building brave voices

Something that I hear a lot from parents as I have been working with children is that I allow the littles to speak for themselves and advocate for what they want and are comfortable with. 

This is something that is so important to me for a variety of reasons because it will improve their confidence in speaking with a healthcare professional, they will feel more comfortable expressing what they are feeling in their body as well as learning that they have autonomy over their body and that their opinion and permission matters.

During any appointments that I have with kiddos, there is always permission being asked to do anything to them or to touch as well as explaining to them what is going on and what they might be feeling - this happens with any age from a newborn to a teenager (and adult). I aim to respect what they are saying and to not pressure them into something that they do not feel comfortable with - which I am sure can feel frustrating that nothing got accomplished during that visit, but I assure you the more that the trust is built between your kiddo and myself the better outcomes we will see in the long run. If they have any questions, the questions will always be answered to the best of my ability and (almost) no question is off limits. As a parent, you can expect for me to speak directly to your little one so that they have the opportunity to tell me what they are feeling and experiencing before you and I fill in any of the gaps that they might have left out. Together we will help them learn how to express what they are feeling as well as come up with some unique descriptors for them to use - the goal of this is to help establish and build their confidence in speaking to a healthcare provider in a neutral environment as possible because this is a skill that will be needed as they get older. I am also a firm believer in respecting their bodily autonomy - if they say they are not wanting to do something at this point in time, we will stop and can return to it later in the session or at another appointment. If they are feeling nervous about something, we will talk through it and they can even practice feeling the intervention or they can practice on me so that they can see it is not as scary as it might seem in their head.

The reason that these practices are in place is because it is what I wanted when I was a kid (and what was encouraged by my parents). I know that I enjoyed being talked to like a big kid when I was at a doctor’s office and that they took me seriously in what I was saying and feeling. I feel that it is only right to provide the same experience to these little ones.

Ultimately, the goal is to create a safe environment so that everyone feels comfortable expressing and advocating for themselves and knowing that it will be taken seriously and explained to them without judgment. These appointments, especially for kiddos, can be used for building confidence and comfort in interacting with medical professionals so that they can carry that skill throughout the rest of their life.