Psychotherapy can be long- or short-term, depending on an individual's needs. It is recommended that sessions, which last 50 minutes, should be once weekly , at a regular time.

Through the establishment of a therapeutic relationship and the consistency of time and space, people do eventually feel safe to express their most troubling thoughts, feelings and behaviours. Psychotherapists are trained to modify their approach in an age-appropriate way and according to the individual's ways of communicating.

Younger children often use play as a mode of communication while older ones typically use a combination of play and words. I provide a range of toys and art materials to facilitate expression. Adolescents’ and young adults' usual mode of communication is talking. For young people who struggle with Social and Communication difficulties and find talking challenging, I use a combination of discourse and communication cards/games that facilitate their engagement.

Assessment is an important part of the initial stage as it allows us to determine if psychotherapy is appropriate for the young person at that point and it provides an idea of what it is like to work with me.
Assessments can be between 3 to 5 sessions. For younger children, the first session is always with the parents alone. The purpose of this is to explore their concerns further, find out more about the family and take a developmental history. This is usually followed by three individual sessions with the child or young person alone and a feedback meeting for the parents. If I determine that psychotherapy is not a suitable treatment, I will try to signpost you to more appropriate services.

Please feel free to contact me if you are a parent concerned about your child, or a young person (above the age of 16) who is going through a difficult time. We can have a brief conversation in which you can share your concerns before arranging an initial meeting.

Ethics and confidentiality

In all my professional practice, I am bound by the Code of Practice of the Association of Child Psychotherapists (ACP).

Click here to view the code of ethics.

This includes confidentiality. Details of session content are confidential regardless of the age of children or young people. The only time that I share details with parents or a trusted adult, is if I have concerns about a young person's safety. In the event of this, I will always try to inform and have a conversation about the need to do this.