Laceys Solicitors, Bournemouth,
TAKING CHILD CONSULTATION TO A NEW LEVEL BY
PILOTING THE MYE PROGRAMME
Kenneth
Clarke
Lawyer Mediator
Child consultation is an established
feature of the child-focussed model of mediation practised by Laceys Mediation.
Too often the voice of the child is but a faint whisper in the heated battle of
parental conflict. Fortunately the Family Justice Review has pledged to give
children a greater say in decisions about their future. This is belated yet
welcome recognition that children are individuals with rights, rather than just
objects of concern or merely the subjects of a decision-making process that
often leaves them feeling alienated.
All our
mediators have undertaken thorough child consultation training, and offer a
supportive role to children where their parents are in conflict about their
future arrangements. Furthermore children are empowered by their participation
in the mediation process. By being able to talk in a safe and neutral
environment they feel listened to and understood, and are more able to discuss
their fears, concerns, wishes and feelings.
In an
exciting development Laceys are taking this level of support to a whole new
level by piloting the MYE programme as part of the child consultation process
in appropriate cases.
MYE stands
for Managing Your Emotions, and is an interactive programme that helps
children identify and label uncomfortable and often painful emotions. This is a
crucial step in helping children understand their feelings at a very difficult
time for them. MYE will help a child focus on what they can do to start to feel
better. They will gain insight into what their emotions are trying to tell
them, and what they can do to work with rather than against these emotions.
This is far healthier than the child suppressing his or emotions, as this can
often lead to a range of psychological problems and physical symptoms.
Chris and
Christina Hunt invented and developed the MYE programme. Chris is a trained
Psychotherapist. His publications, Drama Handbook and Drama Complete
Scheme At Work have been used in over one thousand primary and secondary
schools. Christina spent many years working in education as a Special Needs
Teacher, and is a qualified Cognitive Behaviour Therapist.
How does
MYE work?
q The child completes an online
questionnaire, which generates an instant, personalised and confidential
report. The report indicates their current dominant behaviour
q They read the report and if they
decide that they want to change the way they feel, they press the I want to
change button. This in itself is a very positive and powerful statement for
any child. The child is provided with its own instant online personal action
plan.
q The plan involves the child working
from the computer and completing a personal MYE journal.
q After one week the child receives an
invitation by e-mail to complete a follow-up questionnaire. This triggers a new
report, showing the child’s progress and the impact on their emotions and
behaviour.
q Finally, the child receives a “sticky
situations” sheet, which contains real examples of what they can do in the
future if they have difficulties.
The MYE
programme is aimed at children experiencing anxiety, low mood or stress. It is
a unique, uncomplicated child-friendly tool offering online emotional help for
children.
We think
the MYE programme will benefit children whose parents are engaged in a high
level of parental conflict, or where there is poor parental communication.
Often the children we see in these situations are already experiencing
significant distress and are extremely unhappy at being caught in the middle of
mum and dad’s battles.
