In this episode, Clare talks to expert guest, Dr Dean Burnett, about some of the challenges that parents and carers face around teenagers and mobile phones.

They discuss the impact of mobile phone use on young people’s mental, physical and emotional health, and the problem with the catch-all term, ‘screen time’. Dean shares some simple strategies to reduce friction when agreeing and implementing healthy boundaries.

Dr Dean Burnett is a doctor of neuroscience, former psychiatry lecturer, honorary research fellow at Cardiff Psychology School, occasional comedian, well-known science pundit/commenter, and, to most people, a best-selling author of books about the brain and mind.

As a father of two, he has turned his brain-based expertise to the problems experienced by parents and their older children/teens, and written two books for younger readers, to help them understand these dynamics: the international bestseller ‘Why Your Parents Are Driving You Up The Wall And What To Do About It’, and the newly-released sequel, ‘Why Your Parents Are Hung Up On Your Phone And What To Do About It’. This latest book takes a look at the science behind how modern technology affects us, and why there is often conflict between parents and teens.

You can follow Dean on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and TikTok, or take a look at his website to find out more.

Dean shares three tips in the episode:

• Include your young person in the conversation rather than imposing blanket rules.
• Model the type of behaviour you would like to see. For example, consider your own mobile phone use.
• Be aware of nuances; mobile phones are not necessarily ‘good’ or ‘bad’. A more important question to think about is how your teenager is using their phone.

The My Family Coach podcast covers every aspect of children’s behaviour, all in handy 15-minute (ish) bite-sized chunks. Each episode features a new guest chatting about a different aspect of behaviour and leaves you with three handy tips to use at home.

Listen in as Stefanie, an occupational therapist, talks to Clare about sensory support for children who don’t seem to feel the cold, pain, or hunger, or who seem unaware of where their body is in space, and may seek out sensory input by crashing into things. 

Stefanie is the owner of Sensationally Thriving Children Therapy. She has been an occupational therapist for twelve years and has worked in a variety of paediatric specialities including home care, schools, private practice, sensory integration, and outpatient rehabilitation.  

She has certifications in Therapeutic Listening, Astronaut Training, the SOS Approach to Feeding, and is an Advanced Mentored Clinician at the STAR Institute for Sensory Processing. Most recently, she has offered parental consultations to help parents better understand the complexities of sensory processing, so they can best support their child. 

Stefanie’s new course, Understanding Your Child’s Sensory Cues, will be launching in summer this year, and she is also in the process of writing a children’s book about sensory processing. You can find Stefanie at Sensationally Thriving Children Therapy, and on Facebook and Instagram. 

Stefanie recommends the book, Sensational Kids, by Lucy Jane Miller. 

She also shares three tips during the episode: 

• Sometimes, dysregulation can look like sleeping, shutting down or avoidance. 
• Often, children who are under-responsive may not feel pain, hunger, the need to urinate, or stress and anxiety as readily as others. 
• Heavy work (movement that involves pushing, pulling, carrying or jumping) is the best activity for calming. 

The My Family Coach podcast covers every aspect of children’s behaviour, all in handy 15-minute (ish) bite-sized chunks. Each episode features a new guest chatting about a different aspect of behaviour and leaves you with three handy tips to use at home. 

In this episode, Dr Tina Rae joins Clare to talk about how to support children and young people experiencing grief and loss. The topic relates not just to the loss of family members, but to family pets or even an important belonging. Tina shares practical tips to help process grief in an emotionally safe way.   

Dr Tina Rae has 40 years’ experience working with children, adults, and families in clinical and educational contexts within local authorities and specialist services. She is currently working as a Consultant Educational and Child Psychologist in a range of specialist and mainstream contexts. She also supports fostering agencies as a Consultant Psychologist working with foster carers, social workers and looked after children.

Tina is a prolific author and has over 100 publications to date. These reflect her ongoing passion for developing practical resources for schools which have an evidence base and enable practitioners to ethically deliver effective preventative mental health interventions in schools. 

Tina recommends her book The Bereavement Book 

You can find more about Tina and her work on Twitter 

Tina also shares three tips during the episode: 

1. Keep talking and sharing memories. 
2. Acknowledge that people grieve differently, especially children.  
3. The importance of having an emotionally safe space and showing affection. 

The My Family Coach podcasts covers every aspect of children’s behaviour, all in handy 15 minute (ish) bite-sized chunks. Each episode features a new guest chatting about a different aspect of behaviour and leaves you with three handy tips to use at home. 

Jamie Douglas joins Clare in this episode to share the benefits of the 5 Ways to Wellbeing. It’s an easy model designed to help people frame how to look after ourselves. It includes ideas about connecting with people, incorporating physical activity, taking notice of the world around you, learning new skills, and giving something back to society. Jamie describes the importance of wellbeing in the teenage years when young people are experiencing huge changes. Through Jamie’s book recommendation, he describes how brain development affects the way young people behave. Acknowledging this can help parents and carers to better understand what their children are going through.     

Jamie is Quality Improvement and Operations Manager in the Children, Young People and Families team at Response which is a mental health and complex needs charity that works across the Thames Valley. He manages a range of projects from supporting young people who have been hospitalised for their mental health, through to preventative community work. Prior to working for Response, Jamie was a secondary school English teacher and pastoral lead in a range of schools.

