The Impact of Complex Medical Conditions & Serious Illness on Children, Young People & their Families

Training from the The Sunflower Network

Drawing on Naomi’s experience of working with sick children at The Red Cross Children’s Hospital in Cape Town and Great Ormond Street Hospital in the UK as well as her therapeutic work in this field, the day will explore the impact of this complex and challenging area of work both on the child or young person who has the condition or illness, and also on their siblings and families.

Due to time limits and the vast spectrum of medical conditions we will not be focusing on any specific condition in depth but attendees will be given a framework with which to assess children they work with who fall into this category. We will consider the impact on their emotional wellbeing and explore and discuss strategies to help support the child, sibling and/or family.

We will also consider the impact on us as practitioners in terms of being able to be fully present to see the child beyond the illness or condition. We will also discuss how we can best avoid getting caught up in family narratives whilst managing our own self-care and potential triggers and all the additional challenges that come with working in this field. 

The price of the workshop includes a handbook and other resources to take home for further reference. 

Who is it for: 

Child and adolescent therapists & counsellors, SENCO’s, wellbeing practitioners, teachers, mental health leads, youth workers, social workers, support workers, teaching assistants and any and all who are interested in the intricate but fascinating area of complexity and want to consider how they might support children, young people and their families better.

Workshop Facilitator: 

Naomi Moore trained as a play and creative arts and child/parent therapist. She runs the weekend play provision and volunteer mentoring at Great Ormond Street Hospital and runs training for GOSH, international children's charities and in schools on play, children's emotional wellbeing, mental health and trauma informed education. 

Prior to her therapy career she worked in early years and primary education specialising in nurture group work with children with emotional and behavioural difficulties. She has worked with children and young people of all ages and their families internationally, as well as in the UK, across both state and private sectors including specialist adolescent inpatient units, orphanages, refugee camps, palliative care and severe medical trauma. 

Currently Naomi works as a therapist, a trauma informed education practitioner and a wellbeing and mental health lead in inner city London primary schools, an ASD base, a PRU and in private practice. She also writes and illustrates children's books.

For more information and booking head HERE