Dr Jean Annan is a registered psychologist whose practice focuses on enhancing children’s and teenagers’ social-emotional well-being and learning. Her work is based on up-to-date psychology knowledge, primarily positive psychology, neuroscience and solution-focused narrative therapies, all of which have demonstrated good outcomes for young people. Jean brings a wealth of experience to working with young people, their families and schools from her work as a psychologist in a multi-professional educational support agency, university teaching, research and programme coordination, facilitation of professional learning related to children’s well-being and learning in schools across Aotearoa New Zealand.

During psychology sessions, children come to understand and manage their feelings, thoughts and actions. Through learning about how the brain and body respond in various circumstances, children and teenagers learn to navigate social situations, respond more calmly and effectively to feelings of anxiety and concentrate more on learning tasks and social activities. At the same time, parents discover how they can best support their children in ways that integrate with and complement the families’ daily schedules and their everyday culturally- and socially-established practices.

Throughout a series of psychology sessions with children and their families, the well-being of young people is continually explored in the background. This process facilitates ongoing recognition of areas of strength on which growth builds as areas of challenge are bolstered. Ultimately, young people, as do adults, strive to feel safe and assign meaning to their activities in their everyday environments. For children to thrive, they must enjoy strong relationships with others, regular positive experiences, consistency within and across the various environments they encounter, and a manageable amount of challenge to spark their interest in activity beyond that already known. When thriving, children feel safe and experience a sense of belonging, purpose, direction and contribution. Their self-narratives are positive, and their identity is strong.