Sandra Laujin

pointcentral — 2021-02-15T02:08:15Z

Titres professionnels

Psychologue Clinicienne
Neuropsychologue Clinicienne
Psychothérapeute

Sandra Laujin est une psychologue, neuropsychologue et psychothérapeute exerçant à Hong Kong depuis plus de 15 ans.

Diplômes

Master de Psychologie Clinique (Ecole de psychologues Praticiens de Paris - Institut Catholique de Paris, France)
Diplôme d'Université de Réhabilitation Neuropsychologique (Faculté de Médecine de la Sorbonne - Institut Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France)

Professionnelle de santé diplômée de l'Etat français, elle propose des services psychothérapeutiques, psychologiques et neuropsychologiques aux adultes, aux adolescents et aux enfants.

Publication

L'examen neuropsychologique de l'enfant et de l'adolescent avec NEPSY II est un ouvrage concernant l'utilisation de la NEPSY-II, une batterie complète et un outil clé dans l'évaluation des troubles cognitifs de l'enfants et l'adolescent.

La NEPSY-II évalue les sept fonctions cognitives supérieures nécessaires à l'apprentissage : les fonctions attentionnelles, exécutives, mnésiques, langagières, visuospatiales, sensorimotrices, ainsi que la cognition sociale. Elle permet une approche neuropsychologique basée sur une compréhension globale et dynamique de l'individu. Elle vise à établir un profil cognitif détaillé des forces et faiblesses du patient, à déterminer l'origine de ses troubles cognitifs et comportementaux, et à préciser le diagnostic afin de proposer des interventions thérapeutiques adaptées. L'exhaustivité de cette batterie en fait un outil diagnostique puissant. Cependant, sa complexité au niveau de l'administration des subtests, la cotation et l'interprétation des résultats rend son utilisation complexe.

Cet ouvrage est à la fois théorique et pratique. Il passe en revue les théories et modèles cognitifs associés aux sept fonctions cognitives. Il fournit également des outils d'assimilation des subtests et d'interprétation des résultats : des tableaux et des figures en couleur permettent une analyse rapide, aisée, globale et synthétique. Cet ouvrage facilite donc la compréhension globale et dynamique du fonctionnement neuropsychologique de l'enfant et de l'adolescent.

Conférences

Elle donne des conférences sur des sujets touchant divers aspects de la vie psychique et concernant les problématiques adultes, infantiles et adolescentes, l'apprentissage, les troubles mentaux et neuro-développementaux.

Parcours professionnel

Avant Hong Kong, Sandra Laujin a travaillé à Paris en tant que Psychologue Clinicienne, au sein des institutions hospitalières et judiciaires françaises auxquelles elle proposait à la fois évaluation et traitement psychologiques.

Dans le domaine de l'évaluation psychologique, à la demande des Procureurs de la République des Tribunaux de Grande Instance, dans un cadre civil ou pénal, elle a été chargée d'expertises psychologiques d'enfants, d'adolescents et d'adultes.

Dans le domaine du traitement psychologique, elle a pratiqué la psychothérapie auprès de patients adultes et enfants en hôpital, universitaire et psychiatrique, et de détenus adultes en maison d'arrêt.

Ces expériences, au plus près de la détresse humaine, l'ont incitée à s'orienter vers le soin préventif via la psychothérapie et l'évaluation de l'enfant à l'adulte.

Se considérant comme « citoyenne du monde », l'expatriation s'est un jour imposée comme une évidence. Au détour d'un voyage, elle est tombée amoureuse de Hong Kong. Cela fait maintenant plus de dix années qu'elle y a posé ses valises et s'y est installée.

Expertise clinique

L'expertise de Sandra Laujin se situe tant au niveau de l'évaluation que du traitement des difficultés émotionnelles, sociales, comportementales, développementales, intellectuelles et d'apprentissage, pour des populations de tous âges, de l'adulte à l'enfant.

Le traitement psychologique via la psychothérapie ou le traitement neuropsychologique via la remédiation cognitive ou rééducation neuropsychologique, sont des prises en charges professionnelles ayant pour but de pallier à nos difficultés afin de nous accompagner dans notre évolution d'être.

Aux adultes, elle propose des traitements, à savoir la psychothérapie d'orientation psychanalytique et la guidance parentale. Elle effectue également des évaluations psychologiques dans le cadre de la procédure d'obtention de l'agrément en vue d'adoption.

Aux enfants et aux adolescents, elle propose également des traitements : la psychothérapie d'orientation psychanalytique en cas de difficulté émotionnelle et la remédiation cognitive en cas de difficultés d'apprentissage. Elle réalise également des évaluations psychologiques et neuropsychologiques permettant de diagnostiquer des pathologies mentales, des troubles neuro-développementaux comme l'autisme, des particularités cognitives comme la précocité intellectuelle/haut potentiel et des troubles cognitifs tels que le trouble de l'attention, les troubles de l'apprentissage ou le retard de développement.

