Sunday 27 November 2016


The Big Conversation.


Stress in children and young people is being highlighted both within education and healthcare, this weeks blog discusses the impact this has on children and young people accessing health and social care- and how opportunities could be developed to allow these conversations to happen naturally, and without pressure.
I also want to reiterate that this all depends on your training and experience, the setting,and time and space logistics.
Resources can be paper, pens, paint, but equally a cup of tea, a cup of hot chocolate or a movie with pauses.

There has been much written and shared in regards to how the evidence is presented, within health settings, and educational settings in both the national press and within articles shared.
We also know that much work is being done by many organisations, charities and individuals as well as children and young people taking the lead.


I wanted to share some observations and conversations taking place between children and young people ,the language they use, the ideas shared and how this may influence healthcare professionals and the positive changes that may occur naturally.
The best way is to share a piece of writing, a collection of sentences and thoughts because sometimes it is just about the honesty of children and young people.


  " Lets have the big conversation
        Please give me the space to say how I feel.
           Let me express my anger, pain, joy and my hopes
              Be there to hold me, not physically, but with your words, if that's want I   
                  want, I may not know that's what I need.
                     I don't know how I feel, I do know that it hurts like hell.
                        I am not always brave, because its not about being brave.
                          I am human.
                            I am strong, but I can also be broken, please help put my pieces
                               back together.
                                 Please support me so I can talk, so I can be me.
                                   If I can't talk,I might be broken again.
                                     Help me to find the "something" to give me a
                                       voice.
                                           When I see a glimmer of hope- please help me to embrace it-
                                                I might not know how that feels"


There are many charities and organisations that are pushing the boundaries and sharing resources, many individuals offering there experience and support.
A few are detailed below.
                  


  • ollieandhissuperpowers.com  (@bemoreollie)
  • youngminds.org.uk (@YoungMindsUK)
  • byc.org.uk British Youth Council (@bycLIVE)
  • Papyrus-uk.org (Papyrus_tweets)



Sian Spencer-Little
(C) Nov 2016


Saturday 5 November 2016

The Power of Metaphor.



What is a metaphor, is it something that is provided to make things up, to avoid talking about worries or concerns, can a metaphor really open up a time and space where exploration of emotions can happen?

Metaphor can be  a word or phrase that is used to describe a object or an action, an emblem, to paint a picture or create an image.
Some children and young people use the work of metaphor as it offers a visual description of a thought, feeling or action- with the focus being shifted away from talking about deep feelings, or events that have impacted their lives.

When I started working alongside children and young people using metaphor  felt clumsy at times, I struggled with finding the right language and when I did, my responses felt like I had adopted some new dialect that only made sense to me, so it took a lot of practise, reading, learning and observing others using metaphor to find its natural place in my work,  to the support I can offer children, and young people coming into hospital and those living with a long term and life changing health condition.

Using the medium of play and specialised distraction with children and young people lays a platform for using different techniques and skills, it is something that requires training, and mentoring, and time.

Working in metaphor using play gives children and young people the space and tool to create and work through an unknown thought,  using metaphor allows them to name the thought, then it can be explored, it can be felt, and it can be held safely, and acknowledged.
Often children and young people store and bury feelings that are so powerful, they just don't know what to do, what to say or how to be.

Spending time with children and young people allows you to gain a snap shot of their lives, and if they give permission and invite you in, play and metaphor is a powerful tool and skill to have, but as always the right level of training and practise - and care should be gained first, this is a skill that requires specific training, working in metaphor is powerful and shouldn't be under estimated.

Children and young people use metaphor a great deal when trying to describe an event or emotion that is just too painful to say out loud, using metaphor removes the attention from them, and allows them to communicate in another way.
Here are some examples.


" Its like this you see, a straw works really well with water, but if you put it in milkshake or it gets blocked, nothing moves, and when the straw is used, nothing happens, everything is blocked, full up, doesn't work"

An example of a description from a child who tried everything to tell others that she was sad and anxious and worried - but she just couldn't find the words, she was fed up and she was too full up of worry and uncertainty, why does the bad thing happen to me.


"There was this thing and it had fallen out of a suitcase, it tried so hard to get back in but the suitcase was so full up and heavy that it just couldn't find a place to hide anymore"


"There was a spaceman and he was attached to the rocket by a long elastic band, one night while he was out exploring space, the elastic band snapped, and he floated away from the rocket, and he just kept floating and floating, lost, and alone"

A young person full up with hospital appointments, so many that her life consisted of nothing else.


Using specialised play opportunities allows the child or young person the option of sharing in a way where the attention isn't solely on them- they feel slightly removed, but if metaphor is introduced - exploration and testing of the waters takes place- as a practitioner my role is to hold and keep safe the experience and narrative, offering creative resources to enhance the experience how ever tricky that might be.


Image result for using metaphors with children in therapy
Weather and the range of powers it has is often used as a metaphor to describe the inner fear and upset being experienced, and the pressure of keeping everything alive.








Further Reading
  • Creative Metaphors of life experiences seen in Play Therapy www.counselling.org
  • Using therapy stories and Metaphor in child and family treatment www.lianalowenstein.com
  • Using storytelling as a therapeutic tool with children - By Margot Sunderland
Training and courses
There are many places to undertake further study and training, I have done the bulk of mine here.
Centre for Child Mental Heath- www.childmentalhealthcentre.org
@CCMH_London



Sian Spencer-Little
Copyright 2016.