What Can We Help With?

It is not uncommon for children and teenagers to experience emotional and/or behavioural difficulties at different times throughout their lives. However, sometimes these difficulties can have a significant impact on the child and the family’s life and start to affect the child’s day-to-day functioning. Parenting is also a hugely challenging job and, at times, parents might feel stuck as to how to best manage their child’s difficulties. We can offer support for a wide range of psychological difficulties affecting children, young people and their families, including…

 Children & Teenagers

  • Anxiety e.g. generalised worry, panic attacks, phobias, separation anxiety, health anxiety, social anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, body dysmorphia
  • Depression, sadness and low mood
  • Low self-esteem and lack of confidence
  • Trauma and post-traumatic stress e.g. prolonged distress as a result of experiencing or witnessing something traumatic, such as a road accident or an assault. A child may also be struggling as a result of experiences of abuse or witnessing abuse, such as domestic violence.
  • Challenging behaviour / behavioural difficulties
  • Concerns about a child’s development
  • Difficulties in early childhood such as poor sleep, feeding/eating difficulties, temper tantrums
  • Bereavement and loss, including parental separation and divorce
  • Difficulties with friendships and other relationships
  • Bullying
  • School based difficulties, including attention and concentration difficulties, social communication difficulties, school refusal and school/exam stress, difficulties managing transitions
  • Attachment based difficulties
  • Difficulties related to anger and other interpersonal emotional difficulties
  • The impact of physical disability and medical conditions, including the young person facing serious illness or chronic health difficulties themselves or experiencing distress associated with a family member or friend with a physical health problem.
  • Concerns linked to Social Communication Disorder, Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Asperger’s Syndrome and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Although we are experienced in working with a wide range of mental health difficulties, some difficulties require more intensive or crisis services. Should that be the case we would facilitate your referral to that service

Parents

  • Consultation and support around parenting, including managing your child’s emotional and behavioural difficulties
  • Parental stress and anxiety
  • Supporting parents who have children with social communication and attention difficulties
  • Support in thinking about the impact of a parent’s mental health difficulties (e.g. depression, post-natal depression, anxiety, OCD) on a child and working to reduce these. This may lead to a piece of family work.

Families

  • Improving communication and interactions between family members.
  • Working on strengthening and improving relationships between siblings or between a child and parent/s.

Assessment Methods

We offer comprehensive psychological assessment to help decide what may be the best treatment option for your child and family. This can include:

  • Individual and family based interviews
  • Use of standardised tools and questionnaire measures
  • Use of psychometric / cognitive assessments as required
  • School and home observation
  • School and health services liaison
  • Collaborative feedback of assessment

Psychological Interventions and Approaches

We use a range of evidence-based psychological interventions and approaches, including:

  • Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
  • Behavioural approaches
  • Evidence based positive parenting approaches including Webster Stratton, parent-child game
  • Systemic approaches (working with the family and wider system around the child)
  • Mindfulness, Acceptance and Self-Compassion based approaches
  • Attachment based approaches
  • School based interventions, including therapeutic groups; teaching/training on mental health issues and approaches; mindfulness groups (Paws B curriculum).