A youth mental health specialist gave adults a crash course on how to be more receptive caregivers for children.

Simply Bloom, a workshop led by Chardonaé Rawlins, helped attendees to re-examine how they raise their children and consider ways in which they might adjust to healthier parenting styles.

Ms Rawlins said that she wanted people to leave with a better understanding of how to have a healthier relationship with their children.

She added: “Parenting is something that is ever-evolving. It’s something that can be difficult from time to time and I think parents need to realise that they need to look at their child as a person.

“Sometimes we tend to just say ‘I’m the adult, you have to listen to me’ and you’re neglecting your child’s feelings and emotions.

“So my goal is to bring these things to the forefront through case studies, through role play, and through teaching and education.”

The workshop, sponsored by One Bermuda Alliance MPs Dwayne Robinson and Linda Smith, blended talks led by Ms Rawlins with interactive breaks.

Attendees looked at case studies that helped them examine the underlying causes of a child’s behaviour.

They also practised the ways of handling conflicts with children.

Ms Rawlins told attendees that recognising a child’s emotional needs helped to build trust, which made children more likely to be open with them and accept their guidance.

She said that failure to connect with the children in one’s care could leave them open to others who might take advantage of young people, particularly predators and gang members.

Ms Rawlins encouraged adults to be curious about their children’s emotional needs and to be active listeners.

She added that showing empathy while setting boundaries made children less likely to feel a sense of rejection.

About eight people attended the workshop on Saturday.

Mr Robinson, who represents Southampton East Central (Constituency 30), said the goal was to start a conversation on how to be more present in a child’s life.

He said: “We want to try and begin getting Bermudians to talk about how we can understand our young people better to hopefully prevent troubling incidents before young people take the wrong turn.”