MdB - Behavior consultancy

How to make sure a four year old knows what she signs up for when saying “yes, I’ll go to Paris with dad and big brother for 4 days (without mom and baby sister)”. This is my approach to making it as concrete as possible, I visualize it into a comic story.

MdB is feeling very grateful - on maternity leave and baby girl (1 week old) is doing very well.

What a great initiative to post these kinds of messages online for all to see and read, and learn.

My name is Georgia.
I’m 29 years old.
I live in Denmark, but have also lived in London.
I’m half Danish, half Scottish.
And I have schizophrenia.

My favourite colour is blue.
My favourite animal is the mouse.
My favourite singer is Taylor Swift.
My favourite movie is Inception.
My favourite thing to do is prove my illness wrong.

I’m highly intelligent. (Not bragging, just a fact.)
I’m told I’m strong.
Brave.
Kind.
Sometimes funny.
I can see humour in darkness; positivity in pain.

I love being creative.
I love reading manga.
I love doing origami.
I love writing.
I’ve written two books about my life with schizophrenia.

“Voices Off” was published earlier this year.

I can’t work.
I can’t study.
I can’t have a “normal” social life.
I’ve never been in a relationship.
Schizophrenia messed up a lot of my plans.

I hear voices. Every day.
I take medicine to keep me healthy.
I have to be so careful, all the time.
I mustn’t get too much stress - neither positive nor negative.
I have relapsed before.

But, here on , I have a request.

Share a with the hashtag . The world needs to see what we look like; to understand that we’re not mad, we’re not violent, we’re not weird. We’re just normal young people struggling with challenges most people couldn’t even begin to comprehend.

We’re absolute warriors.

📖

Dear parents, caregivers and other followers of MdB: I am very happy to share with you that my website is live!

Please check

www.mdbbehavior.com

for more detailed information on all my services and also an exciting new service:
the Triple P Positive Parenting Program - Group Teen trainings!

Home | MdB Behavior On this website you will find all information about my services, including parental support, behavior management in schools, support to neurodiverse families and counselling sessions with children, all in the greater Copenhagen area.

Thanks to brave people like this, we can learn more about the fact that we are all different, whether we are neurodiverse or neurotypical

My name is Georgia, and I suffer from schizophrenia. A highly misunderstood and unfairly stigmatised illness — which I hope to help change by telling my story.

‘Voices Off: Talking About Schizophrenia’ is my book, published 12th January this year. So it’s completely new. Hot off the press.

Due to my illness, verbal communication is difficult for me — this is where social media comes in. I am a small Instagram account with 200 followers and my Facebook posts don’t always reach far, but I’m giving it a shot anyway.

Please share this post — anywhere you can, anywhere at all you think it would be relevant — or simply tell your network about my book; ‘Voices Off’, by Georgia Brask. Anything helps. I would love for my book to get in front of and help those who need it the most — and it could very well do that with your help!

Currently, ‘Voices Off’ is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Waterstones (links below).

Did you know that schizophrenia is NOT ‘multiple personalities’? And that the majority of schizophrenics aren’t violent or dangerous? Find out more about this devastating disease in my book …

Thank you for your time (and don't forget to share!) 😊

AMAZON: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Voices-Off-Talking-About-Schizophrenia/dp/1913615685/

BARNES & NOBLE: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/voices-off-georgia-brask/1142809806?ean=9781913615680

WATERSTONES: https://www.waterstones.com/book/voices-off/georgia-brask/9781913615680

🎅All I want for Christmas... (and the new year 🍾)

* Inclusivity
* parents who are aware and feel empowered
* children who are well-in-touch-with-their-emotions (and those of others) and proud to be themselves.

Join me next year Behavior Consultancy and together we will get there, one step at the time

A little take away from this month's webinar: enjoying Christmas as a family:
When our lives are busy and we are managing many things at once, - which often happens during festive holidays -, our brain and nervous system tend to go in overdrive, potentially leading to overwhelm and reduced emotional regulation.
In this state, many parents may recognize that they are parenting more 'reactively' (yelling, using consequences and/or bribing to get your child to act the way you want them to in that specific moment), instead of supportively.
By becoming aware that this is something you do, you are making a wonderful step towards changing it. So this Christmas, start with yourself: take calming breaths, regulate yourself, and then: parent.