Orientation clinique

C'est durant son master en psychologie clinique que Sandra Laujin a débuté sa formation en psychanalyse et neuropsychologie, deux domaines qui l'ont passionnée. Tout comme Sigmund Freud, médecin neurologue psychanalyste ou Boris Cyrulnik, médecin neurologue psychanalyste, son orientation se situe au carrefour des sciences humaines (psychologie & psychanalyse) et des neurosciences (neuropsychologie).

Psychanalyse et neuropsychologie sont en effet deux approches complémentaires, deux sciences qui tendent à la compréhension de notre structure psychique, notre fonctionnement de pensée et d'être. La psychanalyse permet la compréhension de notre fonctionnement psychique via l'examen psychologique et le traitement de nos difficultés émotionnelles, relationnelles et sociales via la psychothérapie. La neuropsychologique permet la compréhension de notre fonctionnement cognitif via l'évaluation neuropsychologique et le traitement de ces difficultés via la remédiation cognitive ou rééducation neuropsychologique.

Psychanalyse et neuropsychologie se rejoignent quant au caractère principalement acquis de notre mode de fonctionnement et donc à notre possibilité d'évolution, de restructuration. Ainsi, notre santé physique et mentale, notre personnalité, notre mode de fonctionnement de pensée et d'être, pourraient être associés à un jeux de cartes. A la naissance, certaines cartes nous sont distribuées ; c'est notre part de déterminisme. Puis, tout au long de notre vie, en fonction de l'environnement dans lequel nous évoluons et/ou décidons d'évoluer, nous jouons avec l'ensemble du jeu de carte, nous rebattons les cartes, nous élaborons un nouveau jeu de cartes, plus ou moins proche de celui de départ. Les professionnels de santé médecins, neurologues, psychologues, neuropsychologues s'accordent sur notre libre arbitre en lien avec cette fantastique plasticité cérébrale qui est la nôtre. Il nous appartient d'entamer un processus d'évolution.

Voici donc comment nous envisageons notre travail thérapeutique à la fois d'évaluation et de traitement de nos difficultés et souffrances.
Nous ne proposons donc pas d'EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), TCC (Thérapie Cognitivo-Comportementale), kinésiologie, Landmark forum, hypnose, thérapie positive, thérapie brève, coaching, programme de parentalité positive, thérapie centrée sur le symptôme, ou tout autre approche alternative promettant souvent des formules de l'ordre de l'agir.
Au contraire, nous proposons une démarche professionnelle, analytique, au travers tant de l'évaluation que du traitement de nos symptômes qui nous font souffrir. Une démarche où un travail réflexif est effectué pour une évolution profonde, au long terme, et en toute sécurité psychique.

Adolescent issues

pointcentral — 2018-05-06T05:55:17Z

Being a teenager is not always an easy thing…it is a time of vulnerability, subjected to the physical and psychological effects of puberty.
In general, experiences at this stage in life in particular are not lived in a neutral manner. When an adolescent has educational or emotional difficulties, or behaviour that concerns their parents, there is a risk of further developmental problems.

Adolescence and family relationships

Adolescents lose some of the sheltering of the sheltering and protective veil of childhood and need to find new ways of relating to others and in particular their parents. They also lose, to some extent, the support given by adult to child. They can find the relationship with their parents difficult and become defiant or hostile, distancing themselves. It can simultaneously be a difficult time for the parents who struggle with the relationship with their teenage child.
An initial consultation enables the psychologist to determine if psychotherapy or parental guidance seems necessary.

Learning and adolescence

Today's society is a lot more demanding on adolescents and their capacities - expectations accumulate. Adolescents are asked to make career choices before they have even developed their own identity and whilst their desires and projections into adulthood may still be vague.
Yet whilst adolescents may have ease learning, they can also find themselves faced with difficulties.

Learning difficulties

Adolescents can face educational difficulties whether or not they are the consequence of learning disorders.
Academic difficulties or even failure at school are factors that can render emotionally fragile. They can cause a loss of self confidence and lead to negative self image. Even more so in Hong Kong society where pressure for professional and financial success is extremely present.
An initial appointment enables the psychologist to determine if a psychological and neuropsychological assessment is necessary.

Giftedness

Adolescents may show signs of intellectual precocity.
They may have learnt to read alone, without parents' help and before starting primary school. They learn quickly and ask many questions, taking in interest in the outside world. They are adolescents known as gifted or high potential.
An initial consultation enables the psychologist to determine if a psychological and neuropsychological assessment are necessary.

Admission into a school

As part of their admissions process, some schools such as the Ecole Jeanine Manuel de Paris, request a copy of the child's WISC or WPPSI assessment report.

