Counselling for Children

Counselling for children and young people - what parents need to know

What is counselling?

Counselling is a way of helping people with different kinds of personal problems. Counsellors work with a wide range of concerns including anxiety, depression, bereavement, loneliness, self-esteem, difficulties in relationships, self-injury eating problems, attention deficit, obsessional compulsive disorders and spectrum disorders.

It is based on the building of a trusting relationship between the counsellor and their client and it can enable people to talk about their experiences and to make sense of them. Counselling can also allow people to express difficult feelings and to learn how to manage them in a helpful way. Counsellors are trained to listen thoughtfully and carefully to people's problems without judging or criticising them. They do not give advice but support their clients to make positive decisions for themselves.

What if my child says private things about my family?

It is important that your child feels free to talk about experiences in the family that may be troubling or confusing. It matters that you give approval to your child to talk to the counsellor. It is understandable that you might feel worried about what your child may wish to talk about in their counselling. However, you should bear in mind that the strict code of ethics that counsellors follow includes clauses about confidentiality.

The counsellor is not there to judge you or anyone else in your family, their sole purpose is to help your child to manage their problems and to try to resolve them in a positive way.

Can I ask my child about the counselling sessions?

The counselling relationship is private and personal, and each child will respond differently to it. Some children may wish to talk to their parents about the sessions, while others, especially teenagers, may wish to keep the content of the sessions to themselves. It is important to be guided by your child and to respect these individual differences. There maybe times when your child seems more upset following a counselling session, and this may be because they have been talking about painful feelings. Showing sensitivity to their distress, while also respecting their right to privacy, is a difficult but important balance for parents to achieve.

Can I ask my child's counselor how the sessions are going?

It is natural that you will want to know how your child is getting on in their counselling. Some counsellors may arrange to meet with you periodically to review progress. They will only do this with your child's consent and knowledge of what is to be discussed. It is important to remember that the counsellor will have agreed to a confidential relationship with your child and has a duty to safeguard confidentiality.

The only very rare exception to this would be if the counselor thought that your child was at serious risk of harming themselves or others.

How long will my child need to see a counsellor for?

Many counsellors work for short fixed-term periods such as six or 12 weeks, although some work in a more open-ended way, continuing to provide sessions until the client feels ready to leave.

Counselling and children with ADHD

Child Mental Health

For further information regarding child counselling or to book an appointment, contact Katie at:

PH: 04 3942464
or email directly to :
katie@lifeworksdubai.com

Counsellor/CBT Therapist Child & Adolescent