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The following is an overview of some of the areas that Resilient Kids can assist children and families. This list is a snap shot of commonly referred difficulties that families with children and adolescents sometimes need help with.

Resilient Kids takes an individualised approach to difficulties experienced by a family and their children and responds with assessment and treatment solutions tailored to the individual presenting needs of the child and their family.

Using a strengths-based approach, children can be supported to achieve their goals in a positive and encouraging way, through the development of increased awareness of their issues, the learning of new skills and the development of an appreciation of their strengths and capabilities.

Sam never finishes his schoolwork and is constantly told off by his teachers for not paying attention, not sitting still, not staying on task and distracting other children around him with his behaviour. Sam wants to do better, but no matter how hard he tries to pay attention, he never seems to get it right.

Anger is OK. It’s a healthy and normal part of the everyday emotions that we all experience. Sometimes however, children need help with anger.

We all feel worried from time to time. Anxiety is a normal feeling that we all experience in response to stress or danger. Anxiety can actually be good for us in small doses. In fact “a little” anxiety can help us to focus better when learning and also become more vigilant in times of stress.

Teaching children how to resolve issues peacefully with other people begins with an understanding of their own feelings and thoughts. Often, depending on the age of the child, the understanding of feelings is limited and confusing with labels often restricted to “good” and “bad” feelings. Helping children to explore their own feelings and develop more assertive and positive ways to express their feelings and needs, leads to empowerment and an increased sense of confidence in dealing with these situations.

ASD is an expression used to describe a group of disorders which includes autism, Asperger’s syndrome and pervasive developmental disorder. Symptoms range from mild to severe. Children with ASD demonstrate deficits in the following areas:

Bullying behaviour involves both physical and emotional actions. Name calling, teasing, kicking, pushing and hitting are all examples of behaviours that, when intentionally and repeatedly used to hurt someone else, are defined as bullying. If you suspect your child is being bullied, some of the following signs may be evident:

Many young people experience symptomatology consistent with depression, yet never seek help for it. Often this is caused by a lack of knowledge about where to get the help and sometimes an inability to pick up on the signs. Depression can present with varying levels of severity, from mild feelings of sadness and isolation to despair and severe distress. So what are the signs to watch for? The following is a list of possible warning signs to look for:

A child’s experience of grief following the death of a loved one depends on a number of factors, including the age of the child, the relationship to the person who died, whether illness was involved, etc. Depending on the child’s age and developmental level, children can have difficulty fully understanding the concept of death, which stresses the need for age appropriate explanations. Children demonstrate their intense sadness in many ways, including emotional reactivity, loss of appetite, sleep difficulties and sometimes regressive behaviour, such as bed-wetting or thumb sucking.

Individual differences mean that children learn in a variety of different ways and vary with the speed and accuracy with which they take in, remember, understand and express information. Problems encountered in learning can range from the simple to profound, depending on the disruption to achievement and daily life skills. The most common types of difficulties in learning occur in the areas of reading and spelling, but other areas of functioning can also be affected, such as expressive language and mathematics.

Parents have a tough job. Managing children’s behaviour can be a minefield. Finding the appropriate balance to enable positive interactions as well as managing the not-so-positive interactions often requires the skill and patience of a seasoned professional. Effective parenting programs have been developed and made available to help parents through those times of difficulty. Most programs focus on strategies to manage undesirable behaviour, strategies for the encouragement of positive behaviour and strategies for the further strengthening of the relationship with the child.

Children don’t just learn in the classroom. Many equally important “life” skills are adopted and refined in the playground in the social world of peers and other children. Out of these enriched learning opportunities, children learn a lot about others and often more about themselves. In an ideal world, this is a positive experience for children filled with meeting challenges about who they are and who they will become. Sometimes however, these challenging opportunities do not come to fruition and setbacks can erode the confidence and direction of the most determined child.

A child’s self-esteem and self-concept are inextricably linked. Self-concept refers to the child’s understanding of him/herself. The value that he or she places on that self-concept is called self-esteem. Children benefit from opportunities to explore, accept and value their strengths and weaknesses. This promotes a feeling of increased confidence about themselves. Some signs of low self-esteem in children can include the following:

Individual differences in how children interact in a social world go a long way in explaining why children differ so dramatically in their approach to new people and new things. Whilst some children approach these situations with boundless energy and curiosity, other children regard novel situations with hesitancy, trepidation and fear. Shyness is a well researched area in the literature with much attention being paid to the “nature versus nurture” argument with respect to the development of shyness.

Social skills impact every part of a child’s world, and for most children, social skills seem innate. However, for some children, social skills do not come naturally. Although they may want friends, they don’t know how to interact with them or manage the friendships. Acquiring the social rules and skills necessary for success in a social world is challenging for many children. Social skills are best taught to children in a supportive environment where they can practise new skills and strategies, before generalising these new skills to real life situations.