We had a fantastic evening on 17 June with Esther Ebbing at the Mill Hill Therapy Hub and it was one of those workshops that really stayed with us afterwards. 🌟 Esther gave her talk while based at the Hendon Therapy Hub, which worked beautifully for the session and, importantly, had excellent Wi-Fi throughout. As always, we love creating space for our community to come together, learn from each other and think more deeply about the work we do with children and families.
Meet Esther Ebbing
Esther Ebbing is a Child, Young Person and Family Psychodynamic Psychotherapist who trained at the Tavistock and Portman Clinic. She brought thoughtful, grounded insight from her three years working at a cancer charity, where she supported children and families through some incredibly painful and complex experiences. Her reflections centred on the emotional upheaval a cancer diagnosis can bring, not just during treatment but long after it ends. 🌿
What Esther covered on the evening
During the workshop, Esther explored “Supporting Children When There Is Cancer in the Family” with warmth, honesty and plenty of clinical depth. She took us through several themes that felt especially important for practitioners working alongside families facing illness and loss:
- The language of cancer: Esther spoke about how words like “battle”, “fight” and “beat” can shape how illness is experienced by children and adults alike. 🗣️
- Empathic containment: She looked at how we can help hold overwhelming feelings when family life feels chaotic, frightening or emotionally flooded.
- Symbolic function: Esther highlighted how play, imagery and metaphor can help children express what feels too big, confusing or frightening to say directly.
- Regression: We reflected on how children, and sometimes adults too, may return to earlier ways of coping when life feels unsafe.
- Guilt, resentment and silent struggles: Through clinical material and discussion, Esther helped us think about the feelings families often carry quietly, especially the ones that can feel hard to admit. 🎨
A particularly powerful part of the evening was Esther’s focus on what happens after treatment. She spoke about how PTSD symptoms can emerge once the immediate crisis has passed and survival mode begins to ease, leaving space for the shock, fear and strain of the experience to catch up with the whole family.
It was a rich, thoughtful session and we’re really grateful to Esther for sharing her experience so generously.
Want to work with Esther?
If this workshop resonated with you and you’d like support for your child or family, Esther offers therapy sessions in person and online. She’s currently available to take on new clients.
👉 Book a free initial call with Esther to chat about how she can help.
Join our community
Even though this workshop has now taken place, evenings like this are a big part of what we love about the Mill Hill Therapy Hub. They bring our community together, make space for meaningful learning and remind us that private practice doesn’t have to feel isolating. 🤝
Our annual membership includes free access to events like this, along with referrals, a website listing, social media promotion and the chance to be part of a warm and supportive network of therapists.
If you’d like to find out more about joining us, please visit our contact page or book a 20-minute chat with Marc here.
0 Comments