You can find out more about Jamie’s work via the  ⁠Response⁠ website.

Jamie recommends the book Inventing Ourselves by Sarah-Jayne Blakemore. 

He also shares three tips during the episode: 

1. Use the basis of the 5 Ways to Wellbeing to think of supportive activities to do with your child.

2. Consider the role of brain development and why young people behave the way they do.  

3. Work with your child to develop a wellbeing kit to support them when things are tough. 

The My Family Coach podcasts covers every aspect of children’s behaviour, all in handy 15 minute (ish) bite-sized chunks. Each episode features a new guest chatting about a different aspect of behaviour and leaves you with three handy tips to use at home. 

In this episode, Georgina Durrant joins Clare to discuss the importance of play in helping children with emotional regulation. Georgina explains the different types of play and how we can find opportunities to use ‘play to learn’ to develop a range of skills. 

Georgina Durrant is a former teacher, Special Educational Needs Coordinator and Director of Cheshire SEN Tutor ltd. She founded the award-winning SEN Resources Blog senresourcesblog to share activities, advice and recommendations for parents and teachers of children with Special Educational Needs and disabilities.

Georgina hosts Twinkl Resources' Special Educational Needs Podcast 'SEND in the experts with Georgina Durrant'. Her parenting and education advice has been featured in the Independent, Guardian, and Telegraph. Her first book, 100 Ways Your Child Can Learn Through Play was published in 2021. Her second book, ‘How to Boost Reading and Writing Through Play’ was published November 2022.  

You can find Georgina on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and on Youtube 

Georgina recommends her first book ⁠100 Ways Your Child Can Learn Through Play⁠ 

She also shares three tips during the episode:  

• Create opportunities for child-initiated play and be guided by their likes and dislikes. 
• Acknowledge the importance of children’s mental health and wellbeing.   
• Give young people the tools to understand how play, such as sensory or active play, can help to regulate emotions. 

The My Family Coach podcasts covers every aspect of children’s behaviour, all in handy 15 minute (ish) bite-sized chunks. Each episode features a new guest chatting about a different aspect of behaviour and leaves you with three handy tips to use at home. 

In this second part of a two-part special, expert guest, Lauren Seager-Smith, discusses bullying related to gender, gender identity and sexuality. Lauren discusses creating safe spaces for conversations, bullying in gaming sites and chat groups, and how to help your child celebrate their differences.

Lauren is CEO of bullying prevention charity Kidscape. She has worked with children and families for over twenty years and is a passionate campaigner for children's rights. 

You can find Lauren via the website www.kidscape.org.uk and on LinkedIn 

Lauren recommends the book ⁠You Are Awesome⁠ by Michael Syed.

Lauren shares three tips during this double episode:  

1. Support young people to be confident in themselves as individuals. 
2. Celebrate difference and see it as a positive. 
3. Be advocates of healthy relationships by having a diverse network of lots of friends. 

The My Family Coach podcasts covers every aspect of children’s behaviour, all in handy 15 minute (ish) bite-sized chunks. Each episode features a new guest chatting about a different aspect of behaviour and leaves you with three handy tips to use at home. 

In this two-part special, expert guest, Lauren Seager-Smith, discusses bullying related to gender, gender identity and sexuality. Lauren explores current issues around gender stereotyping and offers advice on how to challenge harmful perceptions about what is ‘normal.’  

Lauren is CEO of bullying prevention charity Kidscape. She has worked with children and families for over twenty years and is a passionate campaigner for children's rights. 

You can find Lauren via the website www.kidscape.org.uk and on LinkedIn 

Lauren recommends the book ⁠You Are Awesome⁠ by Michael Syed.

Lauren shares three tips during the episode:  

1. Support young people to be confident in themselves as individuals. 

1. Celebrate difference and see it as a positive. 

1. Be advocates of healthy relationships by having a diverse network of lots of friends. 

The My Family Coach podcasts covers every aspect of children’s behaviour, all in handy 15 minute (ish) bite-sized chunks. Each episode features a new guest chatting about a different aspect of behaviour and leaves you with three handy tips to use at home. 

In this episode, Helly Douglas joins Clare to talk about children’s behaviour being a means of communication. Helly shares how you can use the My Family Journal App to track and record patterns in behaviours to better understand the thoughts and feelings driving those behaviours.

Helly creates the content you can see on the My Family Coach website. She’s a former teacher, working for 16 years across all primary age groups, particularly focused on supporting children with additional needs. Before coming to My Family Coach, Helly set up a specialist class for Y7 and Y8 students who found it hard to make the transition to secondary school. Helly is now a Team Teach trainer and loves writing about all things behaviour, but she would say her most important job is being mum to her two wonderful children.

You can find Helly via the My Family Coach website, on Twitter, and LinkedIn

Helly recommends the book, Helping Your Child with Fears and Worries by Cathy Creswell and Lucy Willetts.

Helly shares three tips during the episode:

1: Think of behaviour as communication - we can work out what they’re trying to tell us through their behaviour.

2: Look for patterns in your child’s behaviour – the My Family Journal is really helpful for this

3: Change takes time – don’t get downhearted when you don’t see immediate success. This is a long game!

The My Family Coach podcasts covers every aspect of children’s behaviour, all in handy 15 minute (ish) bite-sized chunks. Each episode features a new guest chatting about a different aspect of behaviour and leaves you with three handy tips to use at home.