Over the last few years I have spoken and listened to hundreds of families who were desperately worried about a struggling child. This struggle might look like social withdrawal, school refusal, addiction, eating disorders, self-harm, aggression, isolation, defiance, depression, anxiety. For a family there is nothing more distressing and consuming. You feel lost yourselves as parents. How do you help them?.. The answer is that part of that lies with us as parents.

This is a situation that can feel deeply isolating & unchartered as a family. We can find ourselves confronted by conflicting advice or attitudes of judgement and criticism. What is the right decision? Where do you place your trust?

You may be wondering too, how did we get here, how did my sweet, fun, playful child become like this? What did we miss? Where did we do wrong? There may be feelings of guilt, grief, deep frustration and shame - a sense that you have arrived at a place for which you have no compass.

Everyone is at sea and, despite what it may seem, everyone wants to find a way to safe harbour.

I know, from personal experience, from training & supporting many families over the last few years, that there is a way through if you have the right people alongside you. I am a great advocate of the saying that, “It takes a village to bring up a child”. And I believe strongly that this is one of the fundamental reasons so many families and young people are flailing. I am here to be part of your village at a particular waypoint along the road.

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”

Helen Keller