child counselling involves creative skills that allow the child's world to be explored and engaged with in a way that feels less threatening than through 'talking'. The use of art and play materials such as paints, puppets, dolls and sand (to name a few) enables the skilled practitioner to work with the child and learn about their story, and to provide empathic attunement through the developmentally needed relationship. Counselling is not about making the child understand how s/he 'should' be. It is all about enabling the child to heal from emotional arrests through empathy from another and, eventually, from the self. The child is then free to return to a path of healthy development.
counselling young people involves combining the therapeutic skills of child work and those used with adults. The healthy young person develops a sense of identity to carry into adulthood, making self-worth and self-awareness vital building blocks of their transition from childhood. A skilled practitioner attunes to both the adult and the child within the young person, thus helping them manage developmental tasks more effectively, so becoming free to recognise their virtually limitless potential.
children and young people are counselled for:
