Jenby's

25/11/2025

Supporting a child with OCD can feel incredibly isolating. As parents, we'd do anything to ease our child's distress – but sometimes that very love leads us into patterns that actually feed the OCD. We accommodate, we reassure, we adjust our lives around the rituals... because we can't bear to see them suffer.

And when OCD intersects with autism? The complexity deepens. Autistic children often rely on routines and structures to feel safe in the world – but how do we distinguish between helpful predictability and OCD compulsions? Between sensory regulation and anxiety-driven rituals?

This is where specialist understanding becomes crucial. Working with a therapist who truly grasps the interaction between autism and OCD makes all the difference. We need to honour the structures that support your autistic child while gently challenging the patterns that keep OCD alive.

You don't have to navigate this alone. I specialise in supporting both parents and children through this nuanced journey – helping you understand when to support and when to step back, how to be compassionate without becoming OCD's accomplice.

If you're feeling stuck in this space, know that there's a path forward. One that respects your child's neurodivergence while freeing them from OCD's grip.

I currently have some rare availability due to increasing my hours and can offer weekly or fortnightly slots. Email me at natalie.jewitt@jenbys.co.uk
www.jenbys.co.uk

25/11/2025

Supporting a child with OCD can feel incredibly isolating. As parents, we'd do anything to ease our child's distress – but sometimes that very love leads us into patterns that actually feed the OCD. We accommodate, we reassure, we adjust our lives around the rituals... because we can't bear to see them suffer.

And when OCD intersects with autism? The complexity deepens. Autistic children often rely on routines and structures to feel safe in the world – but how do we distinguish between helpful predictability and OCD compulsions? Between sensory regulation and anxiety-driven rituals?

This is where specialist understanding becomes crucial. Working with a therapist who truly grasps the interaction between autism and OCD makes all the difference. We need to honour the structures that support your autistic child while gently challenging the patterns that keep OCD alive.

You don't have to navigate this alone. I specialise in supporting both parents and children through this nuanced journey – helping you understand when to support and when to step back, how to be compassionate without becoming OCD's accomplice.

If you're feeling stuck in this space, know that there's a path forward. One that respects your child's neurodivergence while freeing them from OCD's grip.

I currently have some rare availability due to increasing my hours and can offer weekly or fortnightly slots. Email me at natalie.jewitt@jenbys.co.uk
www.jenbys.co.uk

JENBY'S is an independent psychology service for children, young people, parents and schools, founded by Dr Natalie Jewitt, Chartered Clinical Psychologist

24/11/2025

LAST MINUTE AVAILABILITY
For this week!

⭐ Wednesday 26th November
- 1pm

I have had a few cancellations this week and would love to offer these spaces to families who might benefit from some support right now.

Whether you're looking for a one-off appointment to work through a specific challenge, or a space to explore weekly or fortnightly sessions, these slots are available.

Parenting journeys are full of junctions – moments where we need space to pause, reflect, and find the best way forward for our children. Parent sessions offer exactly that: a supportive space to explore, understand, and strengthen your relationship with your child(ren).

I also have space for one to one or parent and child sessions. Get in touch and we can explore what may be the best options for you and your family.

Online sessions or face-to-face near Bolton Abbey available

📧 Email me to book: natalie.jewitt@Jenbys.co.uk

24/11/2025

LAST MINUTE AVAILABILITY
For this week!

⭐Monday 24th November
- 4pm
- 5pm

⭐ Tuesday 25th November
- 10am
- 2pm

⭐ Wednesday 26th November
- 1pm

I have had a few cancellations this week and would love to offer these spaces to families who might benefit from some support right now.

Whether you're looking for a one-off appointment to work through a specific challenge, or a space to explore weekly or fortnightly sessions, these slots are available.

Parenting journeys are full of junctions – moments where we need space to pause, reflect, and find the best way forward for our children. Parent sessions offer exactly that: a supportive space to explore, understand, and strengthen your relationship with your child(ren).

