“How to Recognize and Support a Child in Psychological Distress” – Guest Blog by Joel Curtis the Psychologist

Joel Curtis the Psychologist is one amazing operator and we are lucky to have him Guest Blog with us the Edward Files. He talks about helping Children and he has an amazing team of people that help him deliver helping change!

As a departure from more Business, Entrepreneurship & Marketing that I would normally talk about on “The Edward Files”, my trusted friend Joel Curtis the Psychologist and his Team of Specialists have been working to help children these days.

This issue is ironically all of a sudden quite close to my heart – where it wouldn’t have even been on my radar say 1 year ago.  As a new Step-Parent / Primary Dad myself (with very hopeful plans for more) and also being a Volunteer Corporate Ambassador & Business / Marketing Mentor for the Queen of Hearts Foundation (who assist & support child abuse survivors) – protecting children is now top of mind for me.

Talking personally too, with no fault of anyone (my parents are wonderful people) – I had a very disturbed childhood.  By accident, I was very unfortunate to be between homes, been in some very dangerous life threatening situations, dealt with high levels of racism & physical violence (trying being a Persian out in the Country 20 years ago) and also dealt with unemployment and the lot.

Even though many consider me generous, kind and helpful – I was a very disturbed character and I often buried myself in my work. I felt quite a lot of recognition & pride in my “Special Work” for the Government and I had a very hard 20’s dealing with lots of the issues from my childhood.  In hindsight, I would have benefited greatly from working with a child psychologist say from under Joel’s Team (check out his Facebook page right here). It would have made the rest of my life much more pleasant and today I am only too proud to help get his message out.

Joel is an ethical man, a great Business Owner, a top Networker (he is a leader in our 4Networking Community) and like me a volunteer in the Queen of Hearts Foundation.

Without further ado, I’d love to share his words of wisdom with you!

“How to recognise and support a child in psychological distress” – Guest Blog by Joel Curtis the Psychologist:

As a parent there is nothing more confronting than a child suffering. The feeling of helplessness when a child is in need is overwhelming. Parents are naturally wired to protect their children from anything that may cause them distress.

Children are just as likely as adults in experiencing psychological issues. Some children can become distressed after a major life event, parents divorcing, starting a new school, moving house.

Children are not emotionally developed and are often unable to regulate their thoughts or reactions to life events. They find it difficult to understand their emotions and are unable to talk about what is happening to them. As a result they often “act out” to help release their emotional distress.

When it comes to physical issues parents are usually very quick to seek out the right medical help. Getting treatment is seen as a priority for their children. While this is the most common and appropriate reaction for a physical issues, the same isn’t always true for psychological issues.

As a Psychologist I work with a lot of parents. While I don’t work directly with children I have a team of Child Psychologists who do. What I have seen is that many parents wait until a psychological issues has gone on for a long time, before they decide to do something about it. Some of the time parents are hesitant to admit that their child is in need of psychological assistance. They are worried about their child being labelled as “crazy” or worse that they see themselves may be seen as “bad parents”.

Neither of these beliefs are correct.

The longer a parent waits until addressing a psychological issues, the more distress it causes for their children.

Symptoms to look out for in your children include:

– A child suddenly withdrawing from activities that they would normally enjoy.
– Mood swings, going from being happy to very angry in a short space of time.
– Social isolation from friends and their families. Children may spend more time by themselves in their rooms or playing video games.
– Some children become emotionally distressed to a point that they are inconsolable.
– Anxiety is a common symptom in children experiencing psychological distress. They will often need a significant amount of reassurance to engage in normal activities

My advice to every parent is that if your child is experiencing any of the above symptoms the first thing you need to do is recognise that there is a problem. Once you have identified the issue take the time to talk with your children about what is happening. Enlist the help of trusted people such as your child’s teacher or their friends.

If you haven’t been able to resolve the issue yourself then you may want to consider professional support. I have a team of dedicated Child Psychologists who I can highly recommend. Call Life Resolutions Miranda or Life Resolutions Blacktown on 1300 668 256 (both locations are in Sydney, NSW).

Thank you for taking the time to read this and you are also welcome to contact me directly too if I can support you.

Joel Curtis the Psychologist / jcurtis@liferesolutions.com.au / www.facebook.com/JoelCurtisPsychologist

Edward’s Post Blog Commentary:

If I go through Joel’s list provided in his article, I would have ticked the box of all of his points.  I would have problems for years in “Normal” Social Situations and for my time later on in high school I was quite socially withdrawn (it wasn’t till the Government & University where I came out of my shell).

My advice and thinking? If you have children and done your best to help them and YOU KNOW SOMETHING ISN’T RIGHT – get help.  Joel is great and even if you want just some insight on the issue feel free to speak with him.  He is great and if you are nearby – he has a full team of elite psychologists that can help.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and thank you again to Joel from Edward Zia!

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