FAQs Parents

Our 1:1 weekly sessions involve talking, creative work, and play to support support children and young people who are struggling with their mental health. These creative sessions help children to express and explore their inner thoughts and feelings, particularly if they are finding it difficult to put how they are feeling into words. Through play and artistic approaches, children are able to communicate at their own level which can help them learn to cope with challenging situations and to build adaptive relationships with others.

Our sessions create a safe space in which children are free to express themselves and our trained child and adolescent therapists create a warm therapeutic relationship with them so they feel able to explore their emotions and challenges. As each young person is unique, we offer a child centred approach and our qualified counsellors know how much they need to 'lead' the sessions.

With our interactive and creative approach, your child will engage in fun yet purposeful activities which support their overall well-being.

Although this list is not exhaustive, our therapists have extensive experience working with children and young people experiencing the following:

– Anxiety and stress – Parental separation and divorce – Friendship issues – Bullying – Family and step family relationships – Sibling rivalry – Aggression and anger management – Academic difficulties/exam pressure – Fear of failure/perfectionism – School challenges – Bereavement and loss – Self harm and suicidal thoughts – Abuse and trauma

We take an integrative counselling approach which involves talking therapy combined with many other techniques such as play, art, sand-tray work, drama, music and writing. It aims to help the young person understand the thoughts, emotions and triggers around the issues that they are having, using the most appropriate technique for them. I also use a range of different therapeutic

approaches to best meet each child or young person’s individual needs, these can include all or some of the following therapies:

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) – CBT is a form of talk therapy designed to help young people to recognize unhelpful thoughts and behaviours and learn how to change them by developing alternative ways of thinking about, responding to and

managing their problems.

Person centred therapy – this assumes that we all have the capacity to change and develop. It places the young person at the centre of the process, with the counsellor taking the role of supporting the young person as they explore their issues. The

counsellor offers the young person unconditional positive regard in a space without judgement.

Creative therapy – this uses a range of techniques including art, play, music, writing, story-telling, drama, sand-tray work and roleplay to help the young person to express themselves, explore their emotions and make sense of the issues that they want to

explore in therapy. It is an effective intervention to reduce anxiety, improve self-esteem, develop communication skills and to enable young people to make links between their

inner and outer worlds.

Attachment-Based Therapy -is based on attachment theory and explores how one’s early childhood experiences might impact their ability to form meaningful bonds later in life. The client-therapist relationship is based on developing or rebuilding trust that will help prevent or treat mental health conditions such as anxiety disorders, mood disorders, depression, unresolved childhood trauma, and relationship issues. This trauma-informed therapy approach aims to help young people address and resolve past

traumas and attachment wounds that stem from childhood. Those who may benefit from attachment-based therapy include: adopted children, children in foster care, children of depressed parents, children who have experienced abuse or trauma, particularly at the hands of a caregiver and Adolescents who are depressed and or suicidal. Poor attachment styles are strongly connected to trauma and sometimes children and adolescents will turn to drugs and alcohol to cope with these problems. As a result, many children and adolescents will present with substance use disorders and mental health disorders when in reality these might stem from unhealthy early childhood attachments.

Psychodynamic Therapy– is based on the idea that behaviour is influenced by unconscious motives and feeling states. Gaining insight into this unconscious material is essential to change. The main technique used in psychodynamic counselling is

verbalization and processing of the thoughts, feelings and memories the young person has. Catharsis is believed to help this process by relieving the pressure of emotion and clearing the mind for more rational thought. Transactional Analysis ((TAA)- is a psychoanalytic philosophy and counselling approach that involves the analysis of interpersonal and intrapersonal communication.

The emphasis in TA is on the interaction (transactions) among the young person’s parent, adult, and child ego-states, whether between people or intra-psychically. TA can help the young person to develop a better inner relationship and dialogue, which

furthers healthy adaptation and growth.

All of our child and adolescent therapists are members of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (The BACP) and therefore practise within their ethical framework. All therapists work in a child-centred way, using play, story-telling, creative work and talk, to help children express their thoughts and feelings in a way that is comfortable and natural for them.

We offer counselling to children and young people between the ages of 6-19.

To book your child’s first 1:1 session please fill out the form below.

At this present time we do not accept insurance.

Our records are completely confidential and will not be shared with anyone unless there is a safeguarding concern or they are requested in criminal proceedings. Before the first session we will ask for details of your child’s GP and school.

We work with Educational Psychologists and psychiatrists who are able to make mental health diagnoses and offer written report for diagnostic purposes. In addition, we may may write a letter to a GP if we have concerns about a child but this is done at the counsellor’s discretion. However, although counsellors are legally bound to release their notes if ordered by a court they do not write reports for legal proceedings.

If your child wishes to change their counsellor please email us.

If your child has their first session and does not want to continue, it’s important to respect their decision. It’s essential that your child has a positive experience or counselling, so they feel empowered to access it in the future.

Safeguarding is the action that is taken to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm. A Kids Feeling Great safeguarding children and young people is a high priority and all ouf our counsellors and trained in safer recruiting practices, are fully qualified, DBS checked (enhanced), insured and registered with a professional body (such as the BACP or NCPS). In addition, our counsellors all report to a Case Manager and attend monthly supervision with a clinical supervisor.

Parents meet the counsellors during the first session and once you’ve done this your child and the counsellor will have a session privately. If you feel it’s not necessary to meet the counsellor first and your child is happy to access the session independently, simply help them to log-in and leave them to it. Our counsellors will spend the session building rapport with your child and will usually carry out an assessment questionnaire in this session, in order to learn more about your child’s difficulties. The counsellor will contact you after this session to discuss next steps and confirm whether our service is suitable for your child. They may also suggest how many sessions would be appropriate.

Every six weeks general feedback is given to parents, however the counsellor cannot share any details of what is discussed in the sessions unless there is a safeguarding concern. If there is no safeguarding concern then on some occasions they may feel it’s appropriate to share something from the sessions with you however consent of the child must be in place first.

Each counselling session costs £65. When you register you will be asked to enter your card details, and payment will be taken from your registered card 48 hours before each counselling session.

It’s important your child has their sessions in a quiet private place without feeling like they might be overheard. Children are required to wear headphones and sit near a router to ensure good wi-fi connection. Counselling is one-to-one therapy and the counsellor will work with them to create a trusting and therapeutic space where they can discuss anything that’s on their mind. This private space will improve your child’s feeling of emotional safety and allow them to experience the full benefit of the counselling.

Each online counselling session lasts 45 minutes. The appointments usually take place at the same time each week unless agreed otherwise with the counsellor. We recommend that when you book your first session, you choose a day and time that you’ll be able to stick to regularly.

How many

The duration and frequency of counselling sessions can depend on several factors, such as the severity of your child's difficulties, their level of motivation and engagement in the therapy process, and the goals you and your child have set for therapy.

In general, it is common for counselling sessions to be scheduled on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, especially in the beginning stages of therapy. Over time, the frequency of sessions may decrease as progress is made, and the number of sessions required may vary from a few weeks to several months or even longer.

Following the first session your counsellor will make a suggestion for an initial block of sessions. This will usually be around 10 -12 in the first instance.

You are not expected to purchase all sessions upfront, but it is helpful to book and plan the sessions after your initial consultation in collaboration with your counsellor. You are of course free to pause or stop the sessions at any time. However, it can be incredibly damaging to your child to cancel their sessions without notice.

If your child is not finding the sessions helpful you are free to cancel, however we still recommend a final session to review what’s been covered and to discuss future strategies.