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# Jenny Perkel

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://www.jennyperkel.com/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [Children in Mind : Their mental health in today's world and what we can do to help them](https://www.jennyperkel.com/children-in-mind-their-mental-health-in-todays-world-and-what-we-can-do-to-help-them-2/) - Are today's children and teenagers more mentally distressed than they used to be, and if so, why? What is it about today's world that seems not well suited to children? Children in Mind (Wits University Press) tries to address these three important questions. The developing minds of children are strongly influenced by the environment in
- [Understanding your child's eating disorder](https://www.jennyperkel.com/understanding-your-childs-eating-disorder-2/) - Anorexia and bulimia are extremely complex psychiatric disorders and there are loads of different theories about what causes them and how to treat them. Inevitably, as with so many other disorders, parents – especially moms - often feel to blame when their children develop eating disorders. I doubt that it is ever that simple though.
- [Understanding your child's eating disorder](https://www.jennyperkel.com/understanding-your-childs-eating-disorder/) - Anorexia and bulimia are extremely complex psychiatric disorders and there are loads of different theories about what causes them and how to treat them. Inevitably, as with so many other disorders, parents – especially moms - often feel to blame when their children develop eating disorders. I doubt that it is ever that simple though.
- [Why your baby doesn't sleep](https://www.jennyperkel.com/why-your-baby-doesnt-sleep/) - There are so many reasons that some babies have poor or disruptive sleep patterns, and we can’t always find the perfect sleep solution for every baby. But research suggests that there is a link between anxiety and depression in the mom - prior to the birth of the baby – and sleep problems in the
- [Why your baby doesn't sleep](https://www.jennyperkel.com/why-your-baby-doesnt-sleep-2/) - There are so many reasons that some babies have poor or disruptive sleep patterns, and we can’t always find the perfect sleep solution for every baby. But research suggests that there is a link between anxiety and depression in the mom - prior to the birth of the baby – and sleep problems in the
- [Infants' Rights - World Association for Infant Mental Health](https://www.jennyperkel.com/infants-rights-world-association-for-infant-mental-health-2/) - The latest ‘Perspectives in Infant Mental Health’ (an online professional publication of the World Association for Infant Mental Health (WAIMH) outlines the new Declaration of the Infant’s Rights. In 2012, the WAIMH Ethics Committee, led by Bob Emde, MD and Tuula Tamminen, MD, found that the needs and rights of babies are often overlooked, whilst
- [Children's Rights](https://www.jennyperkel.com/childrens-rights-2/) - Children in Mind is concerned with anything related to the mental health, behaviour and emotions of children. So we support these 10 principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of Children - as passed by the General Assembly of UN in 1989, and activated in September 1990. Children’s Rights: 1. The child shall enjoy
- [Today's Child - Raising 21st Century Kids](https://www.jennyperkel.com/todays-child-raising-21st-century-kids-2/) - Today’s children are growing up in a different world to the one most of us experienced as children. Adapting to this new and constantly changing world is a challenge, not only for kids but for adults as well. We are the first generation of parents, child care workers, therapists and educators that are having to
- [15 Insights About Human Behaviour](https://www.jennyperkel.com/15-insights-about-human-behaviour/) - As a psychologist, my life’s work is to try to improve the mental health of others. Each day I learn more about the richness of the human mind. These 15 simple insights are just some of the many that have been revealed to me over time. Truth is an elusive concept. It varies from person
- [Why children often look happy, even when they are suffering](https://www.jennyperkel.com/why-children-often-look-happy-even-when-they-are-suffering/) - Children instinctively protect themselves from emotional pain. They tend to hide their feelings, often making it hard to tell when they are struggling mentally. Most children try very hard to be happy and it can be misleading to think that when they smile, laugh and play, they are not feeling sorrow or fear. Children are
- [Why it can be hard to get teenagers away from social media](https://www.jennyperkel.com/why-it-can-be-hard-to-get-teenagers-away-from-social-media/) - Social media and the online world is a constant reminder to teenagers about what they should be wearing, doing, thinking, believing, looking like and saying. The peer group is always there – at the click of a button. Social media seems like a winning formula for teenagers because it offers a way to connect with
