Stay Calm

Stay Calm Offering solutions for Schools & families to support the mental health, wellbeing of children & teenagers. Including SEN

✨ Using Social Stories to Support Children with Anxiety ✨One of the tools I often use when working with children is soci...
20/04/2026

✨ Using Social Stories to Support Children with Anxiety ✨

One of the tools I often use when working with children is social stories and they can be incredibly powerful, especially for situations that feel overwhelming or confusing, such as school.

For some children, particularly those on the autistic spectrum, the world can feel very black and white. Social situations, unspoken rules, and changes in routine can create a huge amount of uncertainty… and with that often comes anxiety.

Social stories gently bridge that gap.
They help to:
🌿 Explain what is happening in a clear, predictable way
🌿 Break down situations step by step
🌿 Offer language the child can use
🌿 Reassure the child that they are safe and supported

When I create these with children, I like to make them personal and creative. I often give each child a scrapbook, and together we build their own collection of stories. They might:
🎨 Draw pictures to go alongside the story
📸 Add photos of real places or people
✏️ Include their own words and ideas
Over time, this becomes so much more than a book, it becomes a toolkit of understanding and reassurance.

One of the most valuable parts is that the scrapbook travels between home and school. This creates a really important connection, meaning:
💛 Everyone is using the same language
💛 The child receives consistent support
💛 Adults can respond in a familiar, predictable way

In my experience, children will often return to their book independently when they feel unsure. It gives them something solid to hold onto when things feel uncertain.

Social stories aren’t about telling a child what to do, they are about helping them make sense of their world, feel more in control, and reduce anxiety in a gentle, supportive way.

Such a simple tool… but when used in the right way, it can make a huge difference 🌿

If you’d like to know more about how I use social stories in my sessions, feel free to reach out 💛

Does your teen feel overwhelmed, anxious or stuck?Over this 5-week journey, they’ll begin to truly understand what’s hap...
16/04/2026

Does your teen feel overwhelmed, anxious or stuck?

Over this 5-week journey, they’ll begin to truly understand what’s happening inside them, learning about the stress response, why anxiety shows up, and the science behind it in a way that makes sense to them.

But this isn’t just about understanding…

Each week, your teen will build their own personalised calm toolkit, filled with practical, usable strategies they can turn to in real-life moments.

✨ Tools they choose
✨ Tools that work for them
✨ Tools they can keep using long after the programme ends

Parents are very welcome to take part alongside their teen 💜

And this can be incredibly powerful…
When parents understand the stress response too, it helps you:
✔ Support your teen in the moment
✔ Respond with calm rather than frustration
✔ Create a shared language around anxiety at home

You can do the journey together, or your teen can do it independently. Whatever feels right for you.

This is about helping your teen feel calmer, more confident, and more in control.

You’ll receive a handout after each session and support through the five weeks - only £200

Book a discovery call - WhatsApp Jacqui 07452835784

I wanted to let you know we will be running another Sing & Create workshop on 24th April and there are just 6 places lef...
13/04/2026

I wanted to let you know we will be running another Sing & Create workshop on 24th April and there are just 6 places left.

A big part of the session is the children getting to meet Syd, the lovely therapy dog, which they always absolutely love. He brings such a calm, gentle presence to the group.

We’ll also be making a musical instrument and creating a song together, which is always a real highlight, the children have so much fun with this and love taking it home.

We’ll include a few simple, calming games to gently bring the children together at the start, helping them feel relaxed and part of the group.

As always, there is no pressure at all, children can join in in their own way and at their own pace.

Parents are welcome to stay. Tea and coffee are provided.

There is plenty of parking.

If you’d like to book one of the remaining places, just reply to this post or WhatsApp Jacqui 07452835784

10/04/2026

We had a great session today doing mindfulness colouring followed by an activity I created for teachers to use with their children. Got a massive thumbs up from the Friday Gang

09/04/2026

And Breathe

When anxiety isn’t “just worry”…I often hear people say, “they just need to go to school” or “they’ll be fine once they ...
09/04/2026

When anxiety isn’t “just worry”…

I often hear people say, “they just need to go to school” or “they’ll be fine once they get there.”

But for a teenager experiencing anxiety, it’s not that simple.
If you’ve never felt anxiety in your body, it can be hard to understand how overwhelming it can be.

It’s not a choice. It’s not something they can just switch off.
For some teenagers, school starts to feel unsafe, not because of what’s happening around them, but because their nervous system is on high alert. Their stress response has taken over.

This is often where school refusal begins.

And what can look like avoidance or lack of motivation is actually a young person who feels completely overwhelmed.

This is why understanding what’s happening in the body is so important.

In the 5-week programme I run, I support teenagers to learn about their stress response and nervous system. Parents often join in on the sessions.

That shared understanding can be incredibly powerful.

Together, we gently build a toolkit of simple, supportive strategies.

