On this week's 'Parenting' segment on the Moncrieff show, one listener sought advice about their three-year-old son who is terrified of Halloween decorations.

Joanna Fortune, psychotherapist specialising in Child & Adult Psychotherapy, joined Moncrieff to answer this and other listeners' questions.

The question:

"My son is three and absolutely terrified of Halloween."

"Our housing estate is full of the creepiest decorations. They've really gone all out with moving life size figures, things that scream or laugh as you walk past, skeletons coming out to the ground, etc."

"My little boy is so terrified. He doesn't want to walk through the stage to crash or bring our dog for a walk, one of his favorite things normally."

"I know it's only for a short time, but I've never seen him so anxious about leaving the house."

"How can I help him get over this?"

Joanna's advice:

"Halloween has become big business, and it's starting as soon as the leaves become autumnal."

"It's easy for me to sit here and go 'well one of the things you do is you don't shut off Halloween, don't deny him access to it, and you explain, you know, it's not real, it's all pretend'."

"That would work if he was two years older."

"He's only three and actually, if it's imagined, it is real."

"That blur between what's real and not is absolutely not in place for him at three years old."

Positive association

"The inside of our house looks one way and the outside is a little bit more sedated."

"Yeah, there's a few things been hanging up and you'd know it's Halloween when you walk by, but I'm also aware that the outside of the house is for people outside of us."

"I also think though at home, you could play Halloween games that don't involve fear ... they're bobbing for apples doing some fun games, baking cookies, baking little things, that again, you're playing with Halloween."

"Inside your house, play with the theme of Halloween in a positive, friendly, upbeat, safe way and then repeating that mantra: 'It's not real, that's fake, that's pretend'."

Main image shows a boy afraid of ghosts at night. Picture by: Galina Samoylovich / Alamy