"The best gifts parents can give their children are roots and wings."
"My daughter was bullied at school for almost 3 years but I didn't realise until recently. She had become very withdrawn and had missed several days of school because her health was being affected.
I took her to see Lys Hix who gave her some strategies to cope with the situation. As a result of one session the bullying has stopped and the school have commented how my daughter's confidence has suddenly grown."
Natalie Tomlinson
Kent
Parenting is one of the hardest jobs for which none of us receive any training. We are not given a rule book and when problems arise, it is often hard to see the wood for the trees. Why struggle when help and support is available?
Children these days face many pressures from the media, their peers and constant testing. Life for them is fast and competitive. This can often lead even young children to suffer from depression and anxiety. Parents want to help but don't always know how.
One parent I helped said:
"My daughter began having eating problems. Lys Hix was suggested as a source of help by the school. My daughter attended several sessions with her, Lys taking the role of her "life coach".
"After a short period a change for the better became obvious. My daughter has now passed through an awkward stage of her life with the minimum of difficulty. I would personally recommend Lys's assistance and advice to any parent of child, her kindness and patience helped us all as a family, my daughter in particular".
It is often said that young children are too young for counselling but just by asking a child to draw a picture of his family very quickly enables him to talk about his "annoying brother." This will facilitate a session on sibling rivalry. It is only necessary to listen to a child and work with what he draws to quickly find the root of his problem.
Sadly these days many children are bullied at school and parents often find it difficult to know how to respond. I help parents and children individually and also through my Bullying Support Group in which parents can help each other.
I have been working with young people for the past ten years and I enjoy helping them cope with the pressures of modern life.
My special areas of interest include working with children who have problems with:
- Anxiety
- Phobias
- Bullying
- Sibling rivalry
- Marital or relationship break-up
- Re-location stress, having trouble settling into life in England having always lived abroad
- Lack of confidence and self esteem
- Bereavement
My service is particularly focused on parents and their children from 4 to 18, although I can also help people who don't fall in this age range. It includes life coaching, child and youth counselling and therapy for young people, particularly of primary school age, in Sevenoaks, Bromley, Tunbridge Wells and the surrounding area.