KDV Parent mental health

07/11/2025

30/08/2024

Thanks to some funding we received last Christmas, we are excited to let you know that we have some limited, fully funded places available for this brilliant course for Dads "The Silent Struggle: Mental Wellbeing Skills for Dads", run by our in-house, experienced mental health therapist and registered health professional, Kathryn Di Virgilio .parentmentalhealth

The course is designed to help navigate the journey of fatherhood with confidence and resilience this specialised therapy course and workshop series tailored to support dads and dads-to-be.

Next course start date – Saturday 28th September 2024, 9am

For more information, and to register your interest, head over to https://pandasfoundation.org.uk/how-we-can-support-you/mental-wellbeing-skills-for-dads/

Please do share this opportunity - thank you!
[ID - "Attention Dads! Limited, fully funded spots available on our new course for Dads "]

01/05/2024

Today is maternal mental health day and the theme is stronger together.

Shame and isolation make an already difficult time far more challenging. Feeling like we are the only ones finding parenting difficult can trap us in struggling with thoughts and feelings, prevent us getting help or talking about how we feel.

The more we share the more we realise that we all have struggles, we all have difficult times and that we are not alone. This is so important and I am very lucky to witness the power of the connections that come with honesty and openness in the group sessions I run with

When parents connect and share they come together and get strength from knowing they are not alone.

17/04/2024

🎉. WELCOME BACK 🎉

I've never been great at posting on social media but I have been away for a very long time.

There are some new people who have found this page so I have taken that as an opportunity to say hello and reignite my difficult relationship with posting online.

I'm Kathryn, I'm passionate about supporting people to manage their mental health so that they can live full and meaningful lives. I live and breathe this work and love nothing more than helping someone overcome barriers that were holding them back from all that life has to offer them.

I have so many exciting projects coming up, I'm particularly looking forward to the Dad's therapy course that is starting this Saturday with

I will try to make a more regular appearance on social media so that I can share ideas, inspiration and opportunities to provide support.

I'm available to support all parents no matter what your experience has been so please reach out if you would like some help.

15/10/2022

A wave of light for the last day of baby loss awareness week.

Remembering the babies and children that were gone too soon and sending love and support to all those who have experienced the painful loss of a child 💕

14/10/2022

Continuing with PANDAS Awareness Week 2022 I thought I would end the week by talking about why early intervention is so important.

Often we try so hard to manage by ourselves and 'snap out of it'. The problem here is that we get caught in our own thinking patterns and go in to battle against our own feelings.

Reaching out and getting help as soon as you notice you're struggling with thoughts and feelings makes a massive difference. Taking to someone who understands, who can relate to how you're feeling and offer you support can stop those feelings of isolation and help offer a different perspective.

PANDAS can offer support in so many ways - they have a helpline that you can call whenever you feel like you want to reach out as well as email support and in person support groups.

www.pandasfoundation.org.uk

Please don't struggle, don't compare yourself to other people or just hope things will get better. Reach out for help - it makes a huge difference to your life.

12/10/2022

A very good friend of mine recently welcomed a beautiful baby girl in to her life.

I met her baby at the weekend and instead of the usual 'welcome to world' the baby cards I gave my friend a card that said 'you've got this'.

Inside I wrote about how happy I was for her for all the wonderful times that were ahead. I also wrote that she will face challenges and that when she does I would be there if she needed to laugh, cry, scream or share any other feeling that came her way.

I think it's so important that we're honest with new mums about the fact that it won't always be easy.

I didn't want to be negative and felt a little uneasy at shying away from all the 'sunshine and rainbows' cards but ultimately I felt much more content at being honest. I really wanted to let my friend know it's OK to not always find motherhood fulfilling and happy.

10/10/2022

Today is World Mental Health Day, it is also the beginning of PANDAS Awareness Week 2022.

This year are focusing on the importance of early intervention. So I thought it was a good time to talk about what early intervention really means.

It basically means reaching out for help and support as soon as you feel you need it - not waiting for things to get worse or trying to manage all by yourself.

We often think we are coping OK or compare ourselves to other people and think we have nothing to complain about.

We're often full of doubt about whether there really is a problem, we look for a label or diagnosis or alternatively we are reluctant to get help for fear of being labelled.

Talking to somebody early on can make a huge difference. Being supported, understood and knowing you are not alone are some of the most powerful interventions available and you don't need to wait for them.

PANDAS are available for you whenever you need them - they have a helpline, online support and face to face groups. You don't need to be at rock bottom: Access the support as soon as you feel you need it.

www.pandasfoundation.org.uk

03/10/2022

Anyone who has ever had any online session with me will know how much I love my whiteboard. I explore ideas on it, map out life experiences and always send a picture of what we've created to my clients.

This evening I'm using it for my Dropping the struggle therapy course with

This session focuses on the importance of being in the present moment and how it helps us to feel more connected to ourselves and our families.

I love this session because we focus on how you can use these present moment skills in day to day life, even with the chaos and demands of caring for babies and children. It's so important to me that I help parents realise you don't have to formally meditate or try to be relaxed and calm.There are so many ways to connect to this part of ourselves and the benefits are amazing.

05/09/2022

I've been away from social media for a while but now I'm back and very excited about the upcoming events this Autumn.

I'll be running the well established therapy course "Dropping the Struggle: Wellbeing skills for parents" and also introducing new wellbeing workshops with

As always I will be offering 1:1 support with therapy sessions available over Zoom or in person in Ruislip.

I'm looking forward to collaborating further with and working closely with the network of amazing ladies running local services for families: .first.aid_harrow