The Wave Clinic. Luxury Residential Programs for Teenagers and Young Adults

The summer holidays are drawing to a close for lots of children around the world. And whilst many love returning to #school after a long break - it’s a chance to reunite with friends, get stuck into learning and re-establish a routine - for others, the prospect of walking through the school gates can be very stressful and #anxiety inducing.   We understand how tough this time can be, so our founder and clinical director Fiona Y., has shared eight strategies parents can use to help calm back-to-school fear:   1️⃣ Ensure your young person feels heard 2️⃣ Empower your young person to think of the tools they can use to help themselves 3️⃣ Remind your young person of how they’ve overcome previous challenges 4️⃣ Share practical #skills that may help  5️⃣ Check how much support they would like from you 6️⃣ Reframe how they think and talk about negative #emotions 7️⃣ Avoid the temptation to share your own experience 8️⃣ Do not shutdown worries.   Our duty as parents in that moment is to be present for our young person. Ensure your child knows that you hear them, that you are there for them and will actively listen if they’d like to share their feelings 💚

An amazing group of our young people have recently made a collection of wildflower paper dragonflies. This magical combination of crafting and nurturing new life can feel really rewarding and bring a sense of purpose to those in recovery.   Each dragonfly comes with a hand-written note of instructions: 💧 Water me 🌱 Plant me 💛 Care for me.   Thank you to the team of young people who created these - we can’t wait to see them flourish into new life.   Flowers have a magical way of brightening up our day and lifting our spirits 🌼✨

Our very own Fiona Y. was recently included in Woman’s Own Magazine talking about how parental abduction affects a child.   Fiona explained how parental abduction can be a really damaging event for a child and can have a lasting impact on just about every system in the child’s body. Even if a child is being taken by someone who they love and adore, it does not reduce the impact of the separation.   Parental #abduction can leave a child with a very disorganised and chaotic #attachment which can impact future relationships including those with friends, romantic partners and, further down the line, relationships with their own children - we call this intergenerational #trauma. Abduction causes the child’s nervous system to go into “red alert” and there may be a significant cognitive impact on the child; they could experience gaps in memory, altered memory or it may be difficult for them to recall events.   The parent doing the abducting may alter the information they are feeding their child to try and steer their thinking in a certain way, which can also be incredibly damaging. Not only can this cause mistrust and confusion as the child develops and moves into adulthood, but it can also lead to alexithymia - an inability to recognise or describe one’s own feelings - which can be quite paralysing for an individual.   Child abduction usually happens because the parent believes it’s the right thing for the child. However, it’s likely the parent is making the decision based on their own fear and #anxiety. Often, parents misunderstand and underestimate the impact of parental separation on the child.   If you’re concerned about your child’s safety or wellbeing in the care of the co-parent, consult specialists and agencies who can work with you to protect your child in the best way possible. Or send us a direct message and we will do our best to help 🙏 💜

Last week, 32 of our smiling and fun loving young people set out on a two night, three day camping adventure to #Penang. The trip was part of what we like to call, Adventure Week 🏕   As well as it being an opportunity to experience the beauty and diversity of wonderful #Malaysia, Adventure Week is also a really important time for our #youngpeople to build connections and develop interpersonal skills - both key to the foundations of mental #wellness.   Our hope is that every young person and family who leaves us does so with a heart full of connection, an internal album stocked with wonderful memories and a toolbox full of skills they can take into every day life.   Who said teen #mentalhealth treatment has to be dull? For sure not us ✨   We're proud to be a little different here at The Wave Clinic 💜  

Teenagers may feel a lot of pressure to do well or to meet certain targets when it comes to exams. Whilst #stress is a normal response, some young people may feel it becomes overwhelming or uncontrollable. Find out what Fiona Y. has been saying about A-Level exam stress here in this piece in goodtoknow ➡   https://lnkd.in/gyeFsJzV  

When #teenagers put off doing their schoolwork, some #parents may point to laziness as the culprit.   But this might not be the case..   In this article for The Express, our founder, Fiona Y., warns how procrastinating behaviour can actually be a sign to parents that their child is suffering with low self-esteem.   Fiona says: 💬 Low self-esteem is often associated with a fear of failure. Adolescents with low self-esteem may have less belief in their ability to complete a task well, causing them to avoid it. Lower motivation and self-expectation – traits connected to low self-esteem – may also lead to procrastination.💬   Read on to find out how parents can support their teens with procrastination… 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gsFbzFPB 🔗

Our very own Fiona Y. here at The Wave Clinic spoke to Camilla Foster the other week about a topic that is rarely commented on; the issue of conduct disorders.   Conduct disorder is a repetitive and persistent pattern of rule-breaking behaviours which conflict with the usual, age-appropriate norms in society. Young people living with the disorder experience significant difficulties in their school, social, or work life.   When a young person shows signs of #conductdisorder, parents can find it hard to know what to do.   For #parents concerned about behavioural issues, it’s best to seek professional support. Expert advice and treatment can support both the young person and their family to develop more positive relationships while helping the young person process past #traumas and change their behaviours towards others. A family doctor or GP is often the first point of contact for young people and families who are concerned about behavioural issues. Usually, around 30% of GPs’ child consultations are for #behaviouralhealth problems.   It’s important to recognise that children, teenagers, and adolescents have specific needs that require specialist treatment services with age-appropriate activities and interventions. Young people with conduct disorder or oppositional defiant disorder usually struggle to benefit from treatment programs that are designed for adults, even when they’re over the age of 18. The best recovery programs are dedicated to the needs of young people and sensitive to their individual experiences.   There are several different therapeutic approaches that can help young people to recover from conduct disorder. Most young people benefit from a combination of different techniques that address their multiple needs. Take a read of this piece to find out more – and if you need advice, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.. ⏯ https://lnkd.in/geMvJDHe

We are actively #hiring! Know anyone who might be interested?

Young people who attend international schools often speak more than one language. This might be the language of their parents and the language of the country they live in, the language of their school, or all of these. Young people may also speak the languages of several other places they have lived in during their childhood. Language has a big effect on the way young people understand, experience, and express their emotions. When it comes to mental health support, languages are a tool for identifying and expressing feelings through a process of healing and positive change. For young people who speak multiple languages, the language they use in therapy may help them access and describe experiences and emotions from different parts of their lives. Sometimes, these experiences are best communicated without a spoken language at all through nonverbal expression and creative activity. 📝 Read on in our blog: https://bit.ly/4dxjAh4 #language #internationalschool #nonverbalexpression

Clean eating - often framed as a health pursuit - is a type of diet that involves eating foods that are considered healthy or without certain ingredients, like sugars or fats. Many people now participate in this; however, clean eating can negatively impact health, and it’s important that we understand the potential dangers, as creating rules around eating can take over other areas of life and become a primary measure of self-worth. Psychreg spoke with Fiona about the impact of clean eating and how we can prevent food and health trends from becoming harmful. 📰 Read more here: https://bit.ly/4bycpn6 #cleaneating #diet #foodtrends