We are all aware that social media has an impact on mental health, particularly when it comes to body image. We see the perfect looking bodies, unblemished faces with impossible looking features filling our social media news feeds. But when you’re a teenager, seeing these images along with a developing brain that has a heightened drive for peer approval, is a dangerous combination. There’s a…
Clinical Psychologist, Prof Amanda Gordon, looks how parents can support this milestone. School is the most important social network for children there is. As children move from infants to primary to high school, the importance of their friendships increases, almost proportionally to their independence. Children need the friendship of peers to develop their own sense of…
Everyone knows that too much technology, without enough exercise or social engagement, is not in the best interests of the child. Everyone knows that children can be bullied online – but sometimes we do not realise how unsafe our child may be. It seems that for most parents, there is an ongoing balancing act with…
The world as we know it has changed dramatically over a short period of time and many children, even the younger ones, will be picking up that something strange is going on. Talking to our children about feelings including anxiety is crucial. Perhaps they are now staying home when they used to be in day…
This is a reminder for everyone to be mindful of their language around COVID-19. “Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic” – Dumbledore Covid-19 News Headlines “65 million people could be killed by the novel coronavirus” “We are living in a nightmare” “Two-thirds of the planet could become infected by…
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared a pandemic, school are facing temporary closures and sporting events are being cancelled around the country. As COVID-19 spreads around the globe how do we, as parents, speak to our children about COVID-19 while protecting their mental health? Australian Clinical Psychologist and Adjunct Associate Professor Amanda Gordon agrees…
Secrecy and shame around periods is slowly being phased out as more women talk openly about their menstrual cycle. We need to banish period stigma both individually and collectively. For the majority of Gen Y, growing up the word ‘period’ was only uttered when it referred to your class timetable. Read this article on Body+Soul.…
A single dad has asked for advice about his teenage daughter who is stressed about his welfare when she moves out to go to university. He asks if he has “gone about this in the wrong way” by saying everything is just fine and joking with her that he “can’t wait to hear what peace and…
It has been an unusual and worrying start to the year to say the least. As we begin 2020, we are more aware than ever throughout Australia of the impact of our environment on our ability to feel safe, healthy and motivated. Making sure we reduce our children’s anxiety is of paramount importance. For many…
As a society, we are under increasing pressure to do more, be more and have more. This pressure is also affecting our self esteem, how we see ourselves and our physical expectations in relation to the way we look. Some of us strive to be thinner, some curvier or some just want to look fitter!…