School Refusal with Dr. Dan Weisberg

Is your child refusing to go to school? Do they seem frequently distressed? Is the school run the worst part of your day? School refusal is a growing problem, with more and more children missing more school than ever. But here’s a big spoiler: it’s not your fault. There are so many reasons why our kids don’t want to go to school, and on today’s episode I am going to unpack what those reasons are, and provide you with some actionable tips to help you manage this in an appropriate and constructive way. To discuss this, I am joined by Dr Daniel Weisberg, a highly-specialised clinical psychologist and the managing director of CAYP Psychology, an award-winning independent clinical psychology service for Children, Adolescents, and Young People. Daniel worked for NHS services for over ten years. He has substantial experience of working with children, adolescents and young people experiencing health, social, emotional and psychological difficulties. He shares some of his valuable insights to help us better understand the whys and hows of school refusal. So find a comfy seat, pour yourself a cuppa and enjoy the conversation… Connect with Daniel and CAYP: Website: https://www.cayp-psychology.com/ ADHD Resource: https://www.cayp-psychology.com/wp-content/uploads/1.-ADHD-Assessments.pdf Highlights from this episode: 01:42 - Understanding childrens’ brains 06:02 - Prevention is better than cause 07:51 - The root causes of school refusal 13:59 - There’s no magic potion 19:00 - Masking 22:28 - Managing avoidance without causing distress 25:30 - Expectation anxiety versus reality 28:33 - Children don’t come with an instruction manual 32:45 - Overthinking 35:48 - Understanding perspective 39:08 - Is the system failing us? 💚 Join our campaign One Million Moments to reduce the number of children struggling with mental health challenges from 17% to 10% by 2025 - https://onemillionmoments.org/ 💚 Let’s grow our village together, please share with at least one friend 💚 mentioned in the episodes DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.