COUNSELLING FOR CHILDREN

Complex social changes over the last several decades mean that young people today experience greater levels of anxiety, depression and behavioural distress than they did in the past, with this trend set to continue. We provide therapy for children and young people between 0 and 18 years old and their families to cope with a range of emotional concerns and difficult circumstances.

What we can help with

• Anxiety, including separation anxiety
• Phobias
• Exam stress
• Social anxiety
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Low mood and depression
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Complex developmental trauma
• Tic disorders and Tourette syndrome
• Attachment difficulties
• Relationship difficulties, including bullying
• Struggling with parental separation / divorce
• Behavioural difficulties 

​In all circumstances, we provide support for parents alongside psychological help for your children.

Assessment session

The first session we meet your child will be an assessment and will last 50 minutes, the same as subsequent sessions.
 
We would ask that at least one parent / carer or both where possible, are present during the first session. Part of the assessment may involve seeing the young person on their own.
 
We will ask you and your child to complete several questionnaires to aid the initial formulation of the difficulties they face. Depending on the circumstances, we may need two sessions to complete the assessment, for example, if additional diagnostic questionnaires need to be administered.
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Treatment

Across our service, we use evidence-based, proven approaches to treatment recommended by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE). For children and young people specifically, these include:

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), including trauma focused CBT for Children
• Mentalisation Based Therapy (MBT)
• Interpersonal psychotherapy for adolescents (IPT-A)
• Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy
• Systemic and psychodynamic approaches

Benefits of Counselling for Children

The benefits of therapy for children depend on the individual goals and the formulation of difficulties, however, some of the most common umbrella benefits we achieve with our young clients include:
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• Gain understanding of one's thoughts, feelings and behaviours
  
• Develop skills in identifying and managing emotions
• Become aware of behavioural patterns and achieve behavioural changes
• Improve relationships and communication with family, friends and peers
• Process past events which may be impacting the young person’s ability to have a fulfilling life
• Develop greater resilience to deal with conflict and negative emotions
• Connect with internal motivation to achieve one’s goals
• Build self-compassion, confidence and self-esteem
• Discover and grow a sense of direction and purpose
• Learn a range of coping tools to become one’s own psychologist
  
  

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>Learn more about our friendly staff team
>Discover Fernwood Clinic story
>Have a question? Check out our FAQ

If you have any questions about counselling for children at Fernwood, please call us on 020 8673 8604 or email info@fernwoodclinic.co.uk