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I got bitten by a snake!

September 1, 2010 By Megan 9 Comments

Would you believe it…….I got bitten by a snake! A snake got into the three tier flash fella mouse house. After the snake’s mouse dinner (ate nine mice) it couldn’t then get out!!!!!! Big brave Megan came to the rescue. I retrieved the snake from the mouse house and am now sporting a snake bite among my list of high achievements. I really amaze myself sometimes!!!!

This reminded me of a story around codependency and how codependents do some really silly things some times.

A man found a snake. Although it was frozen, he recognised it as a poisonous snake. He picked the poor thing up and took it home to revive it. He placed the snake in front of the fire to thaw. Once thawed, he bent down to give it a nice little saucer of milk. The snake lifted its head and bit the good man.

As the man lay dying he asked the snake, “How could you do this to me after all I have done for you?”

As the snake slid out the door, it turned to the good man and said, “Stop your whinging. You knew I was a poisonous snake when you picked me up. What else did you expect me to do?!”  (Respect, Aug 1996)

If you are wondering why you do silly things, especially in relationships with those who bite you, then you may like to have a read of this short article on codependency.

In the interests of child safety, your own relationship with your adult partner needs to be healthy and a replica of what you want for your own child. Do you need to perhaps do some work on your relationship for the sake of your children’s future? Have a read of this: Co and Counter Dependent Relationships – Which one will your child choose?

And….DO NOT PICK UP SNAKES. They will always bite because that is what they are instinctively programmed to do.

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Play therapy: certificate course in Sydney

June 3, 2010 By Megan 1 Comment

Sydney Centre for Creative Change launches new training course in August 2010

12 day Certificate in Art and Play Therapy for Children and Young People

More information on the Certificate Course in Art and Play Therapy

Work confidently with children and young people.
Feel re-inspired and creative about counselling.

This certificate course offers you an experiential introduction to working with children and young people using a range of art and play media. In addition to theory, you will gain skill practice with the use of these methods, applicable in both individual counselling and group work settings.

What the research shows about play therapy:

It works!

Play therapy is a developmentally responsive intervention widely used by child therapists but often criticized for lacking an adequate research base to support its growing practice. Bratton, Ray, Rhine and Jones (2005) conduted a meta-analysis of 93 controlled outcome studies (published 1953–2000) to assess the overall efficacy of play therapy and to determine factors that might impact its effectiveness. The overall treatment effect for play therapy interventions was 0.80 standard deviations. This means that the average child receiving play therapy rated better after treatment that 80% of children who did not.

Further analysis revealed that effects were more positive for humanistic (non-directive) than for nonhumanistic (directive) treatments and that using parents in play therapy produced the largest effects. Play therapy appeared equally effective across age, gender, and presenting issue.

Reference

Bratton, S.C., Ray, D., Rhine, T. & Jones, L. (2005); The Efficacy of Play Therapy With Children: A Meta-Analytic Review of Treatment Outcomes Professional Psychology: Research and Practice 2005, Vol. 36, No. 4, 376–390

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Job as a Family Counsellor with Families Plus, Cairns

June 2, 2010 By Megan Leave a Comment

POSITION DESCRIPTION for Family Counsellor with Families Plus-Family Intervention Service, Cairns

AWARD: LCCQ Union Collective Agreement 2008 Professional & Administrative Workers Schedule Level 5

SERVICE STREAM: Children & Families – Child Protection Family Intervention Services

PURPOSE OF POSITION: This position provides a holistic response to the needs of each individual in the family and to the family unit as a whole, to families whose children are at imminent risk of out of home placement or requiring reunification following a period of out of home care to address issues relating to, but not limited to, child protection concerns. By providing practical and emotional support and counselling families are offered opportunities to make informed decisions about, and change for, their future.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

  1. Work with families accessing the service, to identify needs and strengths and develop goals, which will address emotional, and practical concerns related to, but not limited to, child protection concerns, and provide negotiated combinations of therapeutic interventions, educative and practical services to families and link families with services and resources in their communities.
  2. Contribute to team-based decision making by liaising with the supervisor and other team members, contributing to the development of program procedures and work practices; and contributing to case planning meetings.
  3. Maintain appropriate records of work with families, writing relevant reports and correspondence.
  4. Positively represent the activities of the Families Plus Division and assist in the development and maintenance of sound working relationships with relevant statutory, government and community agencies to facilitate positive outcomes for clients.
  5. Work within the policies and procedures of Lifeline Community Care Queensland and the Families Plus Division; ensure that the provisions of the Workplace Health and Safety Act are adhered to and undertake other duties as directed by the General Manager.

