It can depend on mood, need, season, time, sometimes whichever way the wind blows, but one thing you can be sure of, is that it is a means of communicating how we feel. This can be done in a positive way or a negative way, depending on the individual’s current skill set or if they are in crisis territory. This leads to the golden question I am often asked: how we get a child or young person out of a crisis?
There is no easy answer to this question, but the most obvious that comes to mind is this- you don’t! What you can do however, is support them through it and this has the most success when you have a trusted relationship with them and understand where the crisis developed from.
Using this information will help prevent it from happening again if you follow these four easy(ish!) tips:
Assess: understanding the needs of the child or young person using appropriate assessment should always be your first step. Identifying the category of need using the hundreds of sometimes free assessments will give you a really solid foundation to truly understanding any triggers. This may also include observation of them at different times in different settings and speaking with people that have relationships with them.
Plan: using the information from assessments, observations and conversations, formulate a plan identifying strategies you can use most appropriately based on the child or young persons needs.
Do: Execute your plan! Be consistent, be persistent and share it with those that may come into contact with them to prevent innocent saboteurs from preventing your plan from working.
Review: Review your plan at least every 8-12 weeks, or sooner if you believe it needs adaptations or changes. Don’t wait to review it if it isn’t working!
My last, but not least tip is this: don’t be afraid to ask for help. This could be from a person that knows the individual best, a more experienced member of staff, or if the child has some complex needs, an expert in the field. Don’t suffer in silence. This issue wont go away and it wont disappear if you simply ignore it.
Need some help? Contact me!
Louise x