Child and adolescent psychotherapy is a therapy for children, young people and young adults originating from the practice of psychoanalysis.

Child and adolescent psychotherapy is a way of communicating with children and young people and finding a way to help them understand what might be troubling for them and those around them. The purpose is to understand a child or young person’s situation and predicament and assist them to understand it for themselves. Play, creative arts, verbal and non-verbal communication are used to help a child express themselves and begin to understand what they are feeling and what their preoccupations, anxieties, concerns, dream and ambitions are. The purpose is to understand more about what is happening in a child's mind and how they think and feel about their experiences.

 All psychotherapies are an exploration of how we understand our self, our relationships and the world around us.

Child and adolescent psychotherapy explores how a child or young person understands themselves, their relationships and the world around them. One of the aims of therapy is to investigate the psychological meaning and significance behind actions, emotions and behaviours. Behaviour is understood as a communication of feeling and emotions that may struggle to find words. Psychotherapy works on an understanding that as the meanings of behaviours are understood by a child or young person there becomes less need for the behaviour to be relied on to communicate a particular difficulty or situation.    

Psychotherapy is about supporting children and young people maximising their developmental capacities.  

The stability of a relationship is central to successful therapy. Central ingredients to a child's healthy development are just as important in psychotherapy.  Consistency, stability, predictability and creativity play a key role in the way appointments are organised. The aim is to create a dependable, respectful and consistent relationship that encourages improved mental health, psychological well-being and a reduction in concerning symptoms.  

 

What is child and adolescent psychotherapy for? 

People usually make an enquiry because of a concern about an aspect of their child's behaviour, emotional presentation or general development.

Common concerns people have when contacting a child and adolescent psychotherapist include:  

  • Depression

  • Anxiety

  • Self-harm

  • Attachment difficulties, including looked after and adopted children

  • Behavioural problems including criminality

  • Trauma

  • Difficulties with friends and peers including  bullying, cyber-bullying

  • Eating disorders

  • Gender-identity

  • ADHD

  • Autism

  • Learning disabilities

  • Substance use

  • Concerning sexual behaviour or habits

I have experience of working with all of these areas. More can be found out about my professional experience here.   

 

What does it look like and how does it work? 

During an initial conversation we would discuss how appointments might be best organised and who would be best placed to attend. Appointments would be discussed on the telephone and during an initial consultation. 

Services offered include: assessment, treatment, work with parents and carers, consultation, and supervision

Assessments:

Psychoanalytic States of Mind Assessments (PSOMA) - is a comprehensive assessment providing a detailed description and perspective on a child or young person's emotional world.

Assessment for child psychotherapy: an initial assessment offering a view of a child or young person's emotional world and suitability for commencement of psychotherapy.

There are times when a comprehensive assessment with a detailed review and feedback meeting may be enough for a child or young person and their family. In these cases we would stop. At other times a more longstanding commitment and investment in therapy may be indicated.   

 

Treatment: 

Psychotherapy: varying frequency of once a week, twice or three times a week. Review meetings or regular appointments with parents and carers is an option.

 

Work with parents and carers

As a child psychotherapist I have extensive experience of working with parents and carers. Work with parents and carers may happen without me seeing a child and be in the service of supporting a child's development through regular appointments with the parent or carer. Work with parents may take place whilst a child is in therapy in a separate appointment. 

 

Consultation

Occasionally, professional organisations or services have contacted me for input and consultation. This may be available and would be discussed on an individual basis. Organisations I have worked with extensively include schools, children's homes, youth offending institutions, CAMHS, social care services and post adoption services. 

 

Clinical supervision

I am available and eligible to provide supervision to professional colleagues from a range of disciplines. I have experience of supervising child and adolescent psychotherapists, psychiatrists, psychologists, teachers and learning support, children's home staff, counsellors and related therapists. 

 

For psychotherapy requests or assessments ordinarily, an initial consultation is followed by a series of weekly appointments. Appointments take place at the same time on the same day and are 50 min long. Following a series of appointments a conversation or review would take place to decide about further work. Psychotherapy works on a frequency of once, twice or three times a week depending on need and circumstance. Appointments usually take place on weekday evenings. 

Following an enquiry, if there is a vacancy an appointment will be available within the week

The consulting room is located in central Halifax

 

Fees

A sliding scale is operated and discussed during initial consultations.