Ep. 98: Childhood trauma: The shame of being different

Welcome to series 9 of the Teenage Kicks podcast, and a brand new set of brave conversations with people who had something difficult to go through in their teenage years.  This episode features Jon Wilson Cooper, who - through his career choice as a counsellor - has explored his own relationship with his mental health at length, including how he feels about having grown up with a sibling with disabilities.  We discuss everything from the embarrassment of being seen in public with his deaf brother, who had behavioural difficulties and a severe learning disability, the jealousy of the attention given to his brother, and the shame of feeling this way.  Jon says there's a difference between shame and guilt, and the challenge for our teenagers  - and for us as their parents - is to reject the shame (which is paralysing) whilst managing the guilt effectively.  Who is Jon Wilson Cooper? Jon is a qualified psychotherapist, trainer, and organisational consultant with over 38 years' experience of helping people with their mental health. He is the Founder and Director of The Albany Centre [https://thealbanycentre.com/] for personal and professional development, which is a counselling training institute and therapy. He also runs Mosaic Counselling Services CIC [https://mosaiccounselling.co.uk/] (a low-cost counselling service) in St Albans, Hertfordshire. He has worked in the UK, America, and India in a variety of settings with a wide range of clients, including those with addiction issues, mental health problems and histories of personal trauma. Jon has a special interest in helping individuals raise awareness of their blocks to emotional well-being and making positive life choices. Jon is also a TEDx speaker whose talk on why people hate was chosen as one of the top TEDx talks of 2024. Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=su-0oL1QdHM Jon welcomes connection - you can find him here:  * Connect on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonwilsoncooper/] * The Albany Centre [https://www.linkedin.com/company/tha-albany-centre/] * Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/jon.cooper.925/] * Follow the Albany Centre on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/TheAlbanyCentre.StAlbans/] More teenage parenting from Helen Wills: Helen wills is a counsellor, a parent coach, and a teen mental health podcaster and blogger at Actually Mummy [https://www.actuallymummy.co.uk/], a resource for midlife parents of teens. Thank you for listening! Subscribe [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/teenage-kicks-podcast/id1501488455] to the Teenage Kicks podcast to hear new episodes. If you have a suggestion for the podcast please email [email protected]. You can find more from Helen Wills on parenting teenagers on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/iamhelenwills/] @iamhelenwills. For information on your data privacy please visit Zencastr's policy page [https://zencastr.com/privacy-policy] Please note that Helen Wills is not a medical expert, and nothing in the podcast should be taken as medical advice. If you're worried about yourself or a teenager, please seek support from a medical professional. Episode produced by Michael J Cunningham [https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-j-cunningham-245586266/].