We hear from child psychotherapist Teresa Bailey, a founding member of the UK Palestine Mental Health Network. Drawing on decades of experience in children’s mental health services and recent advocacy with colleagues in Gaza, Theresa delivers a searing and compassionate account of what war does to a child’s mind and body.

Teresa explores the catastrophic mental health impact of Israel’s war on Gaza’s children. From trauma-induced mutism to the neurological effects of starvation, from shattered trust in parental safety to the impossibility of healing amid ongoing bombardment, this talk explains why this war is not just about land, but about destroying the very possibility of future generations.

Teresa shares the heart-wrenching questions asked by Palestinian children and uplifts the heroic work of Palestinian clinicians and the community's power of resilience.

This episode contains graphic themes and emotional content. Listener discretion advised.

Teresa Bailey is a semi-retired consultant child and adolescent psychotherapist. She has worked in the NHS for over 30 years, edited the Journal of Child Psychotherapy, and is now series editor for Independent Psychoanalytic Approaches with Children and Adolescents. She is a founding member of the UK Palestine Mental Health Network and leads a campaign for child psychotherapists to speak out against the genocide in Gaza.