CHILDREN AND YOUTH
Counselling sessions with children and youth are designed around:
Supporting the emotional health and psychological growth of young people
Promoting the positive behaviours of young people
Enhancing the constructive thinking patterns and decision making strategies of young people
Because all children and youth are dependent to some degree upon the adults in their lives, counselling sessions with children and youth also involve parents and/or care givers. Immediately prior to or after the session, Anita meets with the parent or care-giver in order to receive an update regarding the child or youth, or to provide feedback and suggestions. In order to respect the confidentiality and the importance of privacy, parental involvement may be minimal with older youth.
All sessions with children are structured around the child or youth’s developmental stage and involve therapeutic games and activities, reading and creating stories, employing art and other expressive therapies and the use of puppets. Sessions with children are generally from half an hour to one hour depending upon the age and attention span of the child or youth.
Counselling can help children and youth deal with the following:
Anger management
Lying and stealing behaviours
Bullying
Sibling rivalry
Defiant behaviours
Sexually acting out behaviours
Sexual, emotional and physical abuse and neglect
Grief and sadness surrounding loss and death
Parental divorce, separation and conflict
Fears and worries
Generalized anxiety
Poor peer relationships
“We loved the fact that we hit on some embarrassing and hurtful subjects and the atmosphere was still pleasant, calm and soothing, and that we could listen to each other”.
(K. H., Pitt Meadows)