Behaviour Specialist, Tanya Curtis, works daily with people from all walks of life. She has come to realise it is the norm for people to have high anxiety, low-self-esteem and self-worth, and generally not living their full and true potential. Recently Tanya attended the Girl to Woman Festival and was pleasantly surprised to see another way for our future generations…another way that when put into practice could significantly impact our nation(s) budgets.
As a Behaviour Specialist and Counsellor, I work with children, teenagers and adults presenting with an array of non-preferred and unwanted feelings and symptoms resulting in their quality of life being impacted.
No matter the age, most clients I work with are experiencing heightened anxiety and/or low-self-esteem, not feeling enough, wanting to be perfect, trying to fit in … this, a very small snippet of the many common symptoms people are presenting with.
Each of these symptoms alone contribute to an array of challenges in life. It is common for people to present with relationship difficulties with family, friends, colleagues and/or partners, as well as feelings of sadness, anxiety and behavioural and/or mental health deteriorations in varying intensities.
As a simple analogy that I share with clients, these symptoms can be looked at as being a result of the quality of materials that each person’s foundations have been built on … materials which usually have been offered and accepted by society as a whole as ‘normal’ or ‘the way it is’ even though they do no truly support us to live wholesome lives. For example, it has become our accepted norm that we as a society determine the value of a person based on what that person does - being a good student, runner, mother, son, employee - while we equally placing judgement based on what a person does - ‘I love you because you made me a cup of tea’, or I’m mad at you because you didn’t make the bed’ ...an endless possible list…
As a Behaviour Specialist and Counsellor, I work with children, teenagers and adults presenting with an array of non-preferred and unwanted feelings and symptoms resulting in their quality of life being impacted.
No matter the age, most clients I work with are experiencing heightened anxiety and/or low-self-esteem, not feeling enough, wanting to be perfect, trying to fit in … this, a very small snippet of the many common symptoms people are presenting with.
Each of these symptoms alone contribute to an array of challenges in life. It is common for people to present with relationship difficulties with family, friends, colleagues and/or partners, as well as feelings of sadness, anxiety and behavioural and/or mental health deteriorations in varying intensities.
As a simple analogy that I share with clients, these symptoms can be looked at as being a result of the quality of materials that each person’s foundations have been built on … materials which usually have been offered and accepted by society as a whole as ‘normal’ or ‘the way it is’ even though they do no truly support us to live wholesome lives. For example, it has become our accepted norm that we as a society determine the value of a person based on what that person does - being a good student, runner, mother, son, employee - while we equally placing judgement based on what a person does - ‘I love you because you made me a cup of tea’, or I’m mad at you because you didn’t make the bed’ ...an endless possible list…
But what if there were different quality materials on offer for our future generations to build their foundations on?
On the 21st January 2018 I was honoured to have been part of the annual Girl to Woman Festival held in Lennox Head. As the day went by I was privileged to see and interact with many of the young women, young men and their families.
Attendees of all ages and genders were offered an opportunity to build a foundation that allows themselves and all others to live and reach their full potential. Through the many presentations and informal and social connections throughout the day, these were some of the core principles offered...
All women and girls:
It is clear to see that with these, and many other foundations of similar kind, we will have women in this world who feel confident, self-assured and who are contributing members to our society, while equally giving back and supporting others to be the same.
What stood out for me the most was that if every young person and their families were to have the principles offered at the Girl to Woman Festival as the quality materials to build their living foundation, then my job as a behaviour specialist, counsellor and mental health professional would be made redundant ... now what a blessing that would be ... not that I don't want to work as I love my job, but to know the world we live in does not need such services would be pure gold.
Attendees of all ages and genders were offered an opportunity to build a foundation that allows themselves and all others to live and reach their full potential. Through the many presentations and informal and social connections throughout the day, these were some of the core principles offered...
All women and girls:
- Are equally beauty-full, as each person’s true beauty comes from their inner being and never from their outer or exterior; thus, celebrating the beauty within is a crucial foundation that will wipe out societal issues related to self-image, body-image, self-worth, comparing self with others and so much more.
- Will one day learn to live in a way that honours, respects and celebrates themselves and all others; this in turn will result in women feeling at ease and confident to be themselves in this world.
- Are innately wise equally so, and thus the Girl to Woman Festival encourages a foundation that values each person’s wisdom and advocates a space where all people feel at ease to live and express their innate wisdom
- Have A LOT to express and share with the world; thus, an integral foundation for girls and women is to be raised in a manner that allows them to feel at ease and thus free to express all that is there for them to share … everyone has a lot to share and must be valued no matter their age or gender.
- Are presented with a lot of challenges in day-to-day life, whether that be kindergarten, school, workplaces and/or communities; thus, the Girl to Woman Festival promotes a platform that allows all people to openly express, free of judgment, what they have experienced.
- Are deeply sensitive and this sensitivity when understood and supported is an absolute strength; thus, the Girl to Women Festival advocates that women of all ages must be supported to live their sensitivity and not join the current norms of hardening up and presenting a tough exterior.
- Know at their core that what our world needs most is love; thus, foundations of decency, respect and consideration for all offers a platform for our world to begin to change.
It is clear to see that with these, and many other foundations of similar kind, we will have women in this world who feel confident, self-assured and who are contributing members to our society, while equally giving back and supporting others to be the same.
What stood out for me the most was that if every young person and their families were to have the principles offered at the Girl to Woman Festival as the quality materials to build their living foundation, then my job as a behaviour specialist, counsellor and mental health professional would be made redundant ... now what a blessing that would be ... not that I don't want to work as I love my job, but to know the world we live in does not need such services would be pure gold.
Imagine a world where our children, teenagers and adults feel confident to be themselves, have a solid knowingness of who they are and feel equipped to embrace the demands of their every-day life with minimal feelings of anxiety.
Can you imagine the benefits to society as a whole as our young people grow into members of society who give back and offer their all?
The economic benefits alone would be immeasurable. Not only would people and governments no longer need to allocate funds to services to reverse the ill-effects, but also the benefits that society will receive by having members of society offering and contributing all that they are. Consider the impacts on our national budget if all the funds that are currently being allocated to mental health services nation-wide were no longer needed … a long shot dream I know, but one day possible.
The economic benefits our country would receive is a mere smidgen of the benefits on offer via the Girl to Woman Festival ... the benefits far exceed that which I can even come close to fathoming.
So, from a person who sees on a daily basis adults, teenagers and children presenting with symptoms impacting significantly on their quality of life, I say, bring on more Girl to Woman Festivals ... they are an offering to our nations as whole, not only to those attending the festival.
The Girl to Woman Festivals are offering a foundation that supports our Amazing Girls to become Amazing Women.
By Tanya Curtis
Masters of Behaviour Management
Masters of Counselling
Bachelor of Health Science (Behaviour Management)
Associate Diploma of Education
Photography by Emilia Pettinato
