and consult with the parents at first, ideally alone allowing them to disclose freely key facts and information openly without the presence of the child.
2. Utilize 3 different consults with the child using the tools of playing and drawing to evaluate the nature of the child’s difficulties.
3. Strategize in a combined meeting with the nuclear family (child and parent) to assess and discuss together the best way forward, including sometimes psychotherapy.  

What are the benefits:

• The child develops a new understanding of why he/she behaves the way he/she does,
• This in turn offers relief : the mysterious behaviours are no longer mysterious,
• As such, they lose their purpose and the child can live and express herself differently,
• The symptoms are alleviated,
• The child feels better and so do you !