2018 · 04. June 2018

In last week's Southern Star, I explored why when it comes to children, effort-based praise is better than personal praise. The column is reproduced below. It’s important to praise children but be careful – sometimes, the wrong type of praise can backfire. Psychological studies show praising children for their effort, for example, is very different to praising children for their intelligence. In one important study, a group of children were given some relatively easy puzzles to solve. After...

2017 · 06. April 2017

In last week's Southern Star, I explored how teaching children CBT skills helps them to deal with their anxieties. The column is reproduced below. Here’s a simple proposal to improve the nation’s collective mental health – teach cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) skills to children in primary schools. Lessons in CBT would significantly reduce anxiety levels among 9-10 year olds, according to a 2014 Oxford study published in The Lancet Psychiatry. The study involved nine one-hour CBT...

2017 · 31. March 2017

West Cork readers may be interested in this week's Southern Star column, where I explore how CBT skills can help children to tackle their anxieties.