What is counselling?

Being a teenager can be really tough. Bodies and brains are developing at such a rapid pace that it can be hard to keep up.  As soon as you have adjusted to one change, you have to face the next one.  You may feel that no one understands what you are going through, especially your parents / carers. You may not even understand what you are going through which can often feel isolating.

The stress seems to keep building as you go to school and have to complete homework and exams. Deal with friend fallouts or bullying. Work out who you are and who you want to be. As I said, life as a teenager can be really hard.

As a counsellor, I offer a friendly, confidential, safe space for you to explore and talk about any issues you may have. I won’t tell anyone else what you have said. There are a few exceptions to this, like if you tell me about someone hurting you or someone else, but we can talk about this when you come and see me.

People come to counselling because they are:

• Feeling lonely
• Being bullied
• Thinking about suicide or self-harming
• Having problems at school
• Upset by the death of someone close to you
• Dealing with sexual abuse – past or present
• Worried about your weight
• Dealing with arguments in the family
• Going through parents separating or divorcing
• Using drugs or alcohol and want to stop
• Worrying about having sex or your sexuality

This list is just a start. If you are worried about anything then talking it through can often help. Nothing is too big or too small to talk about.

What will happen when you come and see me?

We will arrange a time that is good for both of us to meet. I will invite you and your parents / carers to come along with you so I can get an understanding of what the issue may be. I will also discuss confidentiality and how I will not discuss our sessions unless I am really worried about something you say that could mean you are at risk. I will then ask them to leave the room so we can have a chat on our own.

If you decide that you want to come back for more sessions then we will arrange this. We would see each other weekly for six weeks whilst checking out that you are getting what you want from the sessions. We can then arrange for more if this is what you would like.

I will ask you and your parents/carers to sign a contract