In addition to my main Counselling and Psychotherapy qualification, I have a Postgraduate Award in Working Therapeutically with Children and Young People. I have experience of working with young people (age 11 upwards) in a variety of settings – my private practice, Haybridge High School and Sixth Form, King Edward VI College in Stroubridge, and the What Centre.

Working with young people calls upon different and additional skills to those required for working with adults. As well as being able to work with the specific difficulties a young person might have, it is helpful to have an understanding of where they might be in their development, as well as some of the stressors that young people face.

With a young person, I am more likely to offer creative methods of working – sandtray, art and craft - as a way of building a good relationship which in turn will help them to feel able to express their thoughts and feelings. However I am always guided by the unique needs of each young person. Older adolescents may prefer to simply talk, or a mixture of talking and creativity. Whatever form the therapy takes, the aim for both young people and adults is the same – to create a safe space, build a strong therapeutic relationship, allow feelings and thoughts to be explored and understood, look at ways of expressing and coping with emotions in a healthier way, discover strengths, build resilience. I will never offer a young person solutions, or impose opinions and beliefs on them.
We will talk through timescales at assessment and can agree to work to a specific number of sessions, say 6 – 12, or to work in an open-ended way until your child feels ready to finish.

Please do get in touch if you have any questions about my work with young people.