Content
Psychological Foundations
Contemporary social pressures are having a detrimental impact on young people’s psychological wellbeing:
- Greater academic pressure and competition for university places and jobs
- Pressure from social media and risk of cyberbullying and sexual exploitation online
- Preoccupation with body image as young people are bombarded with ‘perfect’ pictures on social media and in celebrity magazines
- Social inequality and deprivation, and concerns about finding affordable housing
However, young people are often not taught important emotional skills, as more emphasis is placed on academic achievement. I passionately believe in giving young people the psychological foundations that enable them to develop into well-functioning adults, who achieve their potential and can bounce back from adversity.
What I do
My aim is to help young people to
- Develop more effective coping and problem solving strategies and assertiveness skills
- Gain a more realistic perspective on life and develop critical thinking skills
- Feel good about themselves and develop authentic self-esteem
- Equip them to make sensible choices by providing them with accurate, up to date information
I achieve this by delivering talks and training sessions in secondary schools, colleges and universities, that are engaging, relevant, interactive and based on up to date, scientific evidence.
My approach
Making science accessible
I believe in making science accessible to young people through basing my talks on the latest academic research. It is important that they are given facts, rather than relying on information from friends or social media, that may be misleading or inaccurate.
I endeavour to make my talks as interesting and informative as possible, and include cutting edge scientific findings as a way of engaging young people.
It is also beneficial to introduce young people to the value of scientific research and help them to develop critical thinking skills by encouraging debate.
Providing education that is relevant
I aim to make my talks as relevant and responsive as possible, by discussing issues that are important to young people and work in a collaborative manner, in partnership with young people, parents and teachers. For example, I conduct regular focus groups which feed back into my services.
I also tailor my talks to reflect the different social and cultural contexts that a young person may inhabit.
I am able to provide a bespoke product after an initial consultation with a school to understand their particular requirements.
Inspiring young people to reach their goals
I aim to make my talks inspirational, by talking about individuals who have overcome significant adversity and who make positive role models.
Listening to true stories has an emotional impact and young people relate more to real people, than just being provided with hypothetical situations.
