Avia Collinder, Gleaner Writer

Dr Muftizade

Charlene Gibbons is happier because her son is a more relaxed and confident child.

"He is doing breathing exercises when he is getting upset with his brother and trying to be calm. He tries to stop fidgeting and sleeps better at night. I see him trying to control himself more."

Gibbons, who lives in Kingston, this year enrolled her son in Relax Kids, a copyrighted programme brought to Jamaica by Dr H. Grace Muftizade, who received her training in this special technique in the United Kingdom.

Relax Kids was created in 2005 by writer Marneta Viagas, who had the idea to use fairy stories and meditation to help children use their imagination, relax and sleep. Viagas also wrote the book Aladdin's Magic Carpet - 52 fairytale meditations.

What Muftizade has done in introducing it to Jamaica, is to combine elements of the programme with her counselling skills to "bring out the best" in children ages six to 11.

Muftizade returned to Jamaica in 2006 after completing a Master's and Doctoral programme in counselling psychology at Howard University in Washington, DC.

Guidance counsellor

Before this, she worked as a guidance counsellor at Clarendon College and at The Queens High School. She worked as a volunteer with the Peace and Love in Society programme (PALS), as a mentor at Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU) and privately, as a psychotherapist.

Currently, Muftizade has a private practice with an emphasis on self-mastery in children and adults with behavioural, emotional, stress and anxiety-based issues.

Relax Kids, which is run locally in Liguanea, St Andrew and Spanish Town, St Catherine, " is about making children feel special, loved and peaceful," she states.

Inner values and beauty

"Their inner values and beauty emerge. They learn to relax and to release tension, think positively and control their bodies and thoughts."

They also learn to relate positively to others. They realise that they really are in control.

The aim, she adds, is to create calm, confident children.

How it works

Relax Kids involves physical exercise, dancing, children talking about themselves positively, visioning and self-expression.

In a 90-minute session, the children move creatively with their bodies and explore what they can do with them. While their coach taps on a tambourine, they express their inner desires and she affirms them.

The session also includes show and tell, in which each child is encouraged to speak about issues which are important to him/her. The children are also taught self-care.

"They stroke their faces, massage their arms and stretch their fingers, which all stimulate feelings of relaxation. They also do breathing exercises which oxygenate the brain and produce calmness and energy," Muftizade states.

While they exercise, the coach provides affirmations to each, which build their confidence and self-esteem.

They also learn to wait on each other - a way of teaching patience. The young children are learning skills of confidence, self expression and relaxation which they are taking back home, and into their school environments.

The benefits, which parents have shared, include less stressful bedtimes and children who are more relaxed and agreeable, calmer and more mature.

According to Muftizade, parents have told her that the whole family is enjoying a better quality of life because of these changes.

"They are now actually discussing issues with kids who used to be silent and moody."