ACCOUNTABILITY: This position is accountable to the Team Leader of the Family Intervention Service.

SELECTION CRITERIA: Please contact Families Plus. (07)40583500

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS / INFORMATION:

  1. Current Qld Drivers Licence – Presentation of a current Drivers Licence must be made before your appointment to the position can be confirmed
  2. Suitability Card for Child Related Employment (Blue Card) – All adults who work with people under 18 years in QLD are required to undergo a “Working with Children Check” under the screening provisions of the Commission for Children and Young People Act (2000) – Presentation of a current Suitability Card must be made before your appointment to the position can be confirmed.
  3. A criminal history check may be conducted on the recommended person for this position

RESPECT | JUSTICE | COMPASSION | WORKING TOGETHER | LEADING THROUGH LEARNING |

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Protective Behaviour course in Cairns

April 15, 2010 By Megan 1 Comment

BITSS of Protective Behaviours is a play program designed by Megan Bayliss from Imaginif.

Come to Cairns for an early winter, heat storing, experience...and get trained in protective behaviours at the same time.

Protective behaviours are common sense behaviours that stop you from getting hurt. But, many adults are too scared to teach protective behaviours to kids because they don’t know what to do or say.

Well, welcome back Megan. For the first time in two years, Megan Bayliss takes the anxiety out of it by teaching five simple BITSS to do every day to keep your kids safe.

Learn about Ownership, Intuition, Touch, Say No and Support Networks. Even better still, learn some really simple games and activities that parents and carers can play any time of the day, any where, to really help your child stay safe.

Suitable for professionals and parents alike, this full school day workshop is fun, practical and effective.

Book now for a workshop that everybody has raved about in the past: The BITSS of Protective Behaviours Registration package

When: May 24th, 2010, 9am to 3pm

Where: WuChopperen Social Health’s Rainforest Room, 13 Moingard St, Manunda (close to accommodation for those travelling. Please speak to FNQ Apartments to book).

Cost: $160.00 plus GST

The BITSS of Protective Behaviours Registration package


Have you taken the Teddy Tour yet? I have because I believe in using silence as a strength.

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What happens in child counselling

April 5, 2010 By Megan Leave a Comment

Child counselling is one of those hidden areas that many parents want to bust open. A good counsellor will explain to a parent what the counsellor is doing and how it works.

Knowing what happens can help parents, teachers or carers understand why it may seem that behaviours are not changing immediately. Although child counsellors are mostly open, sharing and caring people, we do sometimes forget that not everybody understands the way we work or why we work that way.

This will help you understand why child counselling often takes longer than you want it to.

Using a common and popular model of child counselling (Geldard’s Spiral of Change), there are 10 steps of child change:

  1. The child comes to counselling because there is an emotional disturbance of some sort
  2. The child and counsellor join (relationship building time)
  3. The child begins to tell their story when they trust and like the counsellor
  4. The child’s awareness of issues increases
    1. Often the issues are too painful or embarrassing and the child will deflect or withdraw.
    2. The counsellor helps the child to deal with their resistance to the pain. If successful, the counselling process moves to the next step.
    3. If the child cannot deal with the pain and continues to avoid then the counsellor changes the media (art, books, sand play, toys, etc) they are using to help reach the child and they go back top the stage where the child tells their story. Often a different media enables a child to tell their story in a different way.
  5. The child continues to tell their story and to get in touch with strong emotions
    1. Once the emotional flood gate is open, many new or hidden emotions come out.
    2. New issues often emerge here and can cause further emotional disturbance for the child. It is the counsellors job to take the child back to the beginning of the spiral of therapeutic change and to start the process over again.
  6. The child deals with their self destructive beliefs
  7. The child looks at different options, choices and ways of behaving
  8. The child rehearses and experiments (in the safety of the counselling room) with new behaviours
  9. The Child reaches resolution and is ready to face the world again
    1. Sometimes the child will throw up undisclosed issues at this point and the child therapist needs to start at the beginning again to deal with these issues separately.
  10. The goal of child counselling, adaptive functioning is achieved.

Talk to your child’s counsellor and ask what model they are working from. Ask to be kept up to date with where your child is at in the therapeutic spiral of change. Share information and do any homework that the counsellor sets for you.

If you do not want to or cannot afford to go to a child counsellor, consider using books to help solve problems or open up talk. This is called, bibliotherapy. Find out more about bibliotherapy by joining my mail list (you get a free report on exactly how to turn any book into a do it yourself counselling session).

 

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