I also have space for one to one or parent and child sessions. Get in touch and we can explore what may be the best options for you and your family.

Online sessions or face-to-face near Bolton Abbey available

📧 Email me to book: natalie.jewitt@Jenbys.co.uk

21/11/2025

When Your Child Can't Attend School:

You're Not Alone 💙

If your child is medically unable to attend school, you might be feeling overwhelmed, isolated, and unsure where to turn.

Perhaps you're waking up each day wondering how you'll manage, or feeling guilty about the impact on your work and family life.

This is not your fault, and you are doing an incredible job in impossible circumstances.

Your Legal Rights:

Did you know that when a child is unable to attend school for 15 days or more due to medical reasons (these don't need to be consecutive), the Local Authority has a legal obligation to arrange suitable alternative provision

The Reality for Families:

💔 Watching your child struggle while feeling powerless
💰 Financial pressure from reduced hours or leaving work
📉 Career gaps and lost professional identity
⏰ Exhaustion from juggling everything
😔 Feeling isolated and alone in navigating the system

If this resonates: you're not failing. The system is failing you.

When EHCPs Aren't in Place:

Without an EHCP, families often face:

-Bureaucratic delays while your child suffers
-Uncertainty about entitlements
-Feeling dismissed or not believed
-Fighting multiple battles simultaneously
-Complete overwhelm

How I Can Help:

I support young people and families by:

🔍 Exploring barriers to school attendance
🤝 Identifying reasonable adjustments
📋 Assessing whether school-based support or EOTAS is right
💡 Providing clarity on your rights
🎯 Advocating for your child's needs

Every child's situation is unique. Sometimes adjustments help children return to school. Other times, Education Other Than At School (EOTAS) is the best path forward.

If you're struggling, please reach out.

📧 natalie.jewitt@jenbys.co.uk
🌐 www.jenbys.co.uk

21/11/2025

When Your Child Can't Attend School:

You're Not Alone 💙

If your child is medically unable to attend school, you might be feeling overwhelmed, isolated, and unsure where to turn.

Perhaps you're waking up each day wondering how you'll manage, or feeling guilty about the impact on your work and family life.

This is not your fault, and you are doing an incredible job in impossible circumstances.

Your Legal Rights:

Did you know that when a child is unable to attend school for 15 days or more due to medical reasons (these don't need to be consecutive), the Local Authority has a legal obligation to arrange suitable alternative provision

The Reality for Families:

💔 Watching your child struggle while feeling powerless
💰 Financial pressure from reduced hours or leaving work
📉 Career gaps and lost professional identity
⏰ Exhaustion from juggling everything
😔 Feeling isolated and alone in navigating the system

If this resonates: you're not failing. The system is failing you.

When EHCPs Aren't in Place:

Without an EHCP, families often face

-Bureaucratic delays while your child suffers
-Uncertainty about entitlements
-Feeling dismissed or not believed
-Fighting multiple battles simultaneously
-Complete overwhelm

How I Can Help:

I support young people and families by:

🔍 Exploring barriers to school attendance
🤝 Identifying reasonable adjustments
📋 Assessing whether school-based support or EOTAS is right
💡 Providing clarity on your rights
🎯 Advocating for your child's needs

Every child's situation is unique. Sometimes adjustments help children return to school. Other times, Education Other Than At School (EOTAS) is the best path forward.

If you're struggling, please reach out.

📧 natalie.jewitt@jenbys.co.uk
🌐 www.jenbys.co.uk

08/10/2025

Parenting has a way of bringing everything to the surface.

The arguments you watched your parents have. The way criticism felt growing up. The promises you made to yourself about doing things differently.

And then you become a parent – and suddenly all of it is right there, playing out in real time.

Maybe you're clashing with your own parents about how you're raising your children. They think you're "too soft" or "overthinking it" – and every comment feels like judgment. You're trying to break cycles, but they see it as rejection.

Maybe you and your partner can't get on the same page. One of you sees meltdowns as behaviour to correct. The other sees distress that needs understanding. One is exhausted from managing all the invisible labour. The other doesn't understand why everything feels like a battle.