Risk taking and destructive behaviour during adolescence

Just like adults, adolescents face potentially traumatic challenges in life such as the loss of a loved one, a relationship break up, a move overseas that could be at the origin of painful separations and loss of bearings.

These difficulties can be a source of suffering and anxiety. The anxiety may manifest itself through behavioural problems, conflict seeking, academic difficulties, withdrawal or avoidance of social relations.

If suffering is considerable during this stage of life then auto-destructive and risky behaviour can become the main means of expression.

At this time, symptoms of anxiety can develop: compulsive buying, stealing, drug and alcohol addiction, suicide attempts, self harm and so on.

Psychological consultations can be a way to overcome these difficulties: the psychologist can work with the teenager through psychotherapy and the parents via parental guidance.

Mental illness during adolescence

Adolescence with all the hormonal changes involved,is a time of outbreaks of potentially serious mental illnesses.

Eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, polydipsia (compulsive drinking) are part of these.

Psychotic disorders such as bipolarity or schizophrenia can be triggered at this stage in life. Sometimes, when the diagnosis is unclear, a psychological evaluation can serve to confirm the presence of a psychotic personality structure.

It is essential to address these types of issues via psychotherapy and parental guidance.

Does he/she need to see a psychologist?

As soon as unhappiness, difficulty or struggling with emotions are identified by the adolescent and/or their parents, a consultation can be considered. It is never too soon to seek help: the sooner we act, the better chance there is of preventing symptoms from developing and worsening.

However, beyond relieving symptoms, psychological consultations aim to act on the long term by preventing the evolution of difficulties and issues, through accompanying the child during this very vulnerable stage in life that is so important to the forming of personality.

As Dolto said, adolescent psychotherapy is first and foremost preventative. The objective of psychotherapy is to provide the adolescent with a space in which to freely think and express his or herself before moving on to a fulfilled adulthood. It also involves accompanying parents in their relationship with their child. However, only too often parents wait until the symptoms have advanced and are engrained and debilitating before seeking help. In this context, psychotherapy is no longer preventative: it becomes curative.

Child issues

pointcentral — 2018-05-06T05:50:57Z

What is childhood?

Childhood is a time of phenomenal transformations and learning. This transitional phase serves to prepare the individual for evolution from total dependence to the understanding and accomplishment of adulthood.

Childhood is a fundamental time in our lives to the extent that it provides the foundations of our personality. It is the primordial stage in the structuring of our existence as an independent being: during this stage we learn to communicate, we gather knowledge, we develop our way of thinking, we construct our relationship with ourselves and others and we develop intelligence.

Troubled childhood

In order for these elements to develop harmoniously, the child must be mentally and emotionally available, however childhood is a great time of upheaval.

As the child's personality and identity structure themselves, we may note painful, difficult and surprising moments for the child and their close ones.

When these symptoms fluctuate and change, they may be the sign of passing psychological suffering in the context of normal physiological development (for example, fear of the dark).

When they are persistent or more intense, they may also indicate a problematic development of the personality.

Childhood issues may appear in many various ways in any aspect of life: physiological, emotional, social, school and learning.

Children and learning

Learning difficulties

The child may be having problems learning due to learning difficulties, which may be symptoms of learning disorders and potentially debilitating to the child's education. For example, the child may be unable to concentrate, to read or write, to understand their exercises or remember what they have studied…When the time comes to sit down to do homework with the parents, the moment may be very difficult and a source of tension for everyone.

An initial appointment therefore enables the psychologist to determine whether a psychological and neuropsychological assessment is necessary in order to diagnose a disorder and determine its nature, intensity and origin.

Giftedness

Some children have great ease learning and signs of giftedness. These children learn concepts quickly and easily, they take an interest in subjects beyond their years.

An initial appointment enables the psychologist to determine if an assessment is necessary to diagnose giftedness.

Schools admissions

The school admission procedure sometimes requires providing a WISC or WPPSI assessment that demonstrates the child or adolescents' cognitive functioning.

Signs and symptoms of childhood unhappiness and anxiety

The signs and symptoms of childhood unhappiness and anxiety are many and varied. They can have an important chronic impact on the child's development and they can present themselves in any aspect of life.
An initial appointment enables the psychologist to determine if psychotherapy is necessary.

Physiological impact

Hyperactivity and Attention Deficit are the main symptoms of childhood anxiety: the child moves all the time, they cannot keep still. A restless child is often an anxious child.

An anxious child may present eating disorders:

The child eats very little or refuses to eat altogether (anorexic behaviour)
The child overeats (bulimic behaviour)
The child drinks excessively (polydipsia)

These children may also suffer from sleep disorders: sleep avoidance, regular nightmares, sleeping only with parents.

Bladder and bowel dysfunction is also common: regular constipation, bed-wetting or the soiling of underwear at an inappropriate age.

