Tyrhys is 9 years old and has an autism diagnosis.
He has received mental health and wellbeing support from CatholicCare throughout the past year, along with additional help to support his family.
Tyrhys was originally referred to our Family Wellbeing Support Service after an incident at his previous school where he was bullied and attacked by a student, leaving him traumatised. Tyrhys had regular meltdowns toward the end of the day at school and at home, causing some added stress to the family and his siblings.
A case manager supported Tyrhys through our Stress Busters program to help him understand his early warning signs of stress and strategies to manage. During the Covid-19 period, Tyrhys’s anxiety increased again and he was really concerned and worrying about getting the virus.
We sent his parents a child friendly Covid story which his dad printed off - and as a family of six they worked through the book together. Mum said the story really helped Tyrhys understand the virus a bit better and that even if he did get it, it wouldn't stay for long. She said that this helped decrease the tension in the family and reduced Tyrhys’s anxiety significantly.
“We sent his parents a child friendly Covid story... this helped decrease the tension in the family and reduced Tyrhys’s anxiety significantly.”
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