The first CARE topic has arrived on MOVE&TRY: child and adolescent psychotherapy.
From the beginning, I imagined CARE as a space for topics that may not be an activity in the traditional sense, but can have a real impact on how we live, how we relate to ourselves and how we care for others.
That is why it mattered to me that CARE did not begin with something superficial, but with a topic that asks for a little more attention, understanding and trust.
Psychotherapy is exactly that kind of topic.
And I was especially glad that the first CARE topic was helped to life by someone I have known for almost two decades.
Nikolina Đurić is a child and adolescent integrative psychotherapist, social worker and owner of Lumos, a child and adolescent psychotherapy practice.
Through her work, she creates a space where children, adolescents and their families can receive support, feel heard and better understand what can sometimes be difficult to put into words.
And Nikolina's MOVE&TRY story will not stop with this CARE topic.
She will continue sharing her professional perspective through her own column in The Journal — “More Than What We See” — where she will write about children, adolescents, emotions, relationships and everything that can be happening beneath what we first notice.
One of the messages that stayed with me most from her contribution is that we do not have to wait for a problem to become big before seeking support.
In children, what they cannot yet express in words can sometimes appear as withdrawal, changes in behaviour, anxiety, difficulties in relationships or changes in everyday functioning.
And a parent does not have to know immediately what is happening.
They do not need to have a diagnosis, an explanation or a ready-made answer.
Sometimes the first step is simply a conversation.
In the new CARE topic, you can now find a guide for parents, an Expert Insight and information about Lumos as one of the places where support can be found.
It is not intended as an answer to every question, but as a starting point for better understanding a topic that is still often surrounded by discomfort, stigma or the feeling that support should only be sought once we can no longer manage on our own.
And perhaps that is exactly where a change in perspective is worthwhile.
Caring for ourselves and others does not have to begin only when things become too difficult.
Sometimes it can begin earlier — when we decide to stop, listen and try to better understand what is happening.
This is only the first CARE topic on MOVE&TRY.
And I think it is a good place to begin.
CARE · MOVE&TRY
The child and adolescent psychotherapy content was prepared with the professional contribution of Nikolina Đurić, child and adolescent integrative psychotherapist, social worker and owner of Lumos.