Dr Kaylene Henderson is a highly trained and sought after Child Psychiatrist and parenting expert. Based in Queensland, she dedicates her time and knowledge to a wide audience of parents, educators and corporate groups while raising three gorgeous kids of her own.
We're thrilled to be hosting The Care Factor webinar series, featuring Dr Kaylene answering your questions around parenting, childhood behaviour and discipline. Register for the upcoming webinar series 'The dos and don'ts of Discipline', streaming FREE from November 24th. Oh, we shouldn't forget to mention that when you register, you're automatically in the running to *WIN a 1-on-1 consultation with Dr Kaylene Henderson!
Dr Kaylene is kept busy with her day-to-day work, and spends any downtime she has putting her wealth of knowledge for parents and carers all over the world right on her website, accessible to all! It genuinely houses a plethora of FREE resources for parents and carers in easy, digestible video snippets or downloadable factsheets to save & share.
Further to her free resources, Dr Kaylene has also designed an online parenting course which, upon completion, certifies parents in ‘Raising Good Kids’!
Dr Kaylene doesn’t just stop at nurturing parent-child relationships, she’s also a trusted resource for childcare and education professionals, guiding them through the world of Early Childhood Education.
With downloadable mini-masterclasses across a broad range of topics, she’s a wonderful addition to the Care For Kids trusted expert panel.
We had a chat with Dr Kaylene Henderson and asked about her inspiration, children as well as her most rewarding moments. We LOVED what she had to say. Get a feel for the person behind the picture with the Care for Kids team.
You've been doing this for a long while now but when did you first graduate and was psychiatry always the goal?
It has been a while - in fact, my children have kindly pointed out that I graduated from medical school last century (thanks kids!?). To be honest, I wasn't sure what area of medicine I'd venture into initially but it wasn't long before I was drawn to psychiatry. I've always really liked people, and in psychiatry I found myself in the privileged position to really get to know people and their stories, often when they were at their most vulnerable. Fast forward a few years and I chose to pursue my subspecialist training in child and adolescent psychiatry, which is a decision I'll always be grateful for. It was during these years, (conveniently timed with the birth of my firstborn child), that I learned about the research-based parenting practises that bring out the best in children. There's no doubt in my mind that my specialist training made me a better parent and therefore benefited my children. Fuelled by this gratitude, I started working directly with parent and early educator audiences around 10 years ago now, knowing that collectively, parents and educators can make a bigger difference to our next generation than I ever could alone.
What made you want to work with children in particular?
While I loved working with adults too, children are at the very beginning of their life trajectories, and there is enormous potential to prevent some of the hardships associated with mental ill-health by working with young ones.
Given their amazing potential for brain growth and change, I believe that the early years of a child's life are the perfect time to lay healthy foundations that can then positively influence a child across their lifespan.
You have three kids of your own, have they thrown you hoops you didn't expect to have to jump through yet?
Oh goodness yes! Just as you think you might be starting to nail this parenting gig, you get thrown another curve ball! I'm sure every parent can relate! Thankfully though, my children are all awesome humans - kind, funny, bright and great company. There's no hoop I wouldn't jump through for them!
What ages, in your experience, are the most challenging as a parent?
To be honest, I think that every age presents a different set of challenges. When our babies are tiny, it's challenging to have someone so completely dependent on us. Yet two of my children are teenagers now and I can tell you that it's also challenging to balance their need for independence (heading along to part-time jobs and differing interests outside school etc) with my own busy schedule. I've started to accept that parenting is never not challenging. Thankfully though, there's a whole lot of fun to be had too.
And similarly, what ages do you think are the most challenging for children trying to communicate their frustrations?
Toddlerhood for sure. When you're a toddler, you're desperate to have a say in what happens to you, yet are rarely able to, since you're yet to learn the ways of the world. At the same time, your early language skills don't allow you to express all that you need to using your words, nor has your brain learned to calm down from big feeling states when you started to feel overwhelmed. It's a very normal recipe for frustrations and meltdowns.
Obviously we understand you can't be too specific but if there was a moment you were able to recall, what was one of the most rewarding things you have been a part of?
Whenever I'm lucky enough to speak in front of large audiences of parents and educators and share the research based strategies that I've learned through my many years of specialist training, I'm filled with a real sense that we're all in this together and that collectively, we can do a lot of good. When I let myself imagine how many lives might be improved if everyone takes away just one new approach - one new tip that can influence a child's outcomes for the better - I'm filled with a sense of awe and gratitude. Working in this way is rewarding beyond measure.