Reoccurring illnesses may present or complaining about various physical ailments: the child is often ill, often in the infirmary, often with headache or stomach ache.

Emotional Impact

The child may suffer from moments of excessive anger and be regularly in a bad mood.
They may also seem sad or worried over periods of time. Sometimes they cry excessively.
They may show feelings of helplessness: saying they are worthless, that they will never succeed.

Social and relationship impact

If social relations are being affected, the child may disengage and will often be found alone at play times.
If social relations are overly invested in, the child may seem to be inseparable from others, to the point of being intrusive and forcing friendships.

Educational impact

Experts in neuroscience agree that stress affects learning. An anxious child may experience difficulties learning due to problems concentrating, understanding and carry out exercises.

An anxious child may over-invest their education, either to avoid thinking about their anxiety, or to project a positive image of academic achievement motivated by a fear of failure.

The child may also withdraw, become demotivated and no longer make an effort to learn, either because energy levels are depleted through low mood, or through lack of self belief.

Childhood and mental illness

Certain symptoms may be indicative of a psychological or psychiatric disorder such as child psychosis. The child may hear voices or see things that do not exist or hold strange beliefs and delusions. They may seem disconnected or extremely anxious.

Other symptoms could be related to neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism: difficulties with sociability and communication or signs of inflexibility.

An initial consultation enables the psychologist to determine if a psychological and neuropsychological assessment is necessary to make diagnostic hypotheses. An early diagnosis is essential for determining an adapted therapeutic care plan including psychotherapy and/or neuropsychological rehabilitation, and for swiftly providing the child and parents with the support they need.

Does my child need to see a psychologist?

There are no age limits on getting help from a therapist

As soon as unhappiness, difficulty or struggling with emotions are identified by the child and/or their parents, a consultation can be considered. It is never too soon to seek help: the sooner we act, the better chance there is of preventing symptoms from developing and worsening.

However, beyond relieving symptoms, psychological consultations aim to act on the long term by preventing the evolution of difficulties and issues, through accompanying the child during this very vulnerable stage in life that is so important to the forming of personality.

As Dolto said, child psychotherapy should be first and foremost preventative and not curative. The objective of psychotherapy is to provide the child with a space in which to freely think and express his or herself before moving on to a fulfilled adulthood. It also involves accompanying parents in their relationship with their child - even the parents of infants may seek support through interactive parental guidance. However, only too often parents wait until the symptoms have advanced and are engrained and debilitating before seeking help. In this context, psychotherapy is no longer preventative: it becomes curative.

Warning signs

A symptom that continues past the appropriate age for it to present itself should alert parents. For example, a child who still wets the bed at 3 and a half years old.

However, as the child's nervous system is still developing, certain symptoms are normal if the child has not yet reached the age corresponding to the specific level of physiological maturity. We can therefore not expect a 3 year old to be able to control their impulsivity and "symptoms" of physical and psychological agitation.

Certain signs could alert the parents that a psychological consultation is needed. The summary table here below indicates the ages at which certain symptoms are no longer appropriate and should be noted as potentially indicative of developmental issues.

Children/Teens consultation

pointcentral — 2018-05-04T11:26:19Z

The process will depend upon an individual's needs, but will always start with an initial appointment.

This first meeting is primordial in laying the foundation of a therapist-client relationship and the likely rate of success of the therapy.

It enables the gathering of information: psychologist, child and parents exchange ideas about the issues that motivated the consultation.

It also aims to analyse the situation: each person can expand upon the difficulties encountered. It is about understanding these difficulties, hypothesising about their origins, the way they manifest themselves and the consequences they have on your child's and your family's functioning.

This enables a better understanding of your needs and those of your child in order to provide an adapted and tailored treatment plan. Often a second appointment is necessary to gain a fuller overview of the situation.

Following these meetings, you will be offered a personalised care plan including assessment and therapy. The psychologist may suggest psychotherapy, psychological or neuropsychological assessment or neuropsychological rehabilitation.

The psychologist may also suggest further options such as working together with the school, an assessment or a follow up by another health care professional.

Parental Guidance

pointcentral — 2018-03-30T10:57:13Z

One is not born a mother or father, but rather becomes one

Through our work, we often hear parents expressing their despair that; "there's no book to teach you how to be a parent". No, parenting cannot be learnt from books. We learn through experience with our children.

Being a parent is not always an easy task and every parent has their moments of self-doubt. How can individuals' needs be met fairly within the family dynamic? How can we give our children the skills they need to flourish? How can we provide clear and consistent discipline? How can we manage our children's' moods along with our own responses? There are so many questions that parents have to face and they are often left not knowing which way to turn....

What is parental guidance?

