HealingLeaves

16/10/2026

Did you know that breathing exercises can help you and your child to calm your nervous system and regulate your emotions? In this blog, we share the science behind breathing and ways you can teach yourself and others to use it to calm big emotions.

5 Nov 2025 How Simple Breathing Exercises Can Help You and Your Child Handle Big Emotions by Marthé Kotze-de B**r | posted in: Mental Health, Parenting, Youth | 0 When your child has a meltdown, or you feel your own frustration rising, you’ve probably told yourself — or them — “just take a ...

14/10/2026

Dealing with childhood trauma is difficult, but you don't need to do it alone. Contact us today to learn more about our H.E.L.P. - Helping Kids Cope training.

13/10/2026

Excellent advice on what steps to follow if a child discloses abuse. We all have a responsibility to be safe adults and help protect the children around us!

When a child tells you about abuse, your response in that moment matters. Your role is to listen, support and report, not to investigate.
Stay Calm: Keep your voice and body language calm. Shock or anger can make a child stop talking.
Listen and Believe: Give the child your full attention and take what they say seriously.
No Leading Questions: Let the child tell it in their own words. Use open prompts like "Tell me more."
Never Promise Secrecy: Explain gently that you need to tell people whose job it is to help.
Reassure the Child: Let them know it is not their fault and that they did the right thing by telling you.
Record and Report: Write down the child's exact words, the date and time, and report to a designated child protection organisation, the Department of Social Development or SAPS.
If a child is in immediate danger, contact SAPS or emergency services without delay. 🤝

11/10/2026

Every girl deserves a childhood. Every girl deserves the freedom to learn, to grow, to make her own choices and to define her own future. Yet millions of girls are still denied that freedom.

Each year, more than 12 million girls - roughly one every three seconds - are married before reaching adulthood, with the highest prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa. Child marriage remains one of the most widespread violations of girls’ rights, denying millions of girls the chance to stay in school, protect their health, live free from violence and fulfil their potential.

On International Day of the Girl, remember that we can ensure every girl, everywhere, can realise her rights and fulfil her potential. When girls are safe, educated, and empowered, they don’t just transform their own lives; they help build healthier families, stronger communities, and more peaceful, prosperous societies.

10/10/2026

World Mental Health Day is an opportunity to meaningfully engage with people with lived experience (PWLE) of mental health conditions and to recognise their knowledge as a vital form of expertise. This year’s campaign calls for their voices to shape the policies, services and decisions that affect their lives.

Lived experience is what someone has experienced themselves, especially when it gives the individual knowledge or understanding that people who have only heard or learnt about such experiences do not have.

Too often, PWLE are asked to share their stories but excluded from decisions. Meaningful engagement extends beyond simply being heard.

It means creating opportunities for people to influence decisions, co-design services, strengthen peer-led approaches, challenge stigma and strengthen accountability. When PWLE are meaningfully engaged, mental health systems are likely to become more person-centred, rights-based and responsive to people's needs and concerns.

On this World Mental Health Day, let us move from listening to action – and build mental health systems with PWLE, not merely for them.

06/10/2026

The RAIN technique is an easy way to help children (and adults) become aware of their feelings and find healthy ways to cope with them.

For more coping skills and information on how to help kids to cope, contact us today!

02/10/2026

Do you want to learn more about how childhood trauma affects the brain and body and gain valuable knowledge about how to support and empower children who have experienced trauma? Then contact us today to find out more about our H.E.L.P. - Helping Kids Cope training!

30/09/2026

Breathing exercises don't need to be complicated. Here is an easy way to teach children how to focus on deep, calming breathing. 🌈

28/09/2026

There is always more behind difficult behaviour than meets the eye. Most of the time children are not purposefully giving you a hard time, they are having a hard time!

The ‘Bad’ Behaviour Iceberg 🧊 look below a child’s behaviour instead of simply seeing it as ‘bad’ behaviour

Want this image?
- Follow my page CYP Wellbeing Resources - Counselling with Charl
- Comment ‘Iceberg’ ⬇️