Maybe your child's struggles are triggering something deeper. Their anxiety mirrors yours. Their big emotions overwhelm you. Their needs feel impossible to meet when you're barely keeping your own head above water.

And if there are neurological differences in the mix? The stakes feel even higher.

One partner is ADHD, drowning in the mental load. The other is autistic, struggling with the unpredictability. One is neurotypical, feeling like they're translating everything. The resentment builds. The intimacy fades. The couples time? What couples time?

Here's what I know: you don't have to figure this out alone.

Therapy isn't about being broken. It's about creating space to actually understand what's happening – beneath the arguments, beneath the exhaustion, beneath the guilt.

It's a place to:

Unpack the patterns you didn't realise you were repeating

Learn to communicate when you're speaking different languages

Find ways to meet both your needs and your child's

Repair relationships that feel stuck or strained

Build a parenting approach that actually fits YOUR family

If this resonates and you'd like to explore booking some parent sessions contact me by email or phone...

📧 natalie.jewitt@jenbys.co.uk
📱 07346911982

07/10/2025

Let's talk about sensory profiles – because understanding them can be a game-changer.

We ALL have a sensory profile. Every single one of us processes touch, sound, taste, smell, movement, and visual information differently. For some people, though, these differences create real day-to-day challenges.

Sensory processing differences are particularly common in autistic individuals, people with ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and other neurodevelopmental differences – but you don't need a diagnosis to experience sensory challenges.

Some children (and adults!) are sensory seekers – they need MORE input. They might crave movement, love loud music, or need to touch everything.

Others are sensory avoiders – certain textures feel unbearable, everyday sounds feel overwhelming, or food textures trigger genuine distress.

And here's what makes it complex: you can be BOTH. A child might need constant movement but can't bear the feeling of certain clothing.

Here's what confuses people: sensory needs aren't rigid – they're fluid.

A child who managed a school assembly last week might find it unbearable this week. The jumper they wore yesterday might feel "wrong" today. This isn't being difficult – it's how sensory processing works.

When we're tired, anxious, unwell, or overwhelmed, our sensory systems have less capacity to cope. This fluctuation can make people doubt the child's difficulties. "They managed it before, so why not now?"

The brilliant news? There are SO many adaptations that can help. Small shifts can make huge differences.

💬 Drop a comment if you'd like me to share practical strategies and accommodations.

06/10/2025

Tonight's BBC Panorama couldn't be more timely. As a child clinical psychologist, I see first hand what happens when our education system fails children with additional needs – and the impossible weight this places on their parents.

If you're parenting a child with additional needs, I want you to know: I see you. ❤️

I see you fighting battles that never end. Advocating in meetings where you feel you're the only one who truly understands and is fighting for your child. Staying up late writing yet another email. Making another phone call. Explaining again your child's needs. Communicating why your child needs what they need.

I see you navigating the judgement – the looks in the playground, the comments from other parents who simply don't understand. The isolation of feeling like you're the only one struggling, when really, you're the only one whose child isn't getting what they're legally entitled to.

And perhaps most painfully, I see you being treated as "the problem" – by the very professionals who should be supporting you. Too often, parents are made to feel they're overreacting, anxious, being difficult, or not parenting "right," when actually they're doing something extraordinary: they're compensating for a system that's failing their child.

The toll is real. Careers put on hold or abandoned when children can no longer get into school. Mental and physical health suffering. Relationships strained or breakdown. The constant state of high alert, always fighting, never resting. The exhaustion isn't just tiredness – it's the weight of carrying a system that should be carrying your child.

You're not asking for special treatment. You're asking for your child to access education. And you shouldn't have to fight this hard for something so fundamental.

I hope tonight's programme shines a light on a major issue that cannot continue to be ignored. These stories need to be heard.

To every parent in this position: you're not alone, you're not too much, and you're not the problem. The system is broken, and you're doing your absolute best in an impossible situation.