Counselling for Children and Teenagers

How do I get counselling for my child or teenager?

Are you wondering, “how do I find a counsellor for my child?” Finding a counsellor for your child can be quite hard. You need someone who they will connect with and feel safe with as well as someone who is specifically qualified to work with young people.

I work with children from the age of 6 with a range of issues; sleep problems, anger, sibling rivalry, family separations and divorce, bereavement, bullying, self-harm, low self-esteem, autism, and many more. If you have a question about how I work please contact me here: https://vwjcounselling.com/contact/

Why do children and teenagers need counselling?

Life is becoming harder for children and teenagers, the pressures at school, family issues and social media all have a huge impacts on young minds. Anxiety among this age group is growing each year and the Covid-19 pandemic has played its part too. At a time when children need their friends they have been isolated and then have struggled to get back into the school routine.

Anger and self-harm are ways that young people cope with how they are feeling but this can have damaging effects in school and at home and have lasting consequences. These behaviours are masking what the child/teenager is actually feeling. I look for the cause and help the young person to understand their actions and to adapt their behaviour.

How will counselling help my child/teenager?

Talking things through and using CBT is useful as well as using play therapy and art therapy. Children and teenagers need to feel heard and understood as much as adults do. I assess how each young person is feeling and which are the best methods to use to support them. Some find that they can express themselves through art, whilst others just want to talk to someone about how they feel.

Will you tell me what my child is doing?

This is where I will have a 3 way contract with you and your child. It is so important that the child/teenager builds trust with me. My contract states that unless there are safeguarding issues or the child wants me to share, there will be no reports back to the parents. I do let parents know whether we are making progress and I am happy to have conversations with parents but confidentiality is something I take very seriously.

How much will it cost to go privately?

I charge £60 per session which is for a 50 minutes. I usually do an initial session with a parent present and then work around a minimum of 6 sessions. Some children need more, some not as many, each child has their individual needs.