We found Georgia (Happy Child Agency) purely by chance whilst doing an internet search to find some support for my 7-year-old son, Billy, who has been diagnosed as being on the Autistic Spectrum. I hoped for some support in helping guide Billy to understand how to gain control of his emotions (particularly anger) and also to start helping him to understand what Autism is. We had previous experience of working with a cognitive behavioural therapist, but Billy did not bond with the therapist and we didn’t feel we had accomplished what we had hoped for.
Georgia suggested we have a free skype consultation to discuss our needs in further detail and work out a potential plan for a 6-week series of sessions. Georgia was very interested in finding out about Billy and how she might be able to help us. She was methodical and also charming, and I had a good instinct that Billy would like her, as indeed we did. At first I had anticipated that Georgia would either visit our home or we would visit her home, but she suggested that most of her sessions took part within a school setting and I was happy to give this a try. Despite Billy’s school being outside of her usual proximity boundaries, Georgia was very flexible and said she would be happy to come to Billy’s school for just a little extra mileage money.
Georgia did all the liaising with the SENCO from Billy’s School and set up weekly meetings for Billy to be released from the classroom to attend her sessions. From the word “go”, Billy took to Georgia immediately. After the first session he asked, “when can I see Georgia again?”. She built a rapport almost immediately with her warm and patient approach, understanding just how to keep Billy engaged (he has a short attention span) and interested. She approached the sessions with excellent planning, sharing with me what the next session would involve, what the hoped outcomes would be, and if we needed to do any homework or preparation for the next session. She gave an excellent feedback after every session, letting me know what they had discussed, done, and experienced together, giving us time to discuss what had been achieved. I was amazed how much they achieved within an hour’s session.
We completed our 6 sessions, and due to the Coronavirus outbreak, the final two were taken online over Zoom, all organized by Georgia. I was sceptical about how successful the remote sessions would be, but I needn’t have worried. Georgia had us shooting water guns outside in the garden, shooting down our “anger emotions”, showing continued creative ways to present the learning.
The initial 6 sessions may have ended, but as far as Billy is concerned, he’d like to continue to see Georgia relatively regularly “because I like her and I’m learning a lot”, so that we will do!
Billy has definitely developed more tools for managing his emotions, as well as gaining an understanding into what is means to have autism and how autism can become his “superpower”.
In summary, Georgia is a highly engaging, creative, calm, approachable professional who has the learning and total welfare of the child at heart. I can 100% wholeheartedly recommend her services and I feel very grateful that we found her. Oh, and the SENCO from the school who greeted her when she came for the sessions was so impressed with her that she even asked Georgia for her details so she could use her for the school for future collective sessions! Thank you, Georgia, you are like gold dust!
Names in case studies are changed to protect the identities of families and children. Photos used are for representative purposes only.