Your child’s Counselling session is a time where they can feel seen, heard and understood, a safe place where they are able to relax and let go a little.
Maybe they are struggling with something that feels overwhelming, or perhaps their behaviour is triggering some strong emotional reactions in you?.
As a parent, it is hard to deal with everything our children bring to us, especially when it is triggering our own emotional reactions. Making the decision to seek counselling can help you both, and often result in creating closer family connections.
Counselling and psychotherapy sessions are confidential and non-judgemental. They offer a continual process of learning and growth, building confidence and self esteem, both for you and your child.
How to Know if Your Child needs Help
Maybe you’ve noticed some changes in your child’s behaviour:
- More irritable, argumentative
- Changes in sleeping patterns
- Spending more time alone, avoiding social outings
- Loss of interest in favourite activities
- Loss of appetite – or a sudden increase
- Refusal to attend school
- Struggling at school
- Stressing about classroom achievements
Holistic Counselling and Psychotherapy with Children
Healing is about following your child’s own unique process, recognises that learning happens when they are having fun. Play is an important part of your child’s counselling session.
Counselling with children is based on acceptance for who they are and what they bring to their sessions, meeting them where they are at, seeing the world through their eyes.
The underlying focus is playful, acceptance, curiosity and empathic, drawing on the capacity of play to touch areas where language may not be able to reach.
I see children from 6-7 years of age. I prefer to work just with parents for younger children. You don’t need a referral or diagnosis to see me, and I will not pathologise, label or diagnose your child.
Your Child’s Counselling Session
Counselling can help your child to process experiences within a trusted relationship. Rather than simply talking, your child’s sessions often include creative ways of expressing whatever is disturbing them..
Sessions often incorporate play therapy, art therapy, craft, storytelling and games depending on your child’s needs and their interests.
- Imagination and creativity – tapping into your child’s fantasy and imagination as props to support your child’s free expression.
- Emotional Regulation – Bringing awareness to body sensations, and finding words for what they are feeling. Noticing fight/flight reactions, for example, and how to be with them.
Through all these activities we are creating a sense of safety and trust, building channels of open communication. Your child is learning how to be in relationship with a safe adult.
When they feel safe, children are more open to learning.
Nothing is wrong in your child’s counselling sessions, unless there is a danger of someone being hurt, or damage to property.
Parent Support is Part of the Process
Safety and trust are the foundations of a healthy relationship, whether with your child, your close friendships, or your partner.
Counselling with children is a collaborative process. Research shows greater gains when a parent is actively involved in your child’s healing. Every few weeks, I will invite you in for an update and check on progress. This is your chance to share any concerns, and an opportunity to process anything that may be arising for you.
Our children’s behaviours can trigger unresolved wounding from our own childhood. I often find that exploring our own personal history brings deeper understanding of our child’s behaviours and life challenges. Our childhood experiences of how we were parented can often impact how we parent.
Working with your own triggered responses, can help to increase your awareness and understanding of times when your child has a meltdown, or a major emotional outburst. Counselling can help you to find that place of calm in the midst of chaos.
We’re working together, helping you to help your child, creating closer and more connected family relationships, seeing the world through your child’s eyes.
Your Initial Parent Session
This is your time to help me to understand your child, their gifts, and their challenges. I’ll ask about your child’s early development, your pregnancy, birth, childhood illnesses and developmental milestones.
I would also like to know about any experiences that may have been overwhelming and difficult to deal with, such as family separation, loss of a loved one, violence, accidents, major illness, surgery, or natural disasters.
Most importantly, I’ll ask about your child’s special gifts, what touches your heart and how they bring you joy.
Then, if you are comfortable, we can arrange a regular time for your child’s counselling sessions.
How many Sessions does my Child Need?
The number and frequency of sessions depends on the needs of your child, and your ability to support the process. I suggest planning for several sessions initially,
We can continue to meet regularly, usually weekly or fortnightly, until you feel your child is ready to move on.
Combining parenting support with your child’s counselling sessions means we can develop strategies for immediate support, while also addressing underlying issues, with the goal of creating lasting change.
Benefits of Child Counselling
Addressing small issues early can save you from bigger mental health challenges later on
Some things we might expect after child counselling, combined with parent support:
- Improved family life
- Children better able to attune to their feelings, needs
- Reduced signs of development delay
- Social/relationships and communication
- Increased confidence, and an enhanced sense of self
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