therapy for young people (7 to 19 y.o)
the WORK WITH TEENAGERS
Concurrently to my work with adults, I am fully trained in working with young people. I have been emotionally supporting YP for over 15 years in diverse educational settings. Alongside my private work I am employed by the charity Barnardo’s where I specialise in working online with children from the age of 7 up to 19.
These are some of the issues I deal with on a regular base:
- Anxiety
- Bullying
- Isolation
- Family issues
- Loss and illness in the family
- School attendance
- Gender identity and LGBTQ+ related issues
- Self-harm
- Suicidal thoughts
- ADHD - ASD
The isolation during the lockdowns, the aggressive social environment and the extensive use of social media are some of the reasons why the level of children and adolescents suffering from anxiety has risen dramatically. The consequences are varied, from missing school to self-medicating, to experience physical pain through self-harming, not feeling able to going out and socialise. Therapy (face to face as well as online therapy) can deliver safe support and emotional benefits.
I believe that having the ability of engaging adolescents is critical in maximizing the success of any therapeutic intervention. The skill of engagement it is something that I have acquired by working with adolescence in many different settings, online therapy providers, secondary schools and an independent school with trauma informed and attachment aware status.
Engaging this age range in Counselling is especially challenging and there are several reasons for this. Most therapeutic models are based on treatments that work for adults. These methods are frequently not effective in engaging adolescents because of their developmental immaturity, the stigma many adolescents associate with therapy, and adolescents feeling forced into it.
My clinical knowledge about therapy process, children and adolescent development, and their interactions is what guides me in working with this population. Engaging young people and establishing a strong therapeutic alliance require therapists to express empathy and genuineness, utilize developmentally appropriate interventions, address the stigma, and increase choice in therapy.
WORKING WITH ADHD AND ASD
It is important to notice that attention deficit disorder (ADHD) and autism (ASD) appear together in my list of expertise. This is because I have been working with an ever growing population of young people (and adults) where both condition coexist in the same person simultaneously. Young people struggling with ADHD do find great benefit to their confidence and self esteem through therapy.
How to start and feedback to parents/carers
To start the work with YP the first step will be an assessment meeting with the Parents/Carers. This will last approximately 1 hour and will focus on the young person.
Together we will discuss the present situation and the Y.P. background. The presence of the young person is not needed during the initial meeting.
In order to develop trust, it is important to offer confidentiality to the young person, so I do not give detailed feedback following sessions. However, I offer a meeting with parents/carers approximately every three months from the start of therapy, so to discuss how the intervention is progressing.
When reviewing the sessions I will give general feedback about themes that have arisen.