Blog connectrelategrow.co.uk

Welcome

Welcome to the blog section of my website.

My aim here is to add entries that clarify commonly used psycho-speak, offer information around mental health and wellbeing, and provoke thinking and discussion around those topics.

Some mental health related terminology has come to be used so liberally that its meaning is often diminished, devalued and misapplied. Of course language evolves and sometimes vocabulary comes to mean something entirely opposite to its original use. As this happens we need to find new vocabulary to describe the original concepts. I aim to keep abreast of current common use as well as how terminology is used in the research literature in order to be clear in the messages I am intending to put across.

There are many publications, books and articles written about almost any aspect of mental health. I read continuously and attend CPD as required by the NCPS (my professional body). I will attempt to summarise key points from my reading and other learning and point website visitors to experts, authors and material I have found interesting and valuable.

By offering my own thoughts, questions and perspectives on mental health and wellbeing issues, I hope to provoke others to think more broadly or deeply about issues we sometimes take for granted - and share and discuss their thinking with yet more others.

I welcome comments on my posts or suggestions for new posts at my email: louiseknightcounselling@gmail.com.

We need to talk about daycare… Post 17 – Independence, Resilience, Social Skills?

Belief: Daycare teaches independence, social skills and resilience. Parents are often told a reassuring story: that daycare helps children become independent, social, and resilient from a very young age. This narrative is comforting—and sometimes necessary—for families balancing work and care. But child development is not one-size-fits-all. The question isn’t whether daycare is “good” or “bad,” […]

We need to talk about daycare… Post 16 – Attachment: Universality and Diversity

Belief: Attachment is a white middle class construct Attachment Revisited: Universality and Diversity This is a reworking of an earlier post on attachment, to relate it specifically to the series of posts about daycare. I want to reflect on the fascinating ideas presented in Different Faces of Attachment: Cultural Variations on a Universal Human Need, edited by Hiltrud Otto and Heidi Keller. This book takes a cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural look at attachment, challenging some of the assumptions built into classical attachment theory — assumptions that often go unquestioned in Western psychology. At its core, the book reaffirms a truth: attachment […]

We need to talk about daycare… Post 15 – It didn’t harm me

Belief: "Daycare did not do me any harm" Why “Daycare Didn’t Do Me Any Harm” Is a Dangerous Myth Many adults look back on their early years and confidently claim, “Daycare didn’t do me any harm.” On the surface, it’s comforting—but it’s also fundamentally misleading. The truth is, daycare is inherently harmful in ways most […]

We need to talk about daycare… Post 14 – Poverty is the biggest problem

Belief: Poverty is a bigger factor in child and later mental health than spending infancy in daycare Poverty Matters—But Daycare Shouldn’t Be Dismissed in Lifelong Mental Health In conversations about children’s mental health, a common refrain goes something like this: poverty is the real problem; daycare barely matters by comparison. Poverty is indeed a powerful […]

We need to talk about daycare… Post 13 – Mum Guilt

Belief: 'Mum Guilt' is a phase, a normal part of parenting that we can get through Mum Guilt Isn’t “Normal” — It’s a Signal We’ve Learned to Ignore We’re told to expect it. Warned about it. Almost initiated into motherhood through it. Mum guilt. Especially when our baby starts nursery. Friends reassure us: “It’s normal.” […]