How the sessions work

Once the initial appointment with the parent has been made, I will ask the parent to complete a family background questionnaire to be returned to me before our first meeting. In this way, any information that needs clarification can be sorted out during the meeting.

This first meeting is exploratory and enables us to discuss the issues. Sometimes I will suggest that the child/adolescent accompanies their parent(s) on the first visit, in which case the session will last 1 and a half hours to allow me time alone in discussion with the child.

If the child does not attend the initial session, a date will be set for me to meet the child. The purpose of this session is to give the child an experience of what therapy involves, to assess whether counselling is right for the child and to also allow the child to ask questions. If all parties agree that therapy could help, then a further set of sessions, usually six, will be arranged. Therapy will usually take place on the same day each week at the same time. After the initial set of sessions, a follow-up session will be held with the child and parent(s) to review progress. In the case of younger children, only the parent will attend. A decision is then made as to whether further sessions are required.