Parental guidance is offered independently or alongside child psychotherapy. It involves giving help and support to parents regarding issues such as:

Difficulties encountered by the child whether they be emotional, social, physical, behavioural or educational
Disciplinary difficulties such as problems of parental authority, difficulties encountered by a single parent
Ongoing family crisis such as separation, divorce, disclosure of a family secret, family restructuring
Events external to the family such as abuse of a child
Events internal to the family such as bereavement, mental illness, adoption, academic failings, sibling rivalry, disability, high intelligence

What is the purpose of parental guidance?

Parental guidance helps to:

Provide better support to the child and their difficulties and enable them to flourish
Evolve in our role as parent
Evolve in our educational role

What does interactive parental guidance involve?

A collaboration

First and foremost, interactive parental guidance is a process of collaboration: parents are considered to be co-therapists in working towards resolving their child's difficulties.

A space for contemplation

The psychologist provides the parents with a space in which to think about parenthood and the specificities of their relationship with their child. It is about better understanding their child's and their own functioning, on a psychological level, in order to improve the parent-child relationship.

How to BE vs how to DO

A psychologist can give educational advice - this is like handing out a toolbox. However, parental guidance is not simply about acquiring parenting skills. This brings us to fundamental and age-old question raised by Aristotle: "Can one gain skills or modify a behaviour without modifying oneself"?

Having a tool does not mean that we know when and how to use it. Furthermore, a parent who takes on an educational approach considered to be "positive", but who does not do it with conviction, in a way adapted to their own personality, will end up exhausted and behaving in a paradoxical and ambivalent manner.

The "practice" of parenting, meaning the application of adequate parental behaviour, cannot evolve without parenting experience. In other words, parenting should be lived differently in order to be done differently.

Parental guidance as such, does not only encourage evolution in the child-parent relationship by the gaining of new skills, but by simultaneous personal development.

Neuropsychological Rehabilitation

pointcentral — 2018-03-30T10:57:08Z

Neuropsychological rehabilitation is a way of helping children and adolescents with learning difficulties, such as problems concentrating, remembering or understanding information. The origin of the difficulty may be an attentional deficit disorder or poor memory or reasoning skills.

The aim of neuropsychological rehabilitation is to improve brain functioning and increase the efficiency of the processes involved in knowledge acquisition.
The sooner the treatment process starts, the better the chances are of avoiding educational issues and of encouraging learning.

What is neuropsychological rehabilitation or cognitive remediation?

Neuropsychological rehabilitation, otherwise known as cognitive remediation, is the therapeutic treatment of children with learning difficulties due to a cognitive problem or problems.

In psychological terms, cognitive processes refer to all the mental processes that lead to the acquisition, treatment, storage and use of information or knowledge. They encompass a range of functions controlled by the brain: attention, memory, reasoning, language, planning, organisation etc.

There are many kinds of cognitive disorders/difficulties and these correspond to the brain function affected. For example, attention, learning, memory and reasoning difficulties are all types of cognitive difficulties.

The origin of these brain disorders may be developmental or due to environmental factors. Changes in cerebral functioning may be triggered by brain trauma or conditions such as autism, Down's syndrome or Alzheimer's disease. People who suffer from autistic spectrum disorders for example generally have difficulties with attentional and executive functions. Certain difficulties may also have their roots in emotional issues – for example, hyperactivity is often a symptom of anxiety.

Who is cognitive rehabilitation aimed at?

Neuropsychological rehabilitation offered at the practice may be of help to your child if they suffer from:

A learning difficulty: your child has problems learning and studying
An attention difficulty: your child is unable to concentrate
A reasoning difficulty: your child struggles to understand what is being taught at school and the concepts behind the information.
A memory difficulty: your child struggles to learn and retain

Why seek cognitive rehabilitation for your child?

Cognitive difficulties/disorders have a major impact on learning and future careers. Addressing these difficulties as soon as possible promotes improved learning and helps to avoid academic failings.

Neuropsychological rehabilitation aims to re-educate deficient cognitive functions. Working on these capacities can enhance your child's global cognitive functioning and thus improve the processes through which information is acquired and minimise learning difficulties.

The objectives of this type of psychological treatment are the following:

Specific training of deficient cognitive functions
Development of limited capacities
Reorganisation of inefficient learning strategies
Use of preventative and compensatory strategies
Acquisition of more effective learning strategies
Maximised use of existing capacities and strengths
Transfer of skills to other types of activities and contexts

When is neuropsychological rehabilitation appropriate?

Assessment of the disorders or difficulties

Any neuropsychological rehabilitation must be preceded by a comprehensive psychological and neuropsychological assessment that will identify and diagnose the cognitive functions that are causing difficulties. The difficulties and learning disorders will be evaluated.

Difficulties rarely have one cause only. The complex nature and mechanisms of the brain mean that it is essential to explore all factors that may have an influence on learning (for example psychological, medical, instrumental and developmental factors).