- [Donor egg and sperm children: What should parents tell them about their origins?](https://www.jennyperkel.com/donor-egg-and-sperm-children-what-should-parents-tell-them-about-their-origins/) - Recently I attended a fascinating workshop called ‘Mothers and Fathers of Invention’ facilitated by the skilled and highly knowledgable Cape Town based clinical psychologist, Diane Sandler, and based on the work of Ken Corbett and Diane Ehrensaft. Cal Volks - an experienced and wise counsellor for infertility and assisted reproduction at HART in Cape Town
- [How to Help your ADHD Child](https://www.jennyperkel.com/how-to-help-your-adhd-child/) - Most healthy children are busy, active and constantly running around. But if your child has been given a diagnosis of ADHD, you\'ll be looking for answers. Understanding your child and what is behind the symptoms of ADHD is the first step to helping her. Get to know your child and explore ADHD treatment options. There
- [What is neurodiversity and is it real?](https://www.jennyperkel.com/what-is-neurodiversity-and-is-it-real/) - Early in my career as a clinical psychologist, neurodiversity was unheard of in my professional circles. There is no reference to it in the DSM-5™ (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). For those reasons, I and many of my colleagues have had some concerns about using the term neurodiversity until recently. An interesting post
- [Why you should play team sport, whatever your age!](https://www.jennyperkel.com/why-you-should-play-team-sport-whatever-your-age/) - I often find myself recommending to parents that their troubled children should play a team sport. It isn’t the cure-all, and there are usually a multitude of other aspects to improving your child’s mental state. But team sport brings opportunities for growth, change and maturity that is often accessible, affordable, convenient and sensible. It’s also
- [Playing with games and toys that are not digital](https://www.jennyperkel.com/playing-with-games-and-toys-that-are-not-digital/) - Some children as young as two years old can navigate their way around cel phones, laptops and ipads. Toys and games are fast going out of fashion. New millenium kids are growing up in a different world to the one we grew up in and their future will revolve around technology. So, of course, the
- [When your child needs you less!](https://www.jennyperkel.com/when-your-child-needs-you-less/) - For some people, the hardest part of being a parent is knowing when and how to let go. When it comes to the psychology of babies and young children, everyone talks about the importance of attachment and bonding. Of course there is good reason for this, and it can’t be emphasized enough that the emotional
- [Weaning your baby: A psychological perspective](https://www.jennyperkel.com/weaning-your-baby-a-psychological-perspective/) - Yesterday I had such an interesting meeting with some of my Cape Town based ‘Babies in mind’ practitioners. The topic of our discussion was weaning. We were so interested in the general attitudes in the articles and internet postings about weaning. All of us are trained psychologists, so we couldn’t help noticing that the general
- [Parenting through Adoption](https://www.jennyperkel.com/parenting-through-adoption/) - BY JANYS ORELOWITZ BABIES IN MIND PRACTITIONER, SPECIALISING IN ADOPTION One of the toughest problems adoptive parents face is that of talking to children about the reasons they were placed in adoption. Adopted families can be so happy and loving that it can be hard to bring up any unpleasant information. While you may wish
- [Infancy - 1001 Critical Days](https://www.jennyperkel.com/infancy-1001-critical-days/) - Recently I attended a meeting at the Western Cape Association for Infant Mental health, an affiliation of the World Association for Infant Mental Health. Prof Astrid Berg, child and adolescent psychiatrist and senior consultant at ReD Cross Hospital in Cape Town, gave an interesting talk about the first 1001 Critical Days of a child’s life. This
- [What babies need from their parents](https://www.jennyperkel.com/what-babies-need-from-their-parents/) - I have been reading an interesting book by Graham Music called ‘Nurturing Natures. It’s about attachment, emotional and brain development and it’s well worth reading, particularly for people who work with infants or in early childhood development. He describes how important parents are for the mental state, both present and future, of their babies. Parents play
- [What is your baby or toddler thinking?](https://www.jennyperkel.com/what-is-your-baby-or-toddler-thinking/) - I have just listened to a brilliant TED talk about what it’s like inside the mind of a baby. The talk is by Alison Gopnik, professor or psychology and philosophy at the University of California at Berkeley. Prof Gopnik is the author of The Philosophical Baby and The Scientist in the Crib. In a nutshell, she
- [Child-raising has become more gentle in 21st Century](https://www.jennyperkel.com/child-raising-has-become-more-gentle-in-21st-century/) - The Harvard based psychology professor, Steven Pinker, in his life-changing book entitled The Better Angels of our Nature makes a powerful argument for the fact that, contrary to popular belief, humankind has become less violent over the millennia and decades. This is consistent with our concern in the 21st century for the rights of babies
