Why the DIP Screen-time Support Initiative?

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We (Dr Danielle Einstein and Dr Anna McKinnon) are clinical psychologists, academics and staunch advocates of healthy screen time use.  Since the COVID-19 crisis, many parents have been telling us that they are confused about what are appropriate screen time limits in this time of crisis as regular guidelines don’t appear to apply. We want to support you through this time of adjustment to develop healthy patterns of screen use for you and your family.

 

We recognise that changing habits is hard - as such, we have developed some educational resources (videos, tip sheets) to help guide you to develop healthy family habits. We are also providing fortnightly support via a closed group in a zoom support group during Term 2 to support you to make changes. The purpose of this group is for you to receive general support from clinical psychologists in setting goals to adjust your family screen-time plan each week and to share any issues that may arise when making changes with other membes of the group.

 

What are our qualifications?

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We (Dr’s McKinnon & Einstein) are both clinical psychologists registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency and Medicare.

 

What does it involve?

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We have developed a series of vlogs and associated factsheets for DIP community members, to provide education on how to develop appropriate patterns of screen use during Term 2, in Australia. We will also be available to provide optional support via a closed Zoom support group once a fortnight on Fridays during the school term. The groups will run for 2 months at a time. The aim of the group is to provide support for families to make small in-roads, and to share their setbacks and successes with others in the group.

 

Is this a therapy program?

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No, the support we are providing via Zoom can only be considered as general support. If you would like to receive psychological support, we have provided a list of services on the website should one-on-one support should further support be necessary.

 

How long will it take?

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We know you are busy this stressful time, so we have tried to make these videos as quick and practical as they can possibly be. There are a series of videos around 5 minutes in length and the summary sheets are quick and easy to read. It is up to you whether you participate in the monthly zoom support group. 

 

Do I need to access the resources and join the Zoom group?

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You might decide that watching the videos and using the factsheet is all you need to successfully apply the skills. Participating in the Zoom group is optional.

 

How does participating in the Zoom group work?

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We will run a zoom support group once a fortnight, once we have sufficient interest we will send out a survey to select the most suitable time for parents. 

 

How do I join?

This is a closed group available to DIP community members. To sign up to be a part of the DIP community is really easy. All you have to do is fill in the contact form. Once you have registered your interest in receiving support over WhatsApp, we will email you with the video links, tips sheets and details of how to join the Zoom Conversation. Numbers are limited. 

 

Do I need a referral to take part?

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No, this is a general initiative that is open to everyone. All you need is to sign up to below. There are limited places in the support group. Each support group will run for 2 months.

 

What costs are involved?

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This is a free initiative. We want to support you.

 

Will the information on the support group be confidential?

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This is a closed group with a number of members of the public. We will ask that group members keep information in confidence and do not distribute any message strings to members of the public. Whilst we will make every effort to keep information confidential. 

 

There are some instances where we as clinical psychologists are required to break confidentiality. This includes any disclosure indicating that your child or another person is at high risk of physical and/or criminal harm; A notarised subpoena from a Court to supply information (please see the privacy policy for further details). In the event of any of these issues arising, we will contact you before taking action with the relevant authority (if appropriate).

 

What happens if a risk or safety issue is described?

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Any disclosure that suggests your child or another person are at high risk of physical and/or criminal harm will be treated as serious. When you join the group, you will be asked to provide your phone number, your address details, as well as details of an emergency contact. Should a risk issue be disclosed by you over the group, you will be contacted by us via phone and we will use the details you have provided us with to provide a notification to the relevant health services. If we are unable to contact you, we may contact your emergency contact.

 

Is this support group for you?

If you are concerned about serious mental health issues for any member of your family, the support group is not the correct place to obtain advice. We suggest that you instead look at Parent Works (for in depth parenting programs and guidance) or other Family Psychologists. A list of Telehealth referral options has been provided on our website (link).

 

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The support group is provided as a non-judgmental space for parents to reach out and receive support from other parents and Dr's Einstein and McKinnon. We reserve the right to cancel or change support group dates if necessary and to remove any participant who is not supportive of other members of the group.

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