Adolescents
For me a core principle of counselling children and adolescents involves working with parents and important others as well. However, with adolescents, independence and being part of the decisions made are more prominent subjects.
I will start with either a meeting with parents first or with parents and the young person. I would like to hear about the background of the problems, history of the young person and anything that might be of importance in supporting him or her and the family.
Depending on the age and situation I will regularly update parents/caregivers to inform them about the therapy process and to give advice/strategies, and parents are always allowed to call or email to discuss their child. If needed we can involve other important people around the young person, like teachers, friends and family members.
It is important for a young person’s overall development to get help as soon as possible. For additional information about the costs involved and how to get in touch click here. I will get back to you as quickly as I can to discuss the first steps that are best for you and your child.
It all depends on the young person and what works best for him or her. I usually agree on trialling it out, so they can have a go and we can look together at the best ways of helping them with their goals. Motivation is pivotal for counselling and building on the relationship takes time.
As with all ages I am flexible in the techniques used. Most young people like the variation of talking and activities, such as arts and crafts, making stories, playing board games, going for a walk with the dog, using computer programs, playing darts, or something else.
It is very important for any young person to have a voice in what information is shared with others. I make very clear from the start that counselling involves privacy, and the rules I am bound to.
In addition to your rights, I am bound to a code of ethics as a member of the NZAC.
I cannot and will not share any information that the young person has shared with me without his or her permission. The exceptions to this involve situations where the young person is at direct risk to him or herself or others, which I will make clear from the onset.
If you ended up on this page, it is probably because one of your parents thought it might be a good idea to get you some help or maybe you found it by yourself.
Either way it can be a bit of a scary or weird idea going to a counsellor. I am not going to say here that it is not too bad, that is something you have to find out yourself. What I can promise you is that I will do my best to make things as comfortable as possible for you and take into account what you find important.
First of all, by listening to you. After all you are the most important person in this process, even though your parents are paying for this.
You have your own ideas about what is going on with you and how you want to be helped with this. Most times, parents talk to me first about their worries. I ask all sorts of questions about your past, things that happened to you, about your family, school, and health.
I will hear from your parents; how they dealt with your problems till now, what worked, and what not. It is good for me to know these things, so I can have a bit of an idea and discuss also with your parents what their position is in this process of counselling. After all, they have to know that everything you tell me is private, and I can't tell your parents about what we talk about without your consent. I will discuss with you in what way your parents can be involved in your process, they will be curious and they might be a big help for you in solving your problems.
Secondly, most young people do not like it when they have to talk for a whole hour. Luckily for you we have heaps of things to do as well. We can play games, you can beat me at darts or do crafty things. If you like, we can invite the dog in, she loves attention and is a very cuddly golden retriever. You have to get used to the fact that there will be a lot of kids stuff in the room, since children from four and up come here as well.
If you have any questions about me, or anything about counselling and so on, please send me an email at info@childandfamilycounselling.co.nz.
Hope to see you soon! Arletta