Full assessment in the case of a learning disorder being related to a cognitive disorder enables detection of the type, severity and origin of the difficulty. Once a diagnostic has been made, the neuropsychologist can recommend the most appropriate therapeutic treatment(s). The neuropsychologist can also work collaboratively with the school and assist the teacher in putting psychoeducational programs into place that are adapted to your child's needs.

Why assess the severity of a child's difficulties?

Firstly it is important to ascertain whether your child is suffering from a learning difficulty (cognitive difficulty) or from a learning disorder (cognitive disorder). The prior may be surpassed through psychoeducational interventions, whilst the latter will require neuropsychological rehabilitation.

Why identify the origin(s) of your child's difficulties?

Emotional difficulties may be behind a whole range of more or less severe learning difficulties without any actual disorder being present. For example, until the emotional factor has been resolved, an anxious child will often be distractible, hyperactive and struggle with tasks involving reasoning or memorisation. In this case, psychotherapy would treat the emotional difficulty as opposed to neuropsychological rehabilitation addressing cognitive difficulties.

In general it is the diversity and duration of symptoms that should alert teachers and parents. A full assessment enables a psychologist and neuropsychologist to confirm or disregard any hypotheses about cognitive or emotional difficulties.

Therapy / Psychotherapy

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Therapy provides a space in which a young person can learn to surpass their difficulties and reduce the consequent symptoms of those. Difficulties can be expressed and wounds can be healed in order to improve their relationship with themselves and the world around them – to find a balance.
The aim is to build and explore the possibilities of their personality and in doing so create a solid foundation for a fulfilled life as an adult.

As soon as difficulties or emotional distress are identified by the child, adolescent or their parents, therapy can be considered. The sooner psychological treatment starts, the more of a chance we have of avoiding symptoms developing or worsening. Françoise Dolto emphasized the nature of child psychotherapy as being first and foremost preventative as opposed to curative: the importance of intervening before the symptoms become ingrained and too debilitating.

What are the reasons for consulting a child psychologist?

The difficulties faced by children, and the issues faced by adolescents present themselves in many different ways and consequently the motivations behind seeking psychological support are varied. All aspects of the child's life may be affected including their emotions, their body, education, the relationship with others and more generally with the world around them. In fact physiological, emotional, social and cognitive well-being are closely entwined.

Child anxiety can be identified through various signs and symptoms: sleep difficulties, unhealthy eating, digestive problems, agitation or hyperactivity, mood disturbances, recurrent anger, latent sadness, excessive shyness, difficulties concentrating or learning, bed wetting, soiling, stuttering etc….

The way in which anxiety presents itself indicates the type of difficulties experienced by the child and so is relevant matter to work on in psychotherapy.

These difficulties and the way in which they manifest themselves may have a profound and lasting impact on the child's or adolescent's development.

Certain more serious conditions may have a greater impact on the child's life and in these cases psychotherapyiseven more important.

However, beyond relieving symptoms, psychological consultations aim to act on the long term by preventing difficulties and issues from evolving and becoming engrained. Psychotherapy can accompany the child during this very vulnerable stage in life that is so important to the forming of personality.

When is the right time to seek support?

A consultation can be considered as soon as unhappiness, difficulties or struggling with emotions areidentified by the child/adolescent and/or their parents.

It is never too soon to seek help: the sooner we act the better chance there is of preventing symptoms from developing and worsening.

As Françoise Dolto (a French Pediatrician and Psychoanalyst) said, child psychotherapy is first and foremost preventative, not curative. However, only too often parents wait until the symptoms haveadvanced and are engrained and debilitating before consulting. In this context, the role of psychotherapy cannot be preventative but has to be curative and work on the symptoms and causes of an existing problem. This takes more time – treating a minor ailment is naturally less complex than treating a major one.

What to expect in the first session?

There are no specific rules as to the layout of the session but the psychologist usually meets the child/adolescent along with their parent(s) in order to best apprehend and expand upon the difficulties encountered. The psychologist may also meet with the child/adolescent and parents separately so as to gain an understanding of each one's particular experience of the situation.

The first session initiates the client-therapist relationship. It is the opportunity to explore the meaning behind this step taken to start therapy, to better understand and apprehend it.

It aims to analyse the situation: each person can expand upon the difficulties encountered. It is about understanding these difficulties, hypothesising about their origins, the way they manifest themselves and the consequences they have on your child's and your family's functioning.

Following this first meeting, the psychologist can determine the most appropriate way in which to offer support and develop a treatment plan based on the information provided by the parents and child.

What does child psychotherapy involve?

Children do not express themselves in the same way as adults.

For the youngest ones, the means of expression of their difficulties, suffering, and internal world may be through games, drawings or informal chat. The psychologist will engage with the child, observe them and may participate in their games and drawings with them.

