Rethink Therapy Services; child and adult therapy

17/01/2026

17/01/2026

I LOVE this. I remember closing my eyes so the other person couldn’t see me 🤣🤣🤣🤣

16/01/2026

Definitely. Let’s re-educate some of the educators.

15/01/2026

When your child’s behaviour suddenly flips into “fight, flight, freeze, or fawn”… it can feel personal.
Like they’re choosing to be difficult. Like they’re ignoring you on purpose.

But what’s often happening is simpler (and far more human): their brain has sounded the alarm.

When the amygdala thinks there’s danger (real or imagined), it pulls the body into survival mode fast.
Thinking brain goes offline. The body takes over. Big reactions show up because your child is trying to feel safe.

And as a parent, understanding this process matters because it changes the question from:
“What’s wrong with my child?”
to
“What does their brain think it’s protecting them from?”

That shift helps you respond with steadier boundaries, more effective co-regulation, and a lot less shame for everyone.

If you’d like more calm, child-friendly brain science (and what to do in the moment), the Child Brain Explained Toolkit, comment BRAIN in the comments below ⬇️ or via Linktree Shop in Bio.

13/01/2026

It hard being at school…

A Child’s Voice – After School, I Need You to Know
The Child Who Masks

Earlier today I shared the swan model.

The one that looks calm on the surface, gliding through the school day — while underneath, it’s paddling fast just to stay afloat.

This is that same child, speaking now.

When I come out of school, I’m not being “dramatic”.
I’m not suddenly difficult.
I’m not undoing all the good behaviour you were told about.

I’ve been holding it together all day.

I’ve pushed feelings down so I didn’t stand out.
I’ve copied others so I could fit in.
I’ve kept my stims small and hidden.
I’ve smiled when I didn’t feel OK.
I’ve tried to remember every rule so no one got cross.
I’ve ignored what felt too loud, too bright, too much.

And by the time I reach you, there’s nothing left in the tank.

What looks like defiance, tears, shutdown, or anger after school is often exhaustion from masking.

If this feels familiar, you’re not alone — and neither is your child.

To SAVE, click on the image, tap the three dots, and choose Save.
If you’d like the boy version, comment BOY below.

My Masking Toolkit supports parents and educators to understand masking, recognise the hidden load, and reduce the pressure children carry just to be accepted. Link in comments below ⬇️ or via Linktree Shop in Bio.

10/01/2026

📞 💻 ‼️Young People Being Targeted in AI scam‼️

Like many clubs we have been made aware of a scam targeting young people where disturbing and inappropriate AI videos are being generated and used to blackmail young people for money. Please take the time to read the below information and have a conversation with your child around this topic.

In the instance reported coming out of Armagh today the actions of the child have been lauded. These types of scams destroy lives, let’s arm our kids with the knowledge to not let these bullies win.

Advice to protect young people:

𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲

1. It’s not your fault
Being targeted, bullied or harassed online is never your fault, no matter what someone says.

2. Don’t reply or react
Responding can make it worse. Bullies often want attention or a reaction.

3. Save the evidence
Take screenshots of messages, comments, usernames, dates and times. Don’t delete them.

4. Block and report
Use the platform’s block and report tools straight away.

5. Tell a trusted adult
This could be a parent, guardian, teacher, coach, or youth worker. You don’t have to deal with it alone.

6. Protect your privacy
• 𝑺𝒆𝒕 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒆
• 𝑫𝒐 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒑𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓, 𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒍 𝒐𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒔𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒎𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒂 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒔
• 𝑶𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘

7. Look after your wellbeing
Take breaks from social media if needed. Talk about how you’re feeling, it really helps.

𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 & 𝗚𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘀

1. Stay calm and listen
Your child needs reassurance, not panic. Thank them for telling you.

2. Collect evidence
Screenshots are crucial, especially if schools, clubs, or the police need to be involved.

3. Report on the platform
Most platforms take harassment of minors seriously.

4. 𝑨𝒅𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒄𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒂𝒇𝒆𝒕𝒚 𝒔𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓
This keeps your child involved and empowered, rather than feeling punished.

5. Inform the school or club
If the child knows the person offline, schools and organisations can often intervene.

6. Know when to escalate
Contact police if there are:
• Threats of violence
• Sexual content involving a minor
• Blackmail or coercion
• Hate crime or stalking

10/01/2026

And don’t be one of those adults either.

Dear kids at the start of the new year,

Don’t be one of the girls whispering and giggling in the corner, spreading rumors and tearing others down.

Don’t be one of the boys huddled in a pack, shoving someone into a locker just to get a laugh.

Be the one who walks over, takes the hand of the girl they’re mocking, and walks away with her.

Be the one who checks on the kid who got pushed and says, “Are you okay? Want to sit with me?”

Because kindness is brave.

And this year, let’s raise kids who stand up—not stand by.

Kids who include and choose compassion, even when it’s hard.

Because making others feel seen, safe, and worthy is what real courage looks like. 👏

Living FULL by Danielle Sherman-Lazar

07/01/2026

For anyone in the Newcastle Co Down area.

06/01/2026

We got this…

06/01/2026

We can spend much our lives recovering from our childhoods.

Modern neuroscience is revealing something profound: your adult body still carries the imprint of your childhood nervous system. Long after memories fade, the way your nervous system learned to respond to the world as a child continues to influence how you feel, react, and regulate stress as an adult.

The nervous system develops rapidly in early life. During childhood, especially in the first few years, the brain and body are constantly scanning the environment for safety or danger. These signals shape the autonomic nervous system, which controls involuntary functions like heart rate, breathing, digestion, and stress responses.

If a child grows up in a calm, predictable, and supportive environment, their nervous system tends to learn balance. It becomes skilled at moving between states of alertness and rest. But when a child experiences chronic stress, neglect, fear, or instability, the nervous system adapts for survival. It may become hyper-alert, shut down emotionally, or stay stuck in stress mode.

This is not a failure, it is adaptation.

The body learns what it needs to do to survive its early environment. Those patterns can include being constantly on guard, dissociating, people-pleasing, or having difficulty relaxing. As adults, these responses often show up as anxiety, chronic tension, digestive issues, emotional numbness, or difficulty regulating emotions even when life is no longer dangerous.

Importantly, these patterns are stored in the body, not just the mind. The nervous system remembers through muscle tension, breathing patterns, posture, and hormonal responses. This is why logic alone often cannot override stress reactions. The body reacts before conscious thought has time to intervene.

Researchers studying neuroplasticity have also found hopeful news. While early nervous system wiring is powerful, it is not permanent. The nervous system remains adaptable throughout life. With supportive experiences, therapy, mindful practices, and safe relationships, the body can learn new patterns of regulation.
Practices such as slow breathing, somatic therapy, trauma-informed counseling, gentle movement, and consistent emotional safety can help retrain the nervous system. Over time, the body learns that it no longer needs to stay in survival mode.

This research has reshaped how scientists and clinicians understand trauma, stress, and healing. Rather than asking, “What’s wrong with you?” the focus shifts to “What happened to you and how did your body adapt?”

Understanding that your nervous system carries your history can be deeply validating. It reframes symptoms not as weakness, but as intelligent responses learned early. Healing then becomes less about forcing change and more about teaching the body that safety is possible now.

Your adult nervous system is not broken.

It is experienced.

And with the right support, it can learn new ways to exist—calmer, safer, and more at ease than before.

Source:National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) – Stress and brain development