When you're looking after children, it is easy to become overwhelmed and lose perspective. Essex County Council's child psychologists and mental health coordinators have prepared some support for carers.
What's on this page?
Each resource has a YouTube video, created by an expert from our team. Watch the resources to find ways to make the best of who you are and keep your perspective when the going gets tough.
Click the links below to skip to the help you're looking for.
Managing uncertainty
With Fran Davies, Principal Clinical Psychologist
Unusual situations can be difficult to tolerate. Fran explores how to tolerate uncertainty and hopes to help you find ways to make every day count, even in challenging times.
The fine art of doing you: show me what you're made of!
With Barbara Canepa, Consultant Clinical Psychologist
In this video, Barbara thinks about smart ways to make the best of unusual circumstances.. She explores a food-related metaphor around the theme of "showing people what you're made of".
The fine art of doing you: locus of control
With Barbara Canepa, Consultant Clinical Psychologist
This tutorial is all about the concept of the locus of control, as we take the next step in our journey to making the best of our internal ingredients gaining perspective. The local of control is the degree to which you believe that you have control over the outcome of events in your lives, as opposed to blaming or waiting for external forces.
Doing you: debunking internal myths and using helpful mantras
With Barbara Canepa, Consultant Clinical Psychologist
Join Barbara as she explores the negative and irrational thoughts that pop into your mind when dealing with stressful situations. She explains how to counteract these negative thoughts with mantras which promote "feeling and dealing" thinking.
Step-by-step self-care tutorial
With Fran Davies and Matthew Slavin, Principal Clinical Psychologists
Self-care is incredibly important for parents and carers. In this hour-long workshop, Fran and Matthew help you create a personalised self-care guide. Your tailored plan will help you right now and serve you well for years to come. We'll be thinking about how to recognise stress levels, what steps you can take to look after yourself, and who you can reach out to in times of need.
Please use the accompanying resources below to work through the video with Fran and Matthew. You might want to print these out, or you can fill them in on your computer.
- Open the Self-Care Worksheet Example which you can use for inspiration and guidance
- Open the Self Care Worksheet Template for Parents and Carers for you to fill out your self-care plan. ou might want to print these out or you can fill them out on your computer.