Holding Calm in an anxiety filled world

Welcome to the website. I am a mum of two zen-master kids and one zen-master dog. I work in mental health and I am passionate about supporting our kids, teens and the adults who care for them with their mental health. Having worked in the public health service over many years, I have been saddened by how many really caring people are not able to do what they do best, support other people with their mental health, because the system impedes them. I came across meditation many years ago (when I finally gave in to my dad's plea "you need to learn to meditate!"). It was great, but I never saw the real benefits of it until I had my own kids and saw how helpful regular meditation and being in the company of others who meditate regularly too was.

I came across Connected Kids (TM) when I wanted to help my son with anxiety. He is a very gently empathic soul who gets very worried, and I wanted to find somewhere he could learn to be less anxious. Who knew kids could meditate? I didn't! I just wanted to help him relax and manage his anxiety. I learnt that kids, teens, anyone, anywhere, special needs or otherwise can meditate. The trick is knowing what works with each individual. We all learn differently, and we all respond to different things. Think about people who love music and others who are tone deaf. Think about people who love buildings and engineering and others who are not moved by these kinds of structure! Think of people who hug trees and others who can't tell one type of tree from another. Thank goodness we are all different.

I trained as a Connected Kids Tutor and began to use the methods I learnt from Lorraine Murray, the Connected Kids founder, with my own children and then very gradually with other children. I trained to teach carers and people who work with children how to teach their little people meditation. I am presently finishing my training to teach people to become professional kids and teens meditation tutors, including people with special needs, ADHD and people on the autistic spectrum.

Having worked in mental health for so long, I really care about giving people the tools to help themselves with their mental health. Never more so than now when the world is increasingly filled with anxiety and fear is contagious.

I hope this website will, over time, be filled with information about mindfulness, meditation, supporting kids and teens with their mental health, supporting those who care for them and teach them with their mental health. I hope to record some meditations to download and to record some interviews with people who are on this journey in life too.

I will also provide links to helpful resources, books for kids and teens.

I lead meditation and mindfulness sessions for kids and teens, individually and in groups, so please feel free to contact me through the information on the website if you want to discuss that. I am fully Garda vetted and up to date with registration and insurance.

I will also be holding regular classes, online or face to face, whichever is called for within the allowed restrictions and within personal preferences. These classes and seminars will be to support parents, teachers, carers and anyone interested in mindful ways to be ourselves and to hold calm space for the young people in our lives who cannot hold that space for themselves yet.

If you are interested in learning how to teach your own child or young person you work with how to meditate, please also get in touch, as I will be arranging Foundation Level Connected Kids (TM) training here in Dublin (and online too!) in the near future.