Dr Rick Smith - Counsellor and Education Consultant - Hong Kong

In the episode I’m talking with Dr Rick Smith. Rick is a former teacher and now provides individual counselling for students working with stress and anxiety. He specialises in ADHD and attention-related disorders and has helped a great many students from his practice in Hong Kong and beyond. 

This conversation with Rick came about due to watching him in a fantastic seminar he did earlier this year and also a longstanding sense that despite my efforts, I may never have been doing enough to support some students who struggle to adapt to the demands of school.

We discuss:

1. A quick introduction to Rick’s career in education 

2. Whether there is a recurring need or concern that families often bring to his practice regarding school and schoolwork

3. How teachers can prepare for a new academic year with regard to implementing: regular breaks, written instructions or task checklists for some students. 

4. How to manage the balance between tailoring lessons for a student and not alienating them through different treatment

5. How a form tutor and/or teacher should deal with the likes of unfinished homework or incomplete class work 

6. And finally, the role that the rest of the class play in accommodating students with certain learning needs

I found this conversation and Rick’s advice to be revelatory. Some of what is said goes against what I have been taught to believe about certain students in my classes and yet reflecting on my experience and reference to research, I found myself nodding to everything that Rick had to offer. Thanks again to him for giving up some of his valuable time to make this information more readily available. 

If you want to be kept up to date on when educational chat like this happens, then be sure to subscribe to the podcast and/or follow me on Twitter @chrisjordanhk