Information for the young person and parent
For the young person:
This is about you …
Do you feel alone, stuck and have the feeling you would rather be somewhere else? Are you feeling anxious, stressed, or depressed? Perhaps you are feeling overwhelmed by everyone making demands on you, family life, or other responsibilities? Are you having problems in your relationships and wondering what you are doing there? Why do events, the same scenarios and situations keep repeating themselves? Does each day feel like just another day..pointless, aimless with no meaning?
You are individual, unique, you have your own life story – you are important.
It may feel that there are stages that you go through... sometimes things are going good, really good, and life is okay and manageable, but the next day you plummet down and can't see a way out, and you can't understand what changed to cause this.
You may go through some tough times and events that you can't control, trauma, abuse, loss, bereavement, parents separating etc... events that are external to you but have a big impact on you emotionally and how you feel, you may think that things wont ever be quite the same again and you're not sure how you are going to cope. It may feel that events are happening around you and you just want to get some balance and understanding,to feel safe and in control again.
Other issues may be going on for you ... the way you look and feel about yourself, lack of confidence, school, exams, fitting in, identity, sex, friendships, body image, feeling low and depressed, tempted to self harm, peer pressure, not wanting to eat, overeating, addiction.
What we also need to remember are the physiological changes that are happening to you, the growth and changes affecting your brain during the teenage years, the hormones and chemical changes affecting how you feel and how you think and act, almost like you feel you have no control; wanting to be alone, independent, but confusingly at times you just don't want to grow up and become an adult. You don’t understand it - so how can you explain to your parents who are confused and worried about you and feel that they can't communicate with you.
MY aim is to offer you the space and time out from family and friends to bring your problems and concerns and to share them in a confidential safe space. I am empathic, I will listen, I do not judge, I am transparent, and I am authentic. I will to the very best of my ability support you, to gain understanding and to reach the outcome that you want to achieve.
Please note, if you are under 16 I will need the consent of your parent/carer before we can start working together.
"As parents our need is to be needed; as teenagers their need is not to need us"
Dr H G Ginott
For the parent:
As a parent you may be left feeling frustrated, helpless, angry and worried that your child is going through big changes from childhood to adulthood... and as much as you try, you simply don't understand what's going on. You want the best for him/her and try and be patient but nothing seems to work. I offer a safe space for your child to talk and offload any anxieties and worries that they may have which may be impacting on their self esteem, family, school, friends and home life.
How I work:
During the initial assessment I will meet with the young person and parent/carer, together if requested and then individually depending on the situation and what is required and preferred by the young person and parent. We will look at what has bought you to counselling, your aims and what you would like to achieve, along with any questions you may have.
If after the assessment you are happy to proceed we will discuss together how many sessions are right for you and find a mutual date and time for the weekly sessions to take place. If further sessions are needed this will be reviewed on a regular and ongoing basis. For further information please see FAQ "what will happen next?"
All sessions between the young person and the counsellor will be confidential.
TESTIMONIALS
"The world seems a less scary place after my sessions with Terri"
"I can say what I feel without being judged"
AA
― Carl Sandberg
© 2013 All Rights Reserved | Terri Lloyd
