I went to Gemma Berg when my six-year-old daughter wouldn't go into school. She was full of anxiety, crying and screaming to the point where the teachers had to peel her off me at the school drop-off.
There was also one occasion where I physically couldn't get her dressed and out of the front door, and that was when I reached out to Gemma.
She was so patient, kind and compassionate. She listened to my story with an open heart and wanted to know all about my daughter. She straight away got to work with ideas and tools to help me, to help my daughter.
We used a large star chart where each star had a face with a feeling. My daughter could pick out a star and explain how she was feeling (angry, sad, silly, tired). This really worked to get her to talk openly about how she felt in that moment.
We read a book together called Ruby's Worries, which got my daughter to open up, as it explained how worries got smaller when we spoke about them.
We used a reward chart where my daughter would earn a crystal after having a 'good' day at school and Gemma explained what each crystal meant and how powerful they were.
Gemma also helped me write a letter to my daughter, which she loved, because it was something she could hold onto, refer back to, and keep forever.
Gemma has a wealth of knowledge and was always at the end of the phone offering support. She truly went above and beyond and I will be forever grateful to her.
My daughter now skips into school, and it is all down to Gemma.