Counselling with Kids!

At Haven Therapy we are incredibly passionate about working with children to help them to process and learn about their emotions and experiences in a safe, warm and engaging space. 

Actually one of the biggest driving forces that led me in to my private practice journey was my own experience in the cold and clinical nature of traditional therapy office with its dull walls, basic lounge and a box of tissues. I remember thinking how on earth can we as therapists expect children to ever be comfortable enough with us to explore their most vulnerable thoughts and emotions in a space that is so cold? 

I have created my own personal therapy space with this question at the very front of mind. We have a childrens play kitchen to encourage creative expression through play. A colouring station where the kids can express themselves with drawing, colouring, strengths gardens, emotional thermometers, strengths cards or anything else creative they are drawn too. A range of reading materials including theraputic books on themes such as anger, anxiety etc. Anything creative and fun when working with my younger clients really fills my cup. 

My venture of working with children didnt stop at creating a space where they felt welcomed and accepted. I decided to tailor my entire theraputic tool kit to be user friendly and engaging for this particular client group. If you look at your traditional therapy worksheets you may have noticed they are your typical black and white resources, lots of words and really pretty boring. I have redesigned each and every resource i had in my tool kit to not only be bright coloured with engaging and fun imagery but also to use language that is relatable to children and what they might be experiencing.