CG Insurance and Benedict Associates are collaborating on a series of free webinars to help parents navigate the stresses of the pandemic.

According to CG Insurance, the pandemic is considered to be a mental health crisis by many observers and statistics have shown increased pressures on everyone, particularly parents and their school-aged children.

In response to the crisis, CG Insurance, in association with Benedict Associates, will present a series of webinars that focus on coping with and adapting to the pressures of pandemic life and how to prepare for what lies ahead.

The four-part series caters to parents seeking support for themselves and offers them tools to guide their children during this difficult time. It begins on Tuesday and runs through August. The webinars are free and open to anyone interested.

CG Insurance chief executive officer Naz Farrow said the webinars are part of CG’s ongoing efforts to support wellness across the community.

“We’re not yet out of the woods with the pandemic and the psychological and economic impact will likely continue to affect lives for some time to come,” she said. “People need support and we believe it’s incumbent upon all who can help, to help.

“That is the animating spirit behind our work for wellness, not just for our clients but also for the wider community. The healthier we are as a community, the better for everyone. This webinar series continues that work and we encourage any parent in need of support to sign up for the webinars.”

Jessica S Gordon, a chartered counselling psychologist with Benedict Associates, said: “The pandemic has intensified pressures on people across the community, particularly parents, and these webinars have been designed to help them recognise and better understand their own mental health as well as that of their children.”

Dr Gordon said the seminars will cover a range of issues including how to recognise anxiety and depression in children and adolescents, placing boundaries on social media and screen time and ways to help children return to post-pandemic life.

“The webinars will also include question and answer sessions in which parents can ask questions and voice their concerns,” she said.

The first of the four webinars will take place on Tuesday at 1pm, titled Parenting, Pandemics and Achieving Peace: Learning to Adapt to Your Child’s Changing World. It focuses on recognising the signs and symptoms of anxiety in children as well as what parents can do to manage their own stress to help make their home a secure and calm environment for the whole family.

Screen Time, Social Media and Self-Harm, will take place on June 24 at 1pm, Parents, Mental Health and Returning to the Post-Pandemic World is scheduled for July 13 at 1pm. The final webinar will be Preparing for the New Normal: How to help Your Kids Feel Safe and Prepared When Returning to School, on August 19 at 1pm.

A spokesman for CG said the company’s longstanding Zest Wellness programme has supported mental health through virtual content webinars and podcasts which have been now made available to the general public.

In November 2020, CG added an Employee Assistance Programme benefit component to their Major Medical plans, also supported by Benedict Associates.

For full details of each webinar and how to register, visit Benedict Associates’ website at www.benedict.bm/cgseries.