- [Parenting in the Digital Age](https://www.jennyperkel.com/parenting-in-the-digital-age/) - Johannesburg-based Imago Relationship and Parenting Therapist, Lome Koekemoer, has this to say about parenting in the age of technology: \"When we grow up, we learn a great deal about problem solving through play, and games that incorporate interpersonal interactions. We learn about exploration, our own identities, our own competence and problem resolution. Though digital technology
- [Can babies be left alone?](https://www.jennyperkel.com/can-babies-be-left-alone/) - From an evolutionary perspective, human babies are designed to stay close to their mothers so that they can be protected from danger. This is also true for some animal babies. Threats to a baby’s safety used to take the form of sabre toothed tigers and woolly mammoths – but babies still need adults close-by to
- [Get your baby to sleep](https://www.jennyperkel.com/get-your-baby-to-sleep/) - Not all babies are the same so there is no ‘one size fits all’ perfect sleep solution, and often what works for one baby doesn’t work for another. If there is any chance that your baby’s sleep problems could be caused by something physical, you need to get medical help. Babies who are sick, or
- [Does my baby need a routine?](https://www.jennyperkel.com/does-my-baby-need-a-routine/) - Some babies are predictably unpredictable! Others seem to gravitate towards a fairly predictable daily rhythm. If your baby seems to want a feed or a nap at different times each day, or if she seems unaffected about where she sleeps or feeds, why on earth would you want to change that? Some people argue that
- [How to help your baby](https://www.jennyperkel.com/how-to-help-your-baby/) - Why does your baby need you to join our ‘Babies in Mind’ network and attend our parent workshops? Psychologists are always going on about how mental health rests on the foundation of the early weeks, months and years of life. But in addition to this, on a purely economic basis, says Dr James Heckman, PhD
- [Beyond Dr Spock](https://www.jennyperkel.com/beyond-dr-spock/) - When we become new parents, there are many voices that try to guide us. Remember that the loudest voice should be your baby's. Quote by Port Elizabeth based psychologist and Babies in Mind practitioner, Samantha Naicker A few months ago I was chatting to a child-minder for a wealthy family. I noticed that the parents were very particular
- [Protecting your child from sexual abuse](https://www.jennyperkel.com/protecting-your-child-from-sexual-abuse/) - The effects of sexual abuse on a child are very serious and they can last a lifetime. It is devastating for parents to discover that their child has been abused, and even more devastating for the child. An expert who specializes in working with child sexual abuse once told me that the symptoms in the
- [Superbaby](https://www.jennyperkel.com/superbaby/) - Check out this page for a few mind-boggling facts about the super-powers of babies. There is so much that babies can do that we aren’t always aware of. Their unique reflexes and their senses (like hearing and smell) are much more developed than one would imagine. While they are totally dependent on us to take
- [Older child and new baby](https://www.jennyperkel.com/older-child-and-new-baby/) - I recently received an e-mail from a reader, Mia, who asks the following question: After 5 and a half years of Sharon being an only child, getting our full attention ...we are now having another child. A lot of people have suggested that she must be given tasks and encouraged to be the BIG sister and
- [What not to expect from your baby](https://www.jennyperkel.com/what-not-to-expect-from-your-baby/) - Don’t expect parenthood to be easy Don’t expect breastfeeding to go smoothly and easily from the very beginning, but try to persevere if possible Don’t expect too much from yourself or your partner Don’t expect your baby to sleep well at night Don’t expect your baby to get into a routine that will make your
- [10 Survival Tips for New Moms and Dads](https://www.jennyperkel.com/15-survival-tips-for-new-moms-and-dads/) - Don’t expect your baby to do what the baby books say she should be doing. Don’t expect him to sleep through the night. If he does, that’s fabulous, but many babies don’t. Don’t judge or criticize your own mothering. Just do the best you can. Hand your baby over to someone you trust for a
- [Are computers bad for kids?](https://www.jennyperkel.com/are-computers-bad-for-kids/) - Parents often have concerns that modern technology could be harmful to children. For those of us who did not grow up with computers, it can be really hard to watch our kids sitting for hours – on a beautiful day – glued to the ipad, the blackberry or some mindlessly repetitive computer game. The reality
