I Matter Blog and News

Why I Matter?

Why I Matter Training? #4 Adult and child wellbeing are linked

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The fourth reason I decided to develop this training was that as I studied all the research, it became very very clear that there were so many different approaches or models but to me, many of them were missing a key and fundamental issue, or adding it as an afterthought.  

How many can you list yourself? Here are a few: Behavioural approaches, Cognitive-Behavioural approaches, Play therapy, Family Therapies, Psycho-dynamic or Person-centred counselling, Solution-Focussed approches, Webster-Str…

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Why I Matter Training? #5 Understanding improves outcomes

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So the fifth reason I became interested in creating this training is that I became convinced that to make a difference to the numbers of children who were struggling, the answer was not just more therapists and more therapy.  Therapists and therapy tend to work with an approach that is inevitably based on an individualised approach.  That is great!  

Yet we have so many children who are struggling and the work involved to help put a complex child back on track can often be so time consuming tha…

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Why I Matter Training? #6 There is rarely a quick fix

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The sixth reason I decided to develop I Matter Training is that when it comes to living with or caring for children with complex needs, there is rarely a quick fix.  Sorry!

When we are faced with really challenging situations - we have all been in the situation of just wanting someone or something to come and sort things out and make things better - More than that we often want something or someone to come and sort the child or other person out - right now!   Unfortunately, this can rarely, if …

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Why I Matter Training? #7 I am a hopeless idealist - are you?

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I have to admit it - one of the reasons that I have kept going with this project is that in the face of lots of reasons to stop, I am one of those people who still wants to believe that we could/can as a community more effectively address what is happening for children in our community if we worked together in our homes and schools to make a difference.    

One of the things that I have loved about this project is that I get to meet a lot of remarkable people who also hold onto similar ideali…

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Why I Matter Training? #8 In sum

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So why would I like you to consider I Matter Training?   Because I believe it can help you whether you are a professional, a parent or a young person to get your bearings in very confusing times and around confusing challenging behaviours and experiences.    

It is not that you HAVE to have a map, because as when you do a jigsaw puzzle, you still have to work things out yourself, but it often helps you to be a bit faster if you have a picture to look at on the box.  


I Matter Tra…

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Why I Matter Training? #3 Diagnoses that overlap.. How come?

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The third reason I decided to develop I Matter Training was that I had become increasingly interested in the overlaps between the difficulties in the children I was seeing in schools and in clinics and the diagnostic categories that were being used to describe them.  



Have you noticed how we are using more and more diagnostic terms to describe children?   Look for example at the rise in the use of such terms as ADHD, ASD, ADD, PTSD, OCD, PDD, PDA - The list can go on and on. Elaborati…

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Why I Matter Training? #2 We have so many struggling children and adults

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The second reason I decided to develop I Matter Training was the sheer numbers of children with mental health difficulties and challenging behaviour in schools, clinics and in my own community, and the growing numbers of young people entering our criminal justice system.   Click here to see a recent summary of Mental Health Statistics from Young Minds UK.  Notice the important link between mental health issues and children who are ending up in the criminal justice system.   I felt in the conte…

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Why I Matter Training? #1 How does it all fit together?

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So I want to tell you about why I decided to put together I Matter Training and why I think it may be helpful to you.   The first and most important reason was that 20 years ago I was trying to understand a very confusing picture myself.   I trained at a very interesting time as a clinical psychologist.   Ideas were changing and there were fierce disagreements between psychologists about what was the proper task of a psychologist and what was not.  How to resolve the confusion was a very persona…

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