I aim to create a non-threatening and non-judgmental atmosphere. I believe this helps young people to express whatever they need to. Many young people discover that they want to sit and talk things through. Although it can be difficult for a young person to come along for the first time, I work to make things as non-threatening and welcoming as possible. My continuous professional development strives to provide young people with any assistance they need during the journey of discovering their selves.
Contact me to book a “get to know each other” appointment to discuss any issue that troubles your mind and spirit.
Youth Psychotherapy: Disarming a “bomb” waiting to explode!
Psychotherapy can offer a safe space to explore and express feelings. It may provide a youth with the time and private space to focus on the issues that are being faced.
It is about giving youth somewhere to express and explore what is going on for them, without judgment. It is about giving youth a chance to find healthy ways to express oneself and cope with what is going on and be able to achieve the things one wants in life.
Teenagers and young people experience many emotional, psychological and developmental challenges as they grow up in an increasingly pressurized educational and social environment. Growing up – finding out who they are, learning about relationships, coping with educational requirements – can be very tough at the best of times. If high level pressures continue for too long, additional challenges or sudden unexpected changes; losses or shocks, can be tipping points.
Family disruptions, illness, trauma and bereavement can all add to difficulties such as low self-confidence, social anxiety, communication difficulties, school phobia and experimenting with substances. For many teenagers and young people, day-to-day life can reach a point where it feels too hard to manage. Young people who have additional struggles because they have been separated from birth families and may be fostered and adopted, are additionally challenged during puberty and adolescence.
Increasingly high numbers of teenagers and young people today are deeply affected, and severely challenged by high states of anxiety and depression. Many teenagers experience severe mood swings and feel unable to cope with friendships and educational demands. Some teenagers become withdrawn, exhausted and some may develop psychosomatic disorders. Some young people communicate their emotional distress through self-harming behaviors. Some express suicidal thoughts which are very worrying to parents.
Today, many developmental challenges, relationship difficulties and other anxieties, are hugely increased by experiences with social media. The compulsions and pressures which young people encounter online, through social media and other online activities are seriously worrying. Issues such as cyber bullying and risks to safe-keeping can cause short and long-term difficulties with emotional well-being. Learning to use social media in a healthy way is a challenge for us all and something we need to work together with.
Psychotherapy enables teenagers and young people to find a safe and confidential space for their difficulties to be shared and understood together. It can take time to find words to express fears and worries that may be deep down. A trusting relationship may take time to develop and the pace of the therapy must be guided by the young person.