We do our best to make everyone feel comfortable

We understand that seeing a psychologist can feel a bit different for many people, so we do our best to make all individuals feel welcome and comfortable. An important part of the therapy process is feeling well connected to and understood by your therapist. We will begin by explaining the way we work and answer any questions you may have. For those who find it challenging to sit and talk, or are experiencing some big feelings, we have a box of sensory toys to fiddle with to help focus energy and attention.

We take the time to get to know you

The first therapy session involves gathering information. We want to understand the concerns and hopes that bring people to seek therapy. We also want to learn about people’s background information, including developmental and family histories, school, friendship and other significant experiences. With younger clients, it is typical that parents will spend the majority of the time in the room with their child during therapy appointments. With older clients it is more usual for young people to spend the majority of the time in the therapy session by themselves so they can have a neutral and safe space to raise any issues. (This approach is flexible depending on how comfortable each young person is feeling and the issues being discussed).

We value your input

Once we have gained some initial information, we will talk to you about some ideas we have for moving forwards with therapy. This may involve a discussion of mental health issues, strategies to deal with problems, and offering a safe and confidential space to discuss feelings and situations. We always ask for the input of our clients in setting goals and establishing ideas for their therapy sessions. We are comfortable sitting and talking (an option often preferred by older adolescents), however we are equally happy to use activities and relevant games to engage our younger clients.

We keep information private to create a safe space

Psychological therapy sessions are bound by confidentiality, and the children and adolescents we work with are considered our clients. This means that we will keep the information that young people share with us private, unless we have their clear permission to share certain information with specific individuals. In general, we believe that it is important to support families to communicate well with each other, however having confidential therapy sessions is important to allow young people to feel free to discuss their issues and ideas without concern of the impact on others, including their family and friends. There are some exceptions to confidentiality in therapy where we are required to share information with others. These situations do not arise often, and we will always do our best to inform our clients when they do. Most often these circumstances involve significant safety risks and legal subpoenas. We can discuss these details further with you at your first session if required.