Episode 71 - Anxiety, OCD and the Two Sentences Every Parent Needs with Demetra Brege and Will Sessions

What can you do when you've tried everything to help your child at school and nothing seems to be working? In this episode, I'm joined by Julianne Miller, a SEND and neurodiversity consultant and specialist teacher with twenty years' experience supporting neurodivergent children, their families and their schools. Julianne explains how schools decide what support to offer and why that support can stall, even when there's a detailed assessment report available. She shares the questions parents can ask to check whether an intervention is really working, and why the answer is often to look more closely at what's already in place before pushing for more. We also talk about how to keep the partnership with school steady when trust starts to wear thin, what an EHCP can and can't offer, and Julianne's advice for families whose child has had years of extra help without the progress they hoped for. You can find out more about Julianne Miller here: juliannemiller.co.uk

What should you say when your child comes to you convinced something is wrong with their body? In this episode, I'm joined by Dr Lynette Ewart, a GP of 20 years. Many of you will know her from her social media, where she shares her work as a doctor alongside her strength training content as a personal trainer. Lynette has seen worry about ordinary bodily sensations grow in her consulting room over recent years. We talk about where that pressure on families comes from, starting with comments at the school gates and continuing through to social media, online searches and AI. We also discuss why a parent's reaction matters so much when a child or teenager comes to them with a symptom, and how health anxiety can turn into a cycle that's hard to break. Lynette shares some really grounding ideas for what to do instead. These include how to take a worry seriously without rushing to act on it, why keeping a note of symptoms over time can help, and what Professor Steve Peters' Chimp Model can teach us about the anxious part of the mind. The approach she recommends might sound simple, and she explains why it can make such a difference. You can find out more about Lynette here: https://www.prescriptionstrength.co.uk/

What makes a young person more likely to reach out for support? In this episode, I'm joined by Kyle Morrison, a youth leader and an outreach and resilience worker in a substance support service for under 25s. Kyle brings both his professional work and his own experience of growing up to this conversation. He describes how he didn't recognise at the time that he needed support, and how the adults who eventually made the difference were the ones who had built a real relationship with him first. He also talks about why the vulnerability of the adult so often has to come before a young person feels able to share anything at all. We go on to talk about what young people are really looking for when they turn to drugs or alcohol, why so many of them believe things have to get bad enough before they deserve help, and the balance parents have to hold between stepping in and standing back. We finish with the one thing he would say to any parent who wants their child to come to them. You can find out more about Kyle here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamkylemorrison/

What's just one thing you can do when you feel like you just can't get through to your child? Dr Russell Woodhead is a clinical psychologist whose therapeutic work is built around exactly this problem: how to reach young people who don't want to be reached. In this episode, he introduces the concept of epistemic trust, our built-in filter for deciding whose knowledge and guidance we're willing to take on board, and explains why this can be hardest to earn in the teenage years, though the same trust has to be built at every age. Russell walks through why rushing in to fix things or offer advice too soon can actually close a child off further, and what to do instead: getting curious about the facts of their world before their feelings, resisting the urge to jump to your own perspective, and showing your child that you genuinely understand how things look from where they're standing. It's an idea that many parents will recognise straightaway, with real, practical steps attached. You can find more from Dr Russell here: https://www.drrussellwoodhead.co.uk/

What if the most calming thing you could put on a screen for your kids was also the most alive? In this episode, Bettina talks to Tucker Malarkey, creator of the Migration Project — a live-streaming platform broadcasting real wildlife migrations in real time. No narration, no AI, no editing. Just nature, unfolding as it happens. Tucker shares the unexpected moment that started it all, why this kind of screen time affects the brain so differently from anything else your child watches, and the emerging science that's now catching up to what parents are already noticing. Her one thing for parents is surprisingly simple — and you can try it tonight. 🎥 Watch live at livemigrations.com or search Live Migrations on YouTube.