Counselling Young People
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Your well-being (feeling comfortable, happy and healthy) is important and most of the time you can look after it yourself (for example, by doing stuff that is important or fun or getting support from friends or family). But sometimes things feel trickier, and you might need to see someone who’s trained to help, like a counsellor. Because a counsellor doesn’t know you, it can be easier to talk to them.
Who goes to counselling? Young people already deal with loads of things: making choices about work or education; navigating friendships and intimate relationships, becoming more independent and everything else life throws at you. Sometimes it might all get a bit much, especially when there are additional difficulties such as a loss, bullying or a family problem. When this happens, many young people go and see a counsellor. It’s common and it doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you. You can talk about anything in counselling, however big or small it might seem. It's your choice whether to go to counselling. You might get referred but it’s up to you whether you want to see a counsellor. You will not be forced or pushed to come and see me. How can counselling help? Counselling can help you feel better, especially if you feel understood and supported. It doesn’t make everything ok but may help you cope when things are hard. Having someone on your side who will not judge you or tell you what to do, can feel helpful. |
What happens in counselling?
I will usually see you once a week for about 45 minutes. You decide what we ‘talk’ about and how. You might find it more comfortable or useful to use art, creativity or play (I am a Connect4 pro and don’t often get beaten but of course you’re welcome to try). We will review the work regularly and you can let me know if things are not working for you.
Counselling is a time-limited activity, so it will come to an end at some point. I will regularly check with you (and/or your adult) if you are still okay to come to the sessions and we will decide together on when it’s time for an ending.
Who needs to know?
Counselling is a confidential activity, which means that I don’t normally talk about you or our sessions. Because you are under 18, I will need to follow guidelines on child protection and might need to tell someone if I’m really worried about you. I will explain this further in our first session.
I will normally also want to speak to a key adult in your life (usually a parent or carer) as it’s important for me to make sure you have someone to look after you when you are not in sessions (which of course, is most of the time!). I also find that counselling works better if I work with someone else involved in your life. This adult can also be involved in reviews if that feels useful.
What next?
If you or your parent/carer thinks that counselling with me might be a good idea, then get in touch via email or the contact form. I will get in touch to have a chat (on the phone or Teams) to get to know you a bit and to see if you might want to work with. This session if free of charge. If you think you might want to continue, then we can arrange a face-to-face meeting in my counselling space. This session is to get to know each other better and I will also ask questions of you and your adult so I can get a better understanding of how we can work together. At the end of this session, we can decide whether to go ahead and plan more sessions. But as you know, it’s really up to you.
I will usually see you once a week for about 45 minutes. You decide what we ‘talk’ about and how. You might find it more comfortable or useful to use art, creativity or play (I am a Connect4 pro and don’t often get beaten but of course you’re welcome to try). We will review the work regularly and you can let me know if things are not working for you.
Counselling is a time-limited activity, so it will come to an end at some point. I will regularly check with you (and/or your adult) if you are still okay to come to the sessions and we will decide together on when it’s time for an ending.
Who needs to know?
Counselling is a confidential activity, which means that I don’t normally talk about you or our sessions. Because you are under 18, I will need to follow guidelines on child protection and might need to tell someone if I’m really worried about you. I will explain this further in our first session.
I will normally also want to speak to a key adult in your life (usually a parent or carer) as it’s important for me to make sure you have someone to look after you when you are not in sessions (which of course, is most of the time!). I also find that counselling works better if I work with someone else involved in your life. This adult can also be involved in reviews if that feels useful.
What next?
If you or your parent/carer thinks that counselling with me might be a good idea, then get in touch via email or the contact form. I will get in touch to have a chat (on the phone or Teams) to get to know you a bit and to see if you might want to work with. This session if free of charge. If you think you might want to continue, then we can arrange a face-to-face meeting in my counselling space. This session is to get to know each other better and I will also ask questions of you and your adult so I can get a better understanding of how we can work together. At the end of this session, we can decide whether to go ahead and plan more sessions. But as you know, it’s really up to you.