Counselling - Children
(0ish to12ish years old)
Debbie Green
Psychologist
Michelle Pullen
Educational and Developmental Psychologist
Angela Bromfield
Educational and Developmental Psychologist
Tracey Beck Gude
Psychologist
Dobby
Therapy Dog (and Good Girl)
Our philosophy
Working with children is a unique and rewarding blend of combining our expert knowledge with creative delivery. Understanding the experiences of our kids requires helping them to feel comfortable and engaging them at a level that works for them. We believe that when we spend the time really connecting, we are able to achieve so much more through our counselling work.
We also believe that supporting children means supporting parents. Parenting is a tough journey and there is NO reason why any parent should feel like they need to have all the answers and that they can’t ask for help. In some cases, this is done by helping parents understand the nature of the difficulties their child is experiencing and what the options are for supporting them. In other cases, it is also done by helping parents develop their parenting knowledge and practices so that they are more helpfully aligned with their child’s needs.
What approaches do we use?
We use a range of interventions to support children, including thinking and behaviour-based strategies (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy), play- and creative-based strategies. We aim to make counselling a really fun space so that children have a positive experience of seeking help. It also helps them to relax and talk more openly.
Typically, we will meet with parents only in the first appointment. This gives us a chance to talk privately and openly about your concerns. After this, we will work out a plan for how we spend our time, which will include a combination of working with you (the parents) and your child together and separately. This depends on their age and the nature of their concerns.
Concerns we can support you with
Anxiety (e.g. socially anxious, adjusting to changes, separation anxiety)
Big behaviours and emotion regulation (e.g. anger/aggression, meltdowns/tantrums)
Family difficulties (e.g. parents separating, conflict with siblings)
School difficulties (e.g. transitioning to school, behaviour problems, social issues, bullying, school refusal)
Friendship and social challenges (e.g. making friends, resolving conflict)
Depression and sadness (e.g. ongoing low mood)
Grief/loss and adjustment (e.g. death of a family member, moving countries/schools)
Psychoeducational assessments (see more information here)
ADHD assessments (see more information here)
- Autism assessments (see more information here)