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As told by one of our School Practitioners based in Croydon...

Bryony was referred to me by the school, as her behaviour in class was increasingly difficult. Bryony’s Mum was grateful to me for calling and revealed that she was finding Bryony’s behaviour at home to be more challenging. Bryony’s Dad is in prison and she finds it difficult to understand why she can’t see him and would often express this very angrily. The family were also new to the area and Bryony was finding it difficult to make friends which was affecting her self-esteem and meant she was prone to angry outbursts both at home and at school.

I began to meet with Bryony on a regular basis, first just checking in on how she was feeling. She understands that shouting at people and behaving in a disruptive manner is wrong, but would often disregard this as soon as she felt upset. We talked about how she can always talk to me if she feels upset and how it’s okay to find things confusing. However we also discussed how her bad behaviour makes other people feel including Mum and her classmates.

We have come up with strategies and solutions to help Bryony deal with situations and circumstances in a positive manner. Bryony responded well to the ‘thoughts, feelings and action wheel’ a common Cognitive Behavioural Therapy based tool that helps children deal with their emotions.

She has also benefited greatly from having a ‘fidget spinner’ in lessons, which she can play with if she feels frustrated.

I worked with Mum and Bryony’s class teacher to create a behaviour log which Bryony is scored on at school and at home, this has helped to monitor Bryony’s behaviour and also gives the chance for praise and rewards to be implemented depending on Bryony’s score each week. Bryony’s Mum has stated that she seemed a lot calmer and had made some friends.

Mum was quite worried at the start of lockdown that Bryony being bored and stuck at home would cause her behaviour to deteriorate again. A charity was able to provide some toys, to help keep Bryony busy at home which Mum was delighted with. I continued supporting the family remotely by phone throughout lockdown. 

Mum is happy with the consistency of support they received throughout lockdown and said she is pleased that I am there to support Bryony this school year.