24TRA032 School Refusal to School Acceptance – Helping the Young Person find their way back into the School Environment

Experiencing anxiety can be debilitating for a young person when the fear of being disconnected from their primary attachment figure becomes so great that in a bid to avoid it, their world dramatically shrinks. They may become unable to engage socially with their peers, participate in extracurricular activities or even attend school. School refusal behaviour is very complex.

What is seen to be as the young person “choosing” not to attend school, is in actual fact, an inability to process the emotional distress in the nervous system that comes with stepping outside their secure base. They are experiencing a diminished felt sense of safety. A young person experiencing anxiety at this level is operating from the emotional centre of the brain - logic and reason are inaccessible.

To counteract the effect the anxiety has, a young person needs to receive a response that is compassionate, relational and rooted in connection within a structured and predictable environment. Should a young person be met consistently in this way, it is possible for them to move from school refusal to school acceptance.

This introductory workshop will support participants to

• Understand school refusal behaviour and its many possible causes
• Explore child centred responses to empower the young person to take the next step 
• Explore classroom/ school management strategies to support the child to remain at school

Facilitator: Aideen Flynn, PG Dip Ed, MA, M-IAPTP
Aideen has worked with children in educational settings for 20 years, specialising in S.E.N. and children with complex needs. She is a child and adolescent psychotherapist working in private practice in The Treasure Within, Child & Adolescent Psychotherapy Clinic, Quin, Co. Clare. From here she empowers children, their families and teachers to work together to enable the struggling child be the best he or she can be.