Happy holidays everyone

A little 'something to think about' from last week's webinar on Enjoying Christmas as a family:
do you set any different expectations for your children during the festive days and familial visits? More quiet playing, better table manners, full programs with many adult-chosen activities?
By becoming aware, we can better understand why children may act out more during these days, and maybe rethink some of these expectations or balance it out more.

Happy holidays!

Dear parents,
There are still spots for this Sunday's webinar:

How to enjoy Christmas as a family - with fewer conflicts and inclusion of all family members, no matter their age

Click on this link to make sure you are a part of it https://fb.me/e/4gX7yPZU3

Happy holidays!

Last chance today to sign up for tomorrow’s Webinar: how to enjoy Christmas as a family

See you there!!!

MdB - Behavior consultancy will be finishing the year with a webinar in holiday spirits.

To join, click on this link https://fb.me/e/28mfD3sYG for Friday's lunch event, and this one https://fb.me/e/4gX7yPZU3 for Sunday's evening event.

There are 30 seats each, so make sure you sign up quick.

Happy holidays everyone!

Wishing everyone in Copenhagen lots of strength. And to the families who are affected by the terrible event happening in Field’s this afternoon, my heart goes out to you.

Today I read a post from a parent, saying
"as parents we do not really go on holiday - we just look after our kids in a different location".
I think many parents, especially those who have kids that need a lot of care and attention, feel this way sometimes. It is an art to 'relax' as a parent on holidays - and it may be a good thing to not set that expectation.
As both a parent and a therapist, I am going to take this quote to heart and feel ok with finding others ways to relax.

We can only be the parent we aspire to be,
when we take good care of ourselves.

Also during my travels I love to find things like this. So happy to see that positive parenting and emotion coaching is becoming more and more popular.

MdB Behavior consultancy is working on a new website and a calendar full of workshops and webinars, whilst of course continuing individual/family sessions, school observations, support in special needs advocacy and behavior management.
Looking forward to meeting you soon!

"We need to ensure that the rights, perspectives and well-being of persons with disabilities, including those with autism, are an integral part of building forward better from the pandemic."

-- UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday's World Autism Awareness Day.

How do we support our younger kids during the current struggles in Ukraine?
- regularly check in with your children and openly (without too much emphasis) discuss what they may be seeing on tv or (social) media

Something to keep in mind: you may think your children aren’t exposed to the news (yet), but they may still see images of war elsewhere, or overhear people talking about it.

- ask them what they think of it, how it makes them feel. If they are emotionally young and describe it in light terms, match this attitude. Keep it “matter of fact”.
If you feel they are more sensitive to it, then dive into it more and ask them - using open-ended questions to avoid leading - how the images make them feel; try to help them find words to describe the feelings and the situation. You may want to explain where this is happening by showing them on a map.

Try to stick to the current facts when discussing these kinds of subjects with children and try to find out what information they are getting from other sources.

It is also important to match your words with your own feelings - children pick up on our stress and state of mind and will notice when your words are saying one thing, yet your attitude something else. This may lead to them mistrusting your words.

I’ve signed up to help - who’s with me?

Copenhagen International Volunteer Club (Copenhagen, Denmark) The Copenhagen International Volunteer Club (CIVC) was founded in 2011 in order to bring together people of diverse backgrounds and experiences to work on issues of common interest. This group is for

A great thank you to all Link Denmark members and friends who joined my workshop this morning: "Okay mommy, yes dad" - how to get kids to listen and respect boundaries. Thanks for all the wonderful energy and input.

New series on people on the autism spectrum, played by actors on the autism spectrum!

I would love to hear from MdB followers how they think about this project at CPH airport.

