QF psychiatrists explain the importance of self-expression in children

Doha: A child’s mind is like a blank canvas, with childhood experiences playing an integral role in shaping future behaviors. And it is for this reason that young people should be encouraged to express their thoughts, feelings, and emotions freely from an early age to build happy, confident, and independent adults.

Dr. Ahsan Nazeer, Division Chief of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Sidra Medicine and Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar, explains why it is crucial for parents and society to encourage young children to express themselves in a secure environment. “For a child, creative expression is one of the most natural things in the world. They are born curious, eager to discover and explore their environment, and they do this naturally through self-expression,” Dr. Nazeer says.