Older children need less help finding the means to express their difficulties, however some will prefer to start by drawing out what they are thinking or feeling.

As the child or adolescent expresses themselves, the psychologist will guide them and make suggestions that may help them to identify and attribute words totheir difficulties. These words can help to bring things into the conscious awareness of the child or adolescent and so enable them to make progress when a real situation or one that has been internally constructed, has trapped them in a certain cycle of behaviour that has been a source of concern for those close to them.

Can the psychologist tell us what our child has said in the sessions?

Whilst the psychologist can give the parents feedback about the progress their child is making, they cannot break the therapist-client confidentiality by revealing what has been shared in the sessions.

Very much like adult psychotherapy, child or adolescent psychotherapy provides a safe space in which to think and speak freely. However, the child can only speak freely if he or she is sure that their words will not be repeated whether to their parents, their sibling or anyone else.

The confidentially surrounding these verbalisationsallows the child or adolescent to express themselves freely.

The psychologist is distant enough from them (as opposed to their parents, friends, and family members) and can provide a role of caring neutrality regarding their opinions and the behaviour demonstrated during the sessions.

This neutrality is what creates a space for feeling and externalising freely. The freedom to feel and speak also provides freedom of thought and hence opens up possibilities for reflection (rather than opposition) and new ways of relating to the world.

In such a way, Speech enables Thought. It is what allows for internal conflicts that agitate and trap a person, to enter into consciousness: putting something into words can make it that bit more real. The power of speech is in that once we have expressed our difficulties through words, once we have understood what is bothering us, we can start the process to make changes.

Adolescents, as well as children, are often grateful to their parents for providing them with a space for freedom of thought and speech. After psychotherapy, they may express the importance that this“secret garden” had in helping them to understand their thoughts, sadness, aggression, shame, overall their internal world.

What role do parents have in their child's psychotherapy?

Child psychotherapy is a team effort. As such the team work with the parents is essential and it is important that they meet regularly with the psychologist in the context of interactive parental guidance. During the sessions, the psychologist will help the parents to better support their child and to take a look at the parent-child relationship in order to promote happy and balanced families.

Adolescents are less comfortable with sharing the same space as their parents. They may find it intrusive and develop latent hostility towards their parents and the psychologist. This could cause resistance to the treatment. For this reason, in the case of adolescent psychotherapy, the parental guidance sessions should be less frequent. The subject of the parents meeting with the therapist should be discussed with the adolescent along with their potential resistance.

What's the purpose of child psychotherapy?

As with adult psychotherapy, child psychotherapy is a space for development.

Through seeking to understand what is happening in their internal and external worlds, the objective of psychotherapy is to help the child/adolescent to overcome their distress and reduce the related symptoms in order to evolve into the most well-balanced adult possible.

It enables the child to better adapt to the demands of the family, of school, of society as a whole. It could, for example, lead to improved social skills with pairs or a more fulfilled family relationship.

It can assist the child/adolescent in overcoming psychological trauma related to a bereavement, an illness, an accident…

In the case of more serious illnesses, it can help the child/adolescent to manage their condition and to adapt as well as possible on a social level. It can help them to recognise their differences, accept them and sometimes even use them to their advantage, turn them into strengths.

How long does child/adolescent psychotherapy take?

Every psychotherapy is different because it relates to a unique individual, each with their own issues and each progressing at their own pace. For this reason, it is impossible to determine how long the therapy will last. The psychotherapy will go at the speed of the child.

However, in general, the sooner psychotherapy starts, the less time it lasts. The length of time that psychotherapy takes is dependent on the severity of the problems and the extent to which they have become engrained. Untreated problems get worse with time. Children with more serious psychological conditions will generally need psychotherapy for a longer period of time.

But perhaps it is not such a strange thing that a child is given the opportunity to take a few minutes a week for dialogue and self-reflection.

How should I choose a psychologist for my child?

It is advisable to choose a psychologist that you feel confident and comfortable with. An essential factor in the success rate of therapy is the quality of the psychologist- client relationship - the therapeutic alliance. It is important that the psychologist is approachable, ready to listen to the parents and their child, pleasant and caring. This will create the foundations for open exchange both with the parents and with the child.

If you feel comfortable with your child's relationship with their psychologist, your child will be reassured and more likely to invest in the therapy. The commitment of the parents is paramount to that of the child and essential for the success of the therapy. The child's desire is reliant on that of its parents: if the parents are experiencing resistance to the therapeutic process then most likely the child will experience a loyalty conflict and hence will have difficulty investing in the psychotherapy. Unconsciously aware of their parents' resistance, the child may fear that if they engage in the psychotherapy then they may make their parents angry. This prevents their treatment from being very effective.

