Children
It is possible to work with children from 3 years old and a parent is very welcome to be present during the appointment. The Journey method has become part of the weekly timetable for more than 300 schools in South Africa.
The initial trial showed that pupils receiving a Journey group once a week exceeded their peers in every aspect:
Some of the issues successfully treated include:
A simple example of the benefits can be seen from the case study of Lois an 8 year old who had been diagnosed with dyslexia. She was avoiding going to school. Every morning was almost a battle to get her into school.
After 3 appointments Lois was happily bouncing into her classroom. Her teachers noticed her new found confidence and her academic ability has remarkably improved.
Testimonials
8 year-old, Tom, with special needs:
"My son seems calmer and today when I picked him up his teacher said out of the blue that he was like a different child today. He has also stayed for lunch for past two days which he hasn't managed before. So things are looking promising. I am calmer and happier and definitely feel more positive"
(1 week after Journey appointment)
5 year-old, Jake*
"After his appointment with you he was very challenging then on Wednesday he woke up and was completely different. Over the past week we have had very few problems with him and he has been able to deal with his anger. He has been a complete joy.
Now that he has been back to school he has won star of the week award and his teacher said he had a fantastic day today. He no longer needs 1-to-1 support in class. His behaviour is different at home and we feel closer as a family. So all is going well. I can't thank you enough"
9 year-old, Grace
"My gorgeous 9 year old was struggling so much and was not happy. She was having nightmares, was highly strung and had an eating disorder.
I had tried the doctors, teachers, school nurse, eating specialists, councilors and CAHMS and yet no-one could get to the bottom of her issues, so they kept passing us onto someone else... the trouble is one day there was no-one else, we had been let down by the 'system'
I decided to find my own private councillors – my daughter wasn't happy and I was determined to help her. I asked a mum, who I knew worked with teenagers, if she knew of an excellent child counsellor, she said that what was working for the teenagers in her care was The Journey method. She couldn't quite describe it but said it only took an hour and was having outstanding effect on the children who were attend an appointment. It seemed incredible to me that a single one hour session could possibly have such an impact but I believed the mum and decided to give it a go.
I was referred to Sue Franklin who I warmed to the moment I heard her voice... I felt safe and as if I had finally found someone who could help. We talked about my daughter for sometime and then booked up an appointment for her.
While talking with Sue I was stunned at how many issues of my own I had hidden away, my ‘forgotten’ emotions surfaced at that very moment and I booked a session for me to see Sue first.
Sue sent me a questionnaire on certain aspects of my life and my answers shocked me, I clearly hadn’t been addressing how deep down sad I really was. I am happily married with 2 amazing and healthy children, my own home, 2 cars and running my own company – on the surface I had it all... but why so sad....
When I arrived for my appointment, Sue was so warm and comforting, I felt safe and ready to release whatever was holding me back... I had spent enough time feeling sad and insecure... I wanted to feel happy...
My journey began…..
Although I hadn’t booked the appointment for the pain deep in my left shoulder that I had suffered from for about 15 years and no amount of physiotherapy or massage alleviated the pain, as I left Sue's practice I realised that my shoulder didn't hurt anymore!
My SAD feeling has gone and I am much more settled as a person. have decided to go back to see Sue not because I feel that I have any deep seated issues which I need to address but because I want to be as happy as I can be and clear and resolve any other issues that I had buried so deeply.
As for my gorgeous 9 year old... she had her appointment and she is sleeping better, is a lot calmer and she is performing better at school. Not all of her issues are resolved but she is happier and I am talking with Sue about another session in a few months… For now I am delighted with the improvements and she seems to be getting more settled and happier as the weeks go on… Thank you Sue for giving me my daughter’s happiness back"
SCHOOLS
Interestingly the most ‘challenging’ pupils often have responded the fastest and the most significantly.
This is a huge step forward in helping and supporting pupils who may otherwise be excluded from school - what an exciting opportunity for the children of our future to grow up this confidence.
Is your child stressed?
Younger children find it particularly difficult to put into word their feelings.
In this fast paced world, children are increasingly showing signs of suffering from stress. School tests, falling out with friends, arguments between parents, feeling overwhelmed by homework and being bullied or teased can all put great stress on a child as they learns how to deal with the outside world.
Below are the most common signs of child stress. If your child suffers from one or more of the following on a regular basis, they may be stressed, Journey Therapy can help:
‘You don’t have to be ill to want to feel better’
In 'Journey Therapy for Children' (page 43), Journalist, Sallyann Keizer, talks about an alternative way of resolving childhood issues...
"Four-year-old Amy had been unable to fall asleep on her own for months. Her parents would have to stay with her every night until she eventually fell off but then very quickly she would wake again crying unable to sleep at all. Her parents had tried everything to get her to sleep – from sitting with her to sleeping on her floor but nothing was working. Their only solution had been to allow her to sleep in their bed night after night and they were exhausted.
That was when Sue Franklin stepped in. Sue is an accredited Journey Practitioner who has been helping children with all kinds of emotional and health issues for the past seven years: from anxiety, exam stress, anger, and depression to headaches, Glandular Fever, IBS and Diabetes amongst many others.
Sue met Amy on three occasions and, as with all her Journey therapy, worked with her to access previously unresolved thoughts and emotions. The Journey processes are gentle and effective, cutting through hours of discussing ‘who said what, where and when’ and get straight to the core issue. Children are not always able to explain their thoughts, feelings and emotions and Journey therapy offers access to those thoughts and emotions and enables them to communicate, release and resolve difficult feelings, sometimes in a non-verbal way.
After only three sessions Amy had completely transformed. She is now sleeping soundly in her own bed every night with no disturbances. Her shyness has disappeared and not only that, at school her reading and writing skills have greatly improved.
Amy is now enjoying performing dance and music in front of audiences (something she would never previously have had the confidence to do!) and her parents describe her as a ‘live wire’, confident and happy.
Amy is just one of hundreds of young people Sue has been working with over the past years. Sue sees private clients, students in schools, and receives referrals from Social Services. She also works with adults.
Four-year-old Amy had been unable to fall asleep on her own for months.'
A Journey Therapy appointment with a young child and Mother (or Father) together is very effective and it is possible to facilitate the appointment so that it is totally private for the child and the parent. This works really well for very young children.
tel: 01442 213152
mobile: 07976 795 666
email: sue@journey-therapy.co.uk