The Therapies Team are thrilled to share the success of two recent parent and carer training sessions on sensory and emotional regulation. Over both training sessions we have had a grand total of 65 parents attend from our primary school cohort, including a whopping 40 attendees for the most recent session in December.
These trainings have been delivered through a collaborative approach by our Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language Therapy and Educational Psychology teams. They have prepared, organised and delivered the sessions at Cognus’ office at Cantium House, Wallington following a successful pilot training during the last academic year. These sessions have provided practical strategies to support our parents. Thank you to our wonderful Occupational Therapists; Danielle, Eleni, Chane, Rosie and Howard, and Speech and Language Therapists; Alison and Alex, and Educational Psychologist, Emily for their valuable input in putting together and delivering these trainings. Their expertise has not only empowered parents but will contribute to making a meaningful difference in the lives of their children.
The feedback from families has been overwhelmingly positive. Parents shared that they found the strategies practical and useful and most felt that they would be able to try at least one strategy going forwards, enabling them to better navigate the unique challenges their children face. Many also appreciated the opportunity to connect with other parents, creating a sense of shared support and understanding. Below are some amazing quotes from our feedback forms:
I’ve come away with a broader knowledge of emotional regulation and co-regulation
Parents self-care is important
I feel more supported knowing where to go and who to ask for help when needed. I also learnt about how to communicate with my child more effectively
Sharing and hearing experiences of other parents and tackling very important issues together.
The parents who attended the training often encounter significant hurdles in helping their children and managing their needs, which can affect family dynamics, daily routines
and their engagement in their education settings. We hope that these training sessions will continue to equip them with the tools and strategies that they need to support this and enhance their lived experiences.
The success of the training sessions highlights the importance of continuing to offer such support to meet the needs of our families and underlines the need for a holistic and collaborative approach to working with children and young people. We look forward to our next set of training sessions, where we hope to have more therapists from the team involved to support this essential collaboration.