It is important to note that having a child see a psychologist is not always an easy thing for the parents. They may feel guilt and this guilt could be a source of resistance to the therapeutic process for the parents and consequently the child.

It is therefore necessary to address this resistance and this guilt in order to move past them and enable the therapeutic process to be productive. To do so, the parents must feel that they can freely express their hesitations to the psychologist.

The help and support of the parents are thus essential for successful therapy.

Will having psychotherapy make my child feel bad and different from the others?

As opposed to adults, children in general have no preconceived ideas about psychology and psychologists. It is mainly the parents' ideas that condition those of the child. A parental attitude that does not provoke anxiety allows the child to participate in the psychotherapy in a positive manner. In the case of adolescents, some (negative) stereotypes may exist already and it is important to work with these in order to move forward with the therapy.

What if my child doesn't want to see a psychologist?

Would you ask the same question to a doctor? Whilst it is of course important to listen to your child's concerns regarding psychotherapy and allow them to ask questions, giving them the responsibility to decide whether or not they need treatment is perhaps imagining them to be more mature than they are.

In the case of resistance, it is important to address the problem and seek to understand the child. They may be manifesting signs of latent anxiety and unconscious issues. For example an inhibited child will initially be inhibited with their psychologist. Focussing on the resistance enables an untangling of the issues behind it.

Sometimes it is just a question of patience – allowing the time necessary for the therapeutic alliance to develop, to get to know each other and to build trust little by little throughout the sessions.

Adult issues

pointcentral — 2018-03-24T10:26:45Z

When our life is not going the way we hoped it would, when our aspirations are not being met, the result may be feelings of unhappiness and unease.

Stress and extreme anxiety or a deep discontentment can arise when we feel limited or restricted in our professional, social or personal life, whether in relation to a partner or to family members.

Expatriation can sometimes be very challenging for couples. It requires adapting the relationship to a new socio-cultural environment with its' own norms and demands. Consultation for couple's therapy is very common in this context.

Furthermore, at times we may feel suffocated by this new society where the pressure to perform and to deliver results grow exponentially. Unfortunately these demands placed on a person in Hong Kong society can only too often lead to professional exhaustion and burnout.

Throughout the course of life we may have to face obstacles/challenges such as the loss of a loved one, a bereavement, a relationship break up, or any number of potentially traumatic events. We may be lead to feel overwhelmed by unhappiness and angst manifesting themselves as irritability, anger, profound sadness, low self-esteem, damaged self-confidence and even depression.

On occasions we may present more specific symptoms such as phobias, panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive disorder, sexual disorders, addictions and dependencies or eating disorders.

Those who suffer from psychiatric disorders such a bipolar disorder or schizophrenia must also learn to live with their disorder but without it defining them.

Whatever the origin of our discontent, its intensity or the way it presents itself, psychotherapy may be needed in order to help understand the cause of our suffering, to untangle the knots, to find a form of well-being and give some sort of meaning to our lives.

Adult consultation

pointcentral — 2018-03-24T10:26:00Z

The process will depend upon an individual's needs, but will always start with an initial appointment.
This first meeting is primordial in laying the foundation of a therapist-client relationship and the likely rate of success of the therapy. It involves an exchange of ideas about the issues that brought the person to consult and their needs and objectives. This is also the opportunity for the psychologist to explain the framework and outline how the sessions will (...)

- Process Overview

Adoption

pointcentral — 2018-03-24T10:24:43Z

Adoption

In France, there are two forms of adoption:

Full adoption
It is irrevocable. The child has the nationality and the family name of his new parents, and all connections with the biological family are broken.

Simple adoption
It is revocable in very severe cases. The child bears his family name, followed by the one of his adoptive parent, or only the one of the adoptive parent. They keep the rights of inheritance of their family of origin.

The natural filiation is formalised at the town hall by a simple statement of declaration of recognition. In the case of filiation by adoption it is a judgment of the High Court that pronounces and establishes the filiation.

Adoption for French nationals

As French people, whether we adopt a foreign or a French child, it is necessary to first obtain the Approval for Adoption. This is a legal authorization to adopt. It is a document stating that you offer a home that is suitable children in search of a family. Indeed Decree 98771 of 1st September 1998 stipulates that it must be ensured that "the reception conditions offered by the applicant on family educational and psychological levels meet the needs and interests of an adopted child. "

To get the approval, we must build a case and provide a number of documents including psychological evaluation. Under Article R225-4 of the Code of Social Action and Families, a psychologist or psychiatrist must assess "the psychological context in which is formed the plan to adopt."

Psychological assessment objectives

Psychological evaluation is therefore part of a legal proceeding.

But psychological evaluation also includes an informative and reflective dimension with couples or singles making an adoption application. The aim is to help them understand adoptive parenthood, the adopted child, the child's experiences, and the child's past present and future issues.