Dr. Rick Norris
Stress, anxiety and depression are a modern day plague, which, according to the World Health Organisation, affect hundreds of millions of people worldwide. But it isn't just adults who suffer from psychological distress, an increasing number of children are falling victim to stress, anxiety and depression.
The huge scale of the problem meant that, in 2005, the UK National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence had to produce rigorous guidelines on the treatment of children with depression, which will be stringently reviewed again in 2009.
The Promised Land for Children is designed to help combat stress, anxiety and depression in children aged five to sixteen. Written for parents, teachers, child minders, grandparents, social workers and child care professionals, the book 'does what it says on the tin' - it shows the reader how to improve children's confidence and raise their self-esteem.
The book is written by Chartered Psychologist Dr Rick Norris with contributions from Wendy Forrest-Charde an experienced classroom practitioner in mainstream and special education.
Written in two parts, part one provides a compelling argument for the need to help children combat the effects of psychological distress. Part one also provides a clear, simple explanation of how children's minds work when they become stressed, anxious and depressed.
Part two includes a comprehensive mental fitness programme with lots of practical exercises to develop children's positive thinking skills. Rick uses professional case studies of children who have been successful in adopting a more positive approach to life, in addition to his personal experience both as the father of three school age children, and as a sports coach with children and teenagers.
One of the greatest gifts we can give our children is self-esteem. This book provides children with the tools to develop their self-esteem, not just in childhood, but throughout their lives.
Dr. Rick Norris
Rick is a Chartered Psychologist who works in both clinical and occupational settings. He is a Visiting Consultant Psychologist for a number of Primary Care Trusts in the Midlands, where he counsels clients with stress, anxiety and depression. He gained his PhD in Psychology from the University of Birmingham, where his area of expertise was Stress Management.
Rick also works as a Consultant for a range of organisations. His clients include a number of blue chip companies, such as, Hewlett-Packard, Nokia, Millward Brown and Unisys. He has also worked with the AIDS charity the Terrence Higgins Trust and a number of SMEs. In addition, he is a visiting lecturer at the University of Warwick’s Centre for Primary Health Care and the University of Glamorgan’s Faculty of Health, Sport and Science.
Born in 1959 in Portsmouth, Rick is divorced with three children, Sam, Jack and Martha. Apart from his family, his main interests are running and keeping fit; reggae music, horse-racing and warm climates. He is also a long-suffering Pompey fan. Professionally his main interest is helping people to lead more fulfilled lives.
By the same author - The Promised Land – A Guide to Positive Thinking for Sufferers of Stress, Anxiety and Depression. Authorhouse. 2005.
Rick can be contacted through his website: www.the-promised-land.co.uk
Introduction.
Rick’s first book, ‘The Promised Land – a guide to positive thinking for sufferers of stress, anxiety and depression’ (1) proved to be very successful in helping people to change their thinking patterns in order to combat the problems of psychological distress.
The models used by Rick in ‘The Promised Land’ seem to make sense to most people. The way in which he explains the workings of our minds when we succumb to stress, anxiety and depression appear very straightforward. ‘The Promised Land’ provides many useful stories and case studies that make it easy and interesting to read for anyone who doesn’t have much knowledge of psychology or medicine. In short, Rick thought he’d written a book that could benefit anyone who was suffering from psychological distress – but he was wrong.
It was only when Wendy contacted Rick that he realised he’d missed out a huge chunk of the population, namely, children aged between five and 16years of age. Wendy has worked with children for 25 years and her experience suggested that children are just as likely to suffer from psychological distress as adults. Recent research from The Mental Health Foundation (2) supports this view, it estimates that 20% of children and adolescents are experiencing psychological problems at any one time.
So, with Wendy’s help, Rick set out to try to produce a book aimed at helping parents, childminders and teachers to build children’s self-confidence. ‘The Promised Land for Children’ is our best effort. It isn’t perfect, but it will work if the models, ideas and exercises are used regularly and consistently. Improving children’s confidence is not a particularly difficult task if you follow the recipe in this book – but that doesn’t mean it isn’t hard work. Rick’s ideas have helped literally thousands of adults change their thinking patterns to allow them to become more positive about themselves and their lives. Wendy’s expertise has been utilised to make these ideas more applicable to a younger audience.
Training the mind is like training the body. In order to become fit we need to exercise regularly. It is not enough to take up jogging for 10 weeks and then declare we are fit for life. For many fit people exercise is a habit they never lose. To develop a healthy level of self-confidence takes the same application. One of the greatest gifts we can give our children is self-esteem. To do this we have to provide our children with the tools to develop their confidence, and the encouragement to make a habit of using these tools regularly throughout their lives.
This book is divided into two parts. Part I provides an understanding of how children become stressed, anxious or depressed. Part II provides a programme of exercises to help children change their way of thinking. It’s important to read Part I first because it provides lots of useful information that can be used when it comes to applying the techniques and exercises described in Part II.
