WELCOME
Integrative counselling for children and teenagers aged between 4 & 17 years. For young people who are struggling with their mental health , need support to cope with life events and want to gain self confidence .
My name is Jess. I am a psychotherapeutic child counsellor. I have 15 years experience of working therapeutically with children and young people. As a registered mental health nurse working in CAMHS. In more recent years as a school counsellor. I trained for 3 years at the Institute for arts in therapy and education. I have professional indemnity insurance, paediatric first aid training and I am registered with the DBS update service. I am a registered BACP member and meet regularly with a clinical supervisor to discuss my practice.
I aim to offer your child a safe space to be themselves and express how they are feeling in a way that is accessible to them as individuals. As an Integrative counsellor, I am informed by traditional theoretical perspectives as well as contemporary evidence based research. I can adapt my therapeutic approach to the needs of each client.
I use creativity to enable relationship building and communication. For younger children using puppets, objects, games art materials and stories can all be effective in helping a young child speak about what is troubling them . For older children and teens Image, metaphor and sensory tactile creativity such as using clay can help them find the words to express and make sense of their experiences.
what to expect
The process in 4 stages
01
Initial enquiry
Initial email or text enquiry followed by a telephone conversation. This service is free of charge. To discuss a parents concerns and explore whether this is the right service for their child.
02
First parent consultation - up to an hour and a half
Parent (s) or carer (s) consultation in person, as part of a detailed assessment process. The child or teenager is not present for this meeting. Parent/Carer working agreement and data protection contracts signed.
03
Counselling begins each session is 50 minutes
One to one therapy with the child begins. The first 4 - 6 sessions are part of the assessment process. This is followed by a parent review meeting. This first review meeting is for reflection and forward planning. Subsequent review meetings are every 6 weeks and can be short or longer as required. Parent reviews do not compromise the child's privacy. The intention is to support parents to benefit their child or teenager.
04
Regular therapy sessions and a plan for ending
One to one therapy on the same day and time at regular intervals. For example weekly or fortnightly. Separate parent review meetings every 6 sessions. Planning forward for the end of therapy or moving onto a different kind of activity or service.