Meet the life coach who is helping children in Northants to understand and manage their emotions

Less than three years ago, Claire Jones was working in agricultural events.

Now she is a fully qualified neuro-linguistic programming practitioner who specialises in helping children and their emotions.

After Claire’s son started to suffer with bad separation anxiety, she decided she wanted to help children understand how to communicate and deal with their emotions, so the mum-of-two set up her own life coaching business after gaining her qualifications.

The 44-year-old said: “There are far more issues and so much more pressure and anxiety for our children than there was 20 years ago.

“If I can get children to communicate and talk to their parents at an early age, when they get older and things get more significant they will already have these skills to cope with life.

“I just think we all should give ourselves the best chance in life and to have the tools to be the best, happiest versions of ourselves.

“To give children tools to be able to communicate, to understand themselves and to be who they want to be is so precious.”

Claire, who lives in Braunston, works with children in school, as well as in private sessions from home.

The main aim of the sessions is to get children thinking about how they feel and how they want to feel, in a calm and fun way.

Claire added: “I get background from the parents about whatever issues the child is having. “Then I do fun exercises with play and art therapy to bring out the feelings.

“One example of how I do this is a glitter jar. I have a jar full of water and loads of different coloured glitter.

“They have to pick a colour to put in the jar that shows what they are feeling, which helps them identify what they feel.

“I also get them to do a drawing or Lego building. I’ve had tornadoes in heads and red lines all over drawings.

“Councillors tend to look into the past but I look at how children want to feel in the future.

“I then have a session with the parents. Often we want to get to the cause of what is happening rather than just treating the symptoms.”

In the two years Claire’s business has been live, Claire says she has been busy and that parents and schools can really see the difference in children.

“It can be quite transformational in that respect,” Claire continued.

“Happiness is what every child wants. I get them to access what happiness means to them.

“It’s about how our minds work and how to get in control of our minds and our actions.

“I help children understand their emotions and to be able to manage their emotions.”

As well as working with children, Claire also hosts parents workshops and offers life coaching for adults.

To find out more about Claire’s work with children visit her coaching website.