Jan Whitham, RTLB from Cluster 8, is the NZ Facilitator for the Bounce Back! program.  She has been using the program since its inception in 2003 in Melbourne and here in Auckland.  She is currently working with schools in a variety of ways, setting it up as a whole school approach, working with teams of teachers or using it with individuals.  

 

The award-winning Bounce Back! program is the world's first Positive Education program, developed by Drs Toni Noble and Helen McGrath.  A year 0 - Year 6 program, Bounce Back! provides engaging lessons, uses children's literature, practical resources and relationship-building teaching strategies to explicitly teach social and emotional learning skills and promote student wellbeing and resilience.  It can also be used with older students.

Jean Parkinson is with the RTLB Cluster 8 Specialist Team (Counselling) and is a Registered Art Psychotherapist, Certified Sandplay Therapist /Teaching Member. Since 2013 Jean has combined work in child protection with a private practice with children, teens and their families. Jean offers Sandplay Therapy and Symbol work in connection with Art, Narrative, Attachment Theory and Reality Therapy. Art and Sandplay give children a powerful visual way of processing trauma that does not rely on words.

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Jean will be sharing cartoon video clips on what happens to children’s brains when anxiety and trauma are present. The short presentation will validate the work schools and RTLBs are doing to promote wellbeing and resilience in containing and managing child anxiety and trauma.