Understanding the impact of the pandemic on your child
Published on 12/04/2023
The Solihull Approach Team at University Hospitals Birmingham have developed a short course considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children. The course is designed to be a supportive tool for parents.
While many of us have moved on from the pandemic restrictions and are enjoying making the most of our valued freedoms, it’s possibly not as easy for our young children who have felt the impact differently.
Early childhood is a recognised key development period for our adult emotional wellbeing and our confidence navigating social and professional situations. Researchers continue to explore the true impact of such significant isolation and disruption to our environments, particularly notable for children whose physiological brain development is shaped by their experiences.
This new online course is designed to encourage reflective thinking with a focus on developing emotional wellbeing for parents and their children. A short, easy-to- follow module, this can be used as an introduction to the more-in-depth parent programmes developed by clinical psychologists at the Solihull Approach. They offer a range of resources to help understand early brain development and the support children need to develop healthy mental wellbeing long term.
Hazel Douglas MBE, Clinical Psychologist and Director of the Solihull Approach said: “We still do not know the true impact of the pandemic on young children’s development, but we do know that the early years represent a rapid period of brain development shaped by experiences and interactions with a range of relationships and scenarios that were dramatically altered during the pandemic.
''Considering this through our children’s eyes is key to being able to support them to repair this disruption and help them navigate their future, again presenting new changes shaping who they are and will become.''
Understanding the impact of the pandemic on your child joins a series of online courses by the Solihull Approach, including Understanding the impact of the pandemic on your teenager.
Both programmes are free to access and can be found online at: www.inourplace.co.uk
More information about Solihull Approach is available on its website: Solihull Approach