No pressure. Just small steps.

And over time, something shifts.

They begin to see…
they’re not broken
and there are things they can do to help themselves.

If you’re supporting a teenager who is struggling, please know, things can change with support and understanding.

And if this resonates, please feel free to share this post with someone who might need to read it 💛

If you'd like to book a discovery call then WhatsApp Jacqui 07452 835784

04/04/2026

So grateful to have trained 42 wonderful teachers from Iceland who travelled to Brighton for this session.
In just three hours, they learned my Magical Garden technique—giving them a powerful, creative tool to support children’s emotional wellbeing in their schools and classrooms.
Their openness and enthusiasm were incredible. It’s so inspiring to share this work and see it ripple out to so many children.

03/04/2026

Offering children a gentle, creative way to understand and manage their emotions.

02/04/2026

The Magical Garden gives children a safe place they can return to whenever they need it.
Through imagination — something children naturally connect with — they create a world where they feel calm, in control, and free to express themselves.
And this isn’t just play… it’s powerful.
Imagination helps regulate the nervous system, gently moving children out of stress and into a place of safety.
Along the way, they build simple, lifelong tools to manage big feelings, find calm, and reconnect with themselves.
Because when a child feels safe… everything begins to change

By: Leo BuscagliaWhen I ask you to listen to meand you start giving me advice,You have not done what I asked.When I ask ...
01/04/2026

By: Leo Buscaglia
When I ask you to listen to me
and you start giving me advice,
You have not done what I asked.

When I ask you to listen to me
and you begin to tell me why
I shouldn’t feel that way,
you are trampling on my feelings.

When I ask you to listen to me
and you feel you have to do something
to solve my problem,
you have failed me,
strange as that may seem.

Listen! All I ask is that you listen.
Don’t talk or do – just hear me…

And I can do for myself; I am not helpless.
Maybe discouraged and faltering,
but not helpless.

When you do something for me that I can and need to do for myself, you contribute to my fear and
Inadequacy.

But when you accept as a simple fact
That I feel what I feel,
No matter how irrational,
Then I can stop trying to convince
You and get about this business
Of understanding what’s behind
This irrational feeling.

And when that’s clear, the answers are obvious and I don’t need advice. Irrational feelings make sense when
we understand what’s behind them.

So please listen, and just hear me.
And if you want to talk, wait a minute
for your turn– and I will listen to you.

01/04/2026

Join us on the 24th April for another creative musical session and meet Syd the therapy dog. Any questions just get in touch and please share with anyone who might enjoy the session

Creative Wellbeing Workshop for Children (Ages 5–10)We invite home educating families and those with children currently ...
01/04/2026

Creative Wellbeing Workshop for Children (Ages 5–10)

We invite home educating families and those with children currently struggling to attend school to join us for a nurturing, creative three-hour session.

Led by Jacqui Cameron and Victoria McCrea, alongside our gentle therapy dog Syd the therapy dog, this session offers a calm and supportive space for children to connect, create and build confidence.

What the session looks like:
🟢 Children will enjoy a relaxed mix of activities including:
🟢 Gentle time with Syd
🟢 Fun mindfulness games to support calm, focus and confidence
🟢 Creative colouring and expression
🟢 Making their own musical instrument
🟢 Creating a group song together (with a recording to take home)

Each child will leave with their creations, a mindfulness resource pack, and most importantly — a sense of connection, confidence, and often a new friendship. And there may even be a little fairy surprise ✨

This is a small, nurturing group with no pressure, just gentle encouragement and fun.

☕ Parents are welcome to stay and enjoy tea or coffee
🚗 Parking available

✨ Only 6 spaces remaining (limited to 10 children

Address

1-2 Frank's Bridge Cottages
Headcorn
TN279SX

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 6pm
Tuesday 9am - 6pm
Wednesday 9am - 6pm
Thursday 9am - 6pm
Friday 9am - 6pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm

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Emotional Wellbeing

Stay Calm supports parents, teachers and carers to help children and teenagers with mental health issues, in particular anxiety. It’s also also about supporting parents themselves as they navigate through the parenting process. It can be challenging and not always easy so I like to help parents find their way and feel empowered. We all can only do our best and sometimes it helps to reach out and get some support. It’s so important that we look after our own emotional wellbeing so that we can then support our children.

I am interested in all areas that impact our mental health and I’m always looking for ways to help make life a little calmer. Mindfulness is the main focus of what I do as it has such an amazing affect at combatting anxiety and sleep issues, as well as helping with behavioural issues.

I’m also fascinated with the link between food and mood so I like to share information on this as the impact of the wrongs foods can have a massive impact on behaviour and exacerbate anxiety and depression.

Stay Calm is a space where you can explore different things that you had maybe not considered. If you enjoy articles, blogs etc then please feel free to share them so that they can reach a wider audience and invite friends along to the page if you feel it will benefit them.