Katherine van Heerden Psychology Practice

12/11/2025

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPL4QflDqSF/?igsh=ZDlhbjBxOTRzb3Fl

12/11/2025

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQLwTwkD8F7/?igsh=MXhjZG1sNmVqeXZwZw==

09/11/2025

Sometimes we ignore or brush off children's discomfort telling them not to worry.

*"It's nothing."
*"We love her."
*"Stop worrying so much."

Intuition, yours and your children's, is one of the most helpful warning signs of potential harm.

Ignoring, dismissing or minimizing a child's expression of discomfort and intuition is a great dis-service to their safety.

Instead, listening and honoring their discomfort could be the very thing that keeps them safe!

One of the most helpful responses you can have if your child expresses discomfort with a particular person is, "Tell me more. I'm listening."

Parenting Safe Children workshop Nov 8. Register at calendar at parentingsafechildren.com/calendar or DM me.

09/11/2025

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOjEnvzjneP/?igsh=cDV0NTU4Zm9uNmY=

05/11/2025

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04/11/2025

It would be difficult to say what we all feel as well as https://engagedlearning.me said it!

Everywhere you go, you will meet brilliant children who think they are not. Not because they lack intelligence, but because the system they are in has stopped recognising it.

We have mistaken compliance for learning,
performance for understanding,
and memorisation for mastery.

THE RESULT
Curiosity fades.
Creativity withers.
Joy disappears.
Learning was never meant to be mechanical. It was meant to be alive.

IMAGINE A SCHOOL WHERE:
- Children follow curiosity, not just curriculum.
- Learning Guides (not teachers!) guide through questions, not answers.
- Failure is feedback, not shame.
- Growth is measured in connection, not comparison.
-Success isn’t about test scores; it’s about the capacity to think, feel, and create in alignment with purpose.

EDUCATION SHOULD develop both intelligence and humanity - the mind and the heart. Because when children feel seen, safe, and inspired, they don’t just learn - they transform.
Real Learning.
Real Purpose.
Real Impact.

28/10/2025

Social media: our teens’ lifeline AND their biggest stressor.

A new paper by Augustus Osborne, reminds us that social media can support and harm adolescent mental health — offering connection and community, but also fuelling anxiety, poor sleep, and cyberbullying.

As parents, teachers, and practitioners, we can guide teens toward responsible and mindful online use 👇

💡 Practical ideas:
1) Co-create “digital boundaries” — no phones at meals or before bed.
2) Ask reflective questions: “How does this app make you feel?”
3) Model mindful use — let them see you take breaks, too.
4) Talk about what’s real vs. edited online.
5) Include social media check-ins in therapy or classroom discussions.
6) Build empathy and kindness into every online space.

Osborne calls for action from all of us — parents, educators, clinicians, and tech companies — to make digital spaces safer and healthier for our youth.

Let’s teach teens not just to use social media — but to use it with awareness, balance, and kindness.

📖 Source: Osborne, A. (2025). Balancing the benefits and risks of social media on adolescent mental health in a post-pandemic world. Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 19:92.

23/10/2025