- [Does your child need physio?](https://www.jennyperkel.com/does-your-child-need-physio/) - I attended a really interesting lecture recently at the Western Cape Association of Infant Mental Health. Pam Versfeld is a physiotherapist who works a lot with babies and children who are not managing in their bodies as well as expected. What I found so useful about her talk from a psychological perspective is that she
- [The Tiger Mother](https://www.jennyperkel.com/the-tiger-mother/) - I have just read the famously controversial book by Amy Chua called, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. The author and tiger mother is from a strict, Chinese immigrant background, and is now living in the USA. She discusses in her book how she spent hours and hours with her two children every day, ‘helping
- [Disorders in babies](https://www.jennyperkel.com/disorders-in-babies/) - A couple of weeks ago, at the monthly meeting of the Western Cape Association for Infant Mental Health, we were fortunate enough to host Prof Chris Milton, a paediatrician who is doing some very interesting and valuable research on Foetal Alcohol Syndrome at the Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health University of Cape Town. Besides
- [Delinquent behavior in children and teenagers](https://www.jennyperkel.com/delinquent-behavior-in-children-and-teenagers/) - What do you do when your child or your teenager breaks the law? How should you react when your child is caught stealing, shoplifting, using drugs or engaging in other types of delinquent behavior. Childhood delinquency can feel like such a betrayal to a parent and it can make you so angry that it can
- [Can children learn two languages at the same time?](https://www.jennyperkel.com/can-children-learn-two-languages-at-the-same-time/) - When two parents speak different languages - for example, one parent is French and the other is English - it can be confusing to decide which language to use when talking to your child. Speech and language development can be tricky for some young children and learning more than one language early on at the
- [Keeping teenagers safe](https://www.jennyperkel.com/keeping-teenagers-safe/) - Teenagers are terrifying! Your levels of anxiety as a parent of a teenagers can be high, partly because they want and need to do things without you and partly because teens characteristically engage in high risk behaviors, like driving too fast. Think back to the stupid and dangerous things you did during your own teenage
- [Mistakes parents make](https://www.jennyperkel.com/mistakes-parents-make/) - Making mistakes is the price you pay for knowledge Anonymous Knowledge about babies and children comes less from parenting books and much more from personal experience. As parents, we can learn so much from our mistakes. It’s often very hard to cope after having your first child because you haven’t yet had the benefit
- [Co sleeping with a baby](https://www.jennyperkel.com/co-sleeping-with-a-baby/) - Parents often ask whether it’s a good or a bad thing to sleep with their new babies. Some of the more hard core believers of strict sleep training argue that babies should be taught to sleep alone from the very beginning. A few decades ago in some societies it was considered acceptable to put a
- [Effects of childhood stress, trauma and mental illness](https://www.jennyperkel.com/effects-of-childhood-stress-trauma-and-mental-illness/) - Someone sent me a link to a fascinating article on medscape news today. It’s about the link between stress and trauma during childhood (including childhood-onset mental disorders) and physical illness later in life. Some extremely important new research has just been published in the Archives of General Psychiatry. In short, the research has found that
- [How to get kids to eat](https://www.jennyperkel.com/how-to-get-kids-to-eat/) - Because of the possible health implications, it can be scary when your child refuses to eat. A poor appetite may be an indication of an underlying illness so if your child is not interested in food and if she is not keeping up with her growth chart, make an appointment to see the paediatrician or
- [Support for adoptive parents](https://www.jennyperkel.com/support-for-adoptive-parents/) - This life can be very hard when we try to walk its path alone. The same goes for parenthood and also for the adoption process. Adoption is not without its challenges, before, during and after finally being united with your adoptive child. Whilst adoptive parents experience the usual challenges of parenthood, they are also faced
- [Attention seeking twin](https://www.jennyperkel.com/attention-seeking-twin/) - Recently, I went along as a guest to a Thinking Moms Group in Cape Town. This lively, intelligent group of women get together once a month to talk about issues related to motherhood and their children. In addition to nurturing one another by providing delicious food and time out from their families, they also offer
- [Children need grandparents](https://www.jennyperkel.com/children-need-grandparents/) - Marion Barends e-mailed me recently to ask some advice about her high need grandson. It got me thinking about how lucky her daughter is to have a mom who is involved in the care of her own child. Ok I admit, Marion’s daughter, Tiffany, is only 18 years old and currently studying for her matric.
