You can talk about things with me which are making you feel upset and hurt. You won’t always feel like talking, and that’s ok too. There are lots of other things to do in the room, games to play, art things, interesting toys, I’ve even got sand, which can be really nice to make shapes with. It can be a lot of fun, it’s a very special place which is just for you, however you are feeling. I’m here to help you feel better.

The room looks something like this….and that’s me, in the stripy socks!

Some of the reasons to come to therapy are because you are not feeling good, for example, sad, depressed or angry, you may be feeling really bad about yourself. Perhaps home is hard. You can’t talk to your friends, you may be scared they will judge you, tell others about your personal stuff or think you are mad, and sometimes it might feel like you are. Instead you bottle it all up, or you may be dealing with your problems in ways which are hurting yourself, like with food, alcohol, drugs or self-harm or you are full of really strong emotions that don’t make sense or can make you feel out of control.

It’s often helpful and a lot easier to talk to someone who is more neutral about the things which are going on (that’s me). Coming to see me is about having a place to talk about all of this, with someone who isn’t going to tell you what you ‘should’ or ‘shouldn’t be doing.

You can come to talk over a specific problem, a more general feeling of anxiety or depression or the larger questions about life that you may feel worried by. You can even talk to me when things are going great. You will find therapy to be a place which supports you, however you are feeling. In therapy you can gain a more positive reflection of all that is good and strong about you.

You don’t always have to talk, if you want you can draw or be creative, it is up to you. There may be practical things I can suggest that you can do. But mainly what works about therapy is feeling understood, that you aren’t going crazy, learning about who you are, growing to see that you can trust yourself to navigate your way through life in a way that feels right for you.

If you are reading this in order to find a therapist for your son or daughter let me explain a little about the work I do with young people:

For children and teenagers therapy is where they can talk about any or all of the things which are making them feel anxious, sad or angry in their life. They also have a space to talk about what is going well, the things they are proud of, their dreams and hopes for the future. Teenagers tend to want to talk, and children will tend to play as this is the language in which they express themselves.

As a parent how can you spot that there is a deeper problem? You may have noticed a shift in your child’s emotions or behaviour, perhaps not being able to socialise with friends in the way they used to, or they may be spending more time on technology, have become withdrawn and secretive, have trouble sleeping or eating or they are struggling at school with their studies. You may also have spotted that your child is self harming. Such behaviours are often adopted by children to cope with underlying problems.

As I and your son/daughter develop a safe and trusting relationship they will feel more able to say things which they have stopped themselves talking about elsewhere. They may have silenced themselves because they are worried about hurting or angering you or their teachers or friends. This is not to say that therapy is about keeping secrets from parents, but rather that the space is one in which children can be angry, upset, love or hate, without feeling terrified that these feelings have spread into their daily life and hurt the people that they love so much. Therapy is about your child learning to understand feelings and appreciate that all of them can be felt and allowed, which then enables them to flow again rather than be blocked.

Through mindfulness training we come to notice how our mind wanders constantly. With practice we learn to sustain our attention and break the grip of unhelpful mental habits, judgements and impulses, making way for greater calm, and for more helpful, kinder and rational thinking about all aspects of life.

Adults and children find that mindfulness training helps them to think more clearly, perform and concentrate better, feel calmer and happier, less anxious and less depressed and get on better with others. Mindfulness is now recommended by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence and GPs are referring adults on 8 week courses to reduce stress and help prevent recurrent depression.

I regularly practice mindfulness myself and am trained to teach mindfulness to children, teenagers and teachers in a structured ten session course. The course has been designed to appeal to student audiences with striking visuals film clips and practical activities in order to practice mindfulness (Mindfulness in Schools Project).

I have taught mindfulness to large groups of sixth-form students and teachers and also work with clients using these techniques on a one-to-one basis.