Don't Sweat the Holidays

With the holidays coming up, schedules will be changing quite a bit. Combine that with the fact that some of us are getting sick a little more often than usual (thank you 18 months of isolation and immune system vacation), and we can start to worry about losing momentum in therapy. 

We might start thinking thoughts like:

We just can’t lose ground now!

I have to figure out how to make up the therapy time.

I have to work extra hard over the holidays.

Not to fear! Let’s take a lesson out of last week’s blog and practice some thoughts that might serve us better in this situation.

While it’s true that we do sometimes see regression as a result of pauses in therapy, there are some other things that are also true about pauses in therapy. Here are some of them:

A natural pause in therapy gives us information about what a child needs moving forward

A pause in therapy allows for some planned and unplanned novelty in the schedule

A pause in therapy shows us where there’s been improvement and where we still need to work

A pause in therapy is sometimes exactly what we need.

These thoughts are no less true than the ones that make us feel icky. Can you see that?

Schedules happen. Holidays happen. Everyone needs breaks now and again. (parents, teachers and therapists most especially!)

So, if we accept that the breaks are a part of life, then we can start to create some useful thoughts around that reality. And we can start to ask some good questions during the break:

What am I noticing about my child’s behavior?

Am I seeing my child using any new skills?

What, if any, specific areas of regression am I seeing?

How can I help make this break useful for my child and myself?

What thoughts will you be thinking about any upcoming pauses in therapy? What questions will you be asking yourself during those pauses? 

Will you let me know by replying to this email?

All my best - Gabriele