WHAT DO YOU SEE?

You see plastic beads,

a paper crown and shiny high heels.

I see me feeling so special

trying to heal.

You see animal families

behind fences.

I see my family

and all our defences.

You see paper and crayons

all colours and scribbles.

I see me on the inside

and all my troubles.

You see puppets in

costumes and bows.

I see Mum and Dad...

but nobody knows.

You see sand and trees

 and bugs and bees.

I see my world and

I think nobody sees.

You say...

in here it is whatever I want it to be.

I say...

in here I grow stronger and stronger...

Do you see?

~ ROBBIE JONES~

Individual counselling and psychotherapy using Expressive Therapies and Sandplay Therapy is available for children and adolescents aged between 5 and 15 years of age.  These personal journeys of healing increase self awareness, emotional intelligence and reconnection to inner resources.

Young people come to counselling for many different reasons.  They may have been affected by an emotional or traumatic event, like divorce or the death or illness of a loved one.  They may have suffered an early trauma, repeated abuse or live in an ongoing stressful environment resulting in emotional turmoil, like shared parenting. Other times a child may exhibit unusual or challenging behaviours which alert us that something is not quite right and they may benefit from connecting with and articulating their inner world.  We all have a deep yearning to be heard and listened to.  This desire and yearning to express what is inside is even stronger in young people.

The need to clarify problems, resolve conflicts and reduce emotional stress is part of normal living.  When our emotions are blocked we can feel ‘stuck’, sad, angry, alone, resentful, depressed, confused and more.  Children often struggle with finding a way to unblock their emotions and can lack the language skills to gain appropriate support.  They often respond through behaviours that can seem challenging to adults, ie. aggressive outbursts, attention seeking, anxiety, attempting to gain control, unsuccessful peer and sibling relationships, sleeplessness, bedwetting, depression, school refusal and the list goes on.  A deeper look below the surface reveals what is blocking, holding and preventing growth.  Counselling with Expressive Therapies provide many safe ways for young people to explore and express what is happening in their inner world.  By bringing a deeper awareness to these blockages and uncovering the healthy energy and positive emotions that exist at the core of each and every one of us, client’s are empowered to create the changes necessary to live their lives from the INSIDE OUT, from a more organic state of self-knowing.

Your initial visit will generally be an interview session.  This allows you and your counsellor to develop an understanding of you and your child's needs.

Following your initial interview, the process of intervention will be discussed.  Together you will make decisions about the type of intervention and support which best suits you and your child.

Intervention may look like one or more of the following:

• Parent support and education through small group workshops
• Individual child counselling
• Individual parent counselling
• A combination of the above

Working with parents and the child's family is certainly part of the therapeutic process.  I recommend seeing the parents every four to six weeks, if I am seeing the child individually, to educate about the therapy process.  Parent education and support is a vital part of the therapy process.

My vision is a world in which all children are treated with dignity, respect, understanding, and compassion.  In counseling sessions, my goal is to help parents identify and meet their children's needs as well as their own, in as loving and respectful a way as possible. Parenting can be easy and joyful!

Integrating a child's session referred for grief

and loss issues.

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