- [Two year old turns into monster](https://www.jennyperkel.com/why-two-year-old-children-turn-into-monsters/) - I know a group of grannies that meet for coffee and a chat every Friday morning. Recently, they had a conversation about their precious grandchildren. Why is it, they asked themselves, that our beautiful baby grandchildren become monsters when they turn two? I thought I’d try to answer their question from a psychological and a
- [Sleep Problems in Children](https://www.jennyperkel.com/sleep-problems-in-children/) - Loads of babies are notoriously bad sleepers. Meg Faure, author of a range of baby books such as Babysense and Sleepsense, offers useful tips for helping babies to get a good night’s sleep. Sleeping patterns usually improve dramatically as babies grow up but certain kinds of sleep problems can persist into childhood. If your child
- [Toddler Discipline](https://www.jennyperkel.com/toddler-discipline/) - how to discipline a toddler
- [Parenting a Sick Child](https://www.jennyperkel.com/parenting-a-sick-child/) - A mother of a critically ill child once said to me, Children are easy – until they get sick. Most parents are familiar with the stress of having a sick child. Even if your child just has a bad cold you’ll probably know that she needs you far more when she is sick. When there
- [Needy Toddlers](https://www.jennyperkel.com/needy-toddlers/) - Lately I’ve been getting quite a few requests for help from parents of toddlers. For example, Kerry writes about her 2 year old twin boys, Everyone talks about the challenging first year, I and friends on a forum agree the second year is definitely the most challenging...My main question is about needy children where did
- [Teenage pregnancy](https://www.jennyperkel.com/teenage-pregnancy/) - I was impressed and encouraged when I heard Miss South Africa 2011, Bokang Montjane, being interviewed about teen pregnancy in South Africa. Her interest and commitment to being involved in this vital issue is a ray of hope for the future of so many girls and women in this country. There are so many reasons
- [Does your child need therapy?](https://www.jennyperkel.com/does-your-child-need-therapy/) - Although it has become much more popular in recent decades, play therapy has actually been around since the 1920’s. Early pioneers such as Anna Freud and Melanie Klein created models for play therapy which are still hugely influential in our work with children today. But how do you know if your child needs therapy? Behavioural
- [What is a good parent?](https://www.jennyperkel.com/the-myth-of-the-perfect-parent/) - Part of the madness about being a parent is the feeling that you’re getting it all wrong and your kids are suffering as a result. It can cause debilitating guilt and anxiety when you blame yourself for your kids’ future psychological damage. Sometimes society expects too much of parents, particularly mothers. British psychoanalyst Joan Raphael
- [How to be a parent](https://www.jennyperkel.com/kill-the-buddha-on-the-road/) - The thing about parenting is that loads of people like to tell you how to do it. There can be a real pressure to parent the right way. This can be infuriating, particularly in light of the fact that there are thousands of right ways to parent, many of which contradict one another. In 1972
- [How to raise a happy child](https://www.jennyperkel.com/how-to-give-your-kids-a-happy-childhood/) - When thinking about how to raise your child, you will no doubt be trying to create a happy childhood for him or her. But your child will not always only be happy, and there will be times when he will be extremely unhappy and it will be all your fault. He won’t feel happy, for

## Pages

- [Home](https://www.jennyperkel.com/) - Jenny Perkel Clinical Psychologist has a special interest in working with the parents of children, teenagers, babies and toddlers
- [About](https://www.jennyperkel.com/about/) - BOOK AN APPOINTMENT About Jenny I qualified as a clinical psychologist in 1996 and am registered with both the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) in the United Kingdom and the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA). During three decades of clinical practice, I have accumulated more than 20,000 hours of psychotherapy experience.For much
- [What I Offer](https://www.jennyperkel.com/offerings/) - BOOK AN APPOINTMENT What I Offer Online psychotherapy with adults For any difficulty you might be facing Online parent coaching, counselling or parent therapy When you need guidance about your baby, child or teenager Online perinatal counselling For help with anything related to your pregnancy, birth or postnatal adjustment Online supervision consultations For psychologists, psychotherapists,
- [Contact](https://www.jennyperkel.com/contact/) - BOOK AN APPOINTMENT Contact Jenny Get in touch SMS or text message only+44 7427 390783 Whatsapp message only+27 82 928 5548 Email jenny@perkel.co.za Message me Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Name *FirstLastEmail *Phone Number *How can I help? *Send
- [Quick Reads](https://www.jennyperkel.com/quick-reads/) - BOOK AN APPOINTMENT Quick Reads 15 Insights About Human Behaviour Read More Why children often look happy, even when they are suffering Read More Why it can be hard to get teenagers away from social media Read More What is neurodiversity and is it real? Read More How to Help your ADHD Child Read More
- [Books](https://www.jennyperkel.com/books/) - — Brows through My Books Bestseller Books Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo. Always, Be Happy! From $14.95 Etiam pharetra, erat sed fermentum feugiat, velit mauris egestas quam, ut aliquam massa. Get it now About Relationships From $19.95 Etiam pharetra, erat sed fermentum

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