Counselling for Young People

I provide counselling to teenagers and young adults from the ages 11+.  I recognise life can be hard at times and growing up can be a difficult and a confusing time with many pressures from school, peer groups, friendships, family dynamics as well as other stressors.  Whilst support from parents/carers and family members can be beneficial for your child to be able to talk to someone they know, it may not always be enough and at these times coming to counselling can be helpful.  I can offer your child a safe, confidential environment to express their thoughts and feelings and understand about what is going on in their life.  

My background is rooted in education so I am very familiar with the pressures young people face.  Some common themes that can come up in counselling are; exam stress, anxiety, depression, peer pressure, self-harm, bullying, low self-esteem and family breakdowns.  I have worked with teenagers and young adults in education, residential settings and in a counselling role. 

My approach is child-led where your child can choose what to do or talk about, and I join in and support them.  I will follow their pace to help them to feel safe, heard and confident to explore their thoughts and feelings whilst still having guidance off me as needed.  Typically, most of the time in sessions we will be talking together, or we can work in a creative way such as using pens, paint, paper, cards, games and other creative materials to help expression.  I tailor this approach to each individual, their ability and needs and I encourage them to make their own decision to see if they want to work this way. 

Confidentiality

I offer counsellor-client confidentiality, and this applies to young people as well as adults.  This means that your child is free to talk about what they want to bring with confidence.  Sessional information will not be shared with parents, caregivers or family members unless your child has consented to this, or there is a concern they are a danger to themselves or others.  There are at times certain limitations to confidentiality but this will be discussed in more detail in the first session.

The Next Steps

I invite parent/caregivers to contact me and talk through what is happening in your child’s life.  During this discussion I can let you know how the counselling process works and how we can work together to support your child.  Before meeting with your child I will send out some information about the way I work which explains the therapeutic relationship and the boundaries around this.