Counselling Children, Teenagers and Young People
In addition to my Counselling and Psychotherapy Degree I hold a Level 5 Qualification in Counselling Children and Young People.
When working with smaller children play therapy is used as a way to communicate. A child's experiences, thoughts and feelings are often communicated through play and so we use this medium to help identify and resolve their psychosocial challenges. This can be used with children between the ages of approximately 4-11. For older children therapy will be adjusted towards a more adult approach of talking therapy but may still include the use of sand tray, drawing, games etc. The approach will very much depend on the age, maturity, behaviours and interests of the child or young person.
Child counselling issues may include:-
- Family breakdown
- Divorce
- Adoption and fostering
- Bereavement and loss
- Anger and aggression
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Difficult or Challenging behaviour
- School refusal
- Anxiety
- Self-Harm
- Low mood or low confidence
- Withdrawal
- Sleep difficulties
- Eating disorders
- Gender Dysphoria
- Sociability difficulties
- Bullying
- Sexual, physical or emotional abuse
- Trauma
- Attachment difficulties
- Neurodevelopmental disorders
- Child Chromosome disorders
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Opposition Defiant Disorder (ODD)
- Autistic Spectrum Condition/Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASC/ASD)
- Asperger's Syndrome
- Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA)
