​Dr. Laurence ​van Hanswijck de Jonge, MSc, PhD
Child Clinical Psychology & Neuropsychology-Cayman Islands

Every child is naturally whole and resourceful.  Children are born each with their own personalities, open minded  with boundless energy and ability to love. Children naturally have a great drive for learning: they are born with a natural instinct to explore and discover, they are motivated to make sense of the world around them.  The brain at birth is the only organ that is not fully developed and all experiences and relationships during the first few years of life will greatly influence how a child grows. It is possible that either at birth, during these fragile first few years or on their continued journey to adulthood there will be stressors  that impact on their emotional and behavioral health. These stressors can be medical or emotional and can alter these natural drives that children possess. I believe it is important to develop a clear and concise understanding of where the child is having difficulties. However, it is equally  as important to understand their strengths and for a child to see these clearly, these are their intrinsic motivators which give them drive. There is a balance to be struck and unfortunately our society today spends far too much time focusing on "what goes wrong" instead of "what goes right".  I believe that every child is fundamentally whole with a great myriad of strengths, I know that every child, given the possibility, has the ability to flourish.