What to do with young kids during 7 days of isolation?
This is a tough one!
So to continue my ‘free advice during these tough times’, I have assembled a little list of activities, inspired by friends and family, that have kept me sane and my kids stimulated the past week. Enjoy!

- As discussed last week, start with making a schedule – it really helps them to feel better
- No matter how fun pajama parties are, I would suggest to have your kids follow their normal morning routine, as if they were going to school; it helps them to get going in the morning. Plus, when you do get your freedom back/school reopens, the transition back to ‘normal’ life won’t be so difficult
- Create some different corners, or ‘play stations’ in your house that entice your kids; moving around toys and creating different ways for toys to be paired up with others, can create a whole new way of independent play. Change this every 2 days or so when the kids are in bed, so they can go exploring the next morning
- You may want to join your kids to inspire them into playing a ‘story’; maybe first read a book and then have them play out the story with their dolls, stuffed animals, lego’s. Or give them real life situations to play out: let's go to the market / let's go on holiday. Then support them in going over the steps: how will you get there, what should you bring?, and sent them off
- Have your kids prepare a picnic indoors. Let them haul a blanket, some pillows, invite their stuffed animals, maybe build a tent, get the plates and cutlery, and then have an actual meal on that spot, followed by them cleaning it all up again.
- The following was a great tip from a friend of mine: make sensory boxes. There are so many ways you can do this. My son really enjoyed the ‘excavation’ box (see pictures), filled with pebbles, lentils and rice; my daughter was more into the ‘make your cupcake’ box, with the same lentils and rice, with added colored pompons, and the ‘safari’ box, where we just added more animals to the excavation box
- Take a long bath during the day and make it a splash party – my kids aren’t always allowed to make a big mess in the bathroom, but for this activity we set some different rules as it was a pool party
- Or the calmer variant, fill up the baby bath and make it a water table, where they sit on the side and play
- If you have cardboard lying around, make it into a house, for the kids (if big enough), or for a stuffed animal; have them paint, colour, etc.
- For dinosaur lovers, there’s a great book in Danish (DinoMani, by M. Manning & B. Granstrom) with all kinds of creative ideas in this theme; we particularly loved making the flying cardboard Pterodactyl
- Ask a friend or family member to record a book reading for you kids or do to it 'live'; it's nice for your kids to see someone else besides you all day long
- And as a last for now, my personal favorite which my husband ‘invented’ based on a game from the magazine “Tchoupie’: find the objects. First have your kids find objects in a picture book, and then have them run around and find them in your house! A great way for them to be active, whilst you are on the couch. And if you have bilingual kids, you can have them call it out in all their languages when they find it.

I hope this list helps you to get through the days with a smile

MdB Behavior - a little free advice in these tough times

To all families who may need to stay at home more then anticipated...
Are you struggling with your child often asking for tv, now that you have to juggle work and having them at home? Or are they feeling bored, more anxious or just 'off'?
To support your children during times of isolation or closed schools/daycares, what really helps is routine, routine, routine. And how do you keep up such a routine? By making it visual. This way, it's the schedule who decides what's happening, and arguing with mom or dad about it won't help.
Depending on your child's age, you can have him/her be a part of creating the schedule and making it each day.
For very young children (1-3), I suggest you make the schedule and they can help colour it. Like shown in the picture, the type of activities are set (decided by the parent and the same each day), but the kids can choose the activity, like 'going outside' can be: playground, visit the ducks (if possible within regulations), or play in the garden (when no one else is there).
For children above 3, they love having more control and feeling empowered; so you can let them decide where the pre-chosen activities can be during the day - you can divide the day into two or three parts, and allow them to 'schedule' the activities to their wishes, within your availabilities.

You will see that the 'endless' negotiating moments will diminish greatly and everyone will feel more at ease, knowing what will be going to happen that day. And when your child starts demanding that magic screen, just refer them back to the schedule.. look, first we will be doing A and B, and then you can watch tv.

Have a good week and stay safe :)

MdB Behavior consultancy wishes everyone a wonderful Old Year’s Eve and an even better new year!