Moving to Counselling Children and Young People In private practice

I have previously counselled children and young people as a counsellor in schools. I have not carried this out in private practice. Mainly because I didn't want to carry all the play therapy equipment around with me. However I now wish to change this. My young clients give me so much. Also counselling children is a real priviledge. I feel amazed how they show me their world via different mediums.

I now counsel children two days a week in a school for children excluded from mainstream school. Some of these children and young people have ADHD and ASD, I have become increasingly aware of their needs and how I need to structure my counselling to best support them.

This has helped me in my own life as one of my grandchildren has recently been diagnosed with Autism.

I am constantly looking at better ways to serve my clients. Counselling children and young people helps me considerably with my adult clients. To counsel children effectively I need to be extremely observant. Watching every movement, listening to every word. I also reflect in a detailed way looking for what the child is telling me. Children have difficulty speaking about exactly what is or has affected them. Adults quite often are the same. By listening and watching I can see... what is painful for my adult clients. I am then able to help them gently deal with this pain. Adults have often spent years creating a life avoiding emotional pain. Working excessively or using drink or drugs are some ways of avoiding pain. My clients never cease to amaze me by their courage and bravery in dealing with their hidden torments that result in their anxiety and current life difficulty. By talking about this with me it is fantastic how they open the door to a better way of being. I feel privileged to be able to help them on their journey. Peace of mind has no price.