Elaine Barnes and Susan Jane Smith have just launched a new audio website that is aimed at people who have dyslexia or a personal/professional interest. www.HealthyEmotions.co.uk focuses primarily on the emotional issues that people with dyslexia may experience. The psychological damage to self esteem can be considerable.
Elaine says, “Susan and I were discussing our experiences as counsellors and particularly how difficult it can be for clients with dyslexia to access relevant therapeutic and educationally based information during the counselling process. In that moment, a lightning bolt of an idea hit us and we were both excited by the possibility of creating a website with an audio facility.”
– Susan Jane Smith B.Sc.
Susan and Elaine are both avid readers. Therefore, it was quite natural for them to signpost clients to a range of self help books for their client’s independent learning outside the therapy room. In follow up sessions it became apparent clients with dyslexia were reluctant to read or write within counselling sessions or keep a journal at home to record thoughts and feelings. They were always left with a sense that these clients were being deprived just because they had a condition that made the written word challenging to absorb and understand.
People admitting to difficulties in literacy can feel embarrassed and ashamed. ‘I am stupid’ is often said by people with dyslexia and that is partly because that is how society has perceived dyslexia. Susan and Elaine hate the idea that someone has had experiences whilst growing up, attending school or going to work that have made them feel this way about themselves – it hits directly at their confidence and self esteem. This self belief can be incredibly damaging and debilitating.
Director
Healthy Emotions Ltd.
People with dyslexia are not stupid! Research has shown that they are born using a different part of the brain than the rest of us and that it is genetic. The consequence is that they have difficulty reading, writing and spelling.
However, if it is caught early enough and they have the right education they can do whatever they want with their lives. Dyslexia does not have to be a handicap. “You can turn it into a gift” is the message Elaine and Susan want the public to understand.
In reality, people with dyslexia are often bright, intelligent and successful in life. An example is that people with dyslexia are 5 times more likely to be entrepreneurs e.g. Richard Branson. Some famous actors have dyslexia: Kara Tointon, Keira Knightley, Henry Winkler and Orlando Bloom to name but a few. Other areas in which people with dyslexia flourish are engineering, architecture, sales and creative arts such as cookery and floristry.
www.HealthyEmotions.co.uk is an audio website Susan and Elaine hope will plug a gap in the market and give people with dyslexia easier access to information that can help to change their lives for the better. Information is power! When people fully understand the impact of the past and the effect it’s having on the present, they can change their future. Susan and Elaine are able to provide training to organisations interested in the emotional aspects of dyslexia.
At www.HealthyEmotions.co.uk there is a Store with self help e-books covering emotional issues and these can be downloaded onto Kindles and computers both of which can read aloud. There are audio books and aids like special pens to make life easier. The Resources and Blogs provide more information. See a variety of videos via the Healthy Emotions YouTube channel. Through the Newsletter it is intended that people can learn about the increasing research into dyslexia. There is a Forum to share experiences of dyslexia.
Healthy Emotions is proud to be an Organisational Member of the British Dyslexia Association.