Work in Schools

If you already know of us you will know we work in a number of schools and other settings to improve the emotional wellbeing of children, young people and their families. Our team consists of professionally qualified, trained and clinically supervised counsellors supporting our client base of schools and academies, secondary and primary, across Redcar and Cleveland, and as far as Harrogate. We work together to really understand young people. We involve parents whenever possible and encourage this if it helps a young person to sort out a problem. We can often put into words what young people find difficult to say. The latest research findings based on 750 schools suggest that pupils in 86% of schools have access to a counsellor. The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) also estimates that between 64% and 80% of secondary schools in England offer some kind of counselling, and the numbers have increased over the last 10 years. The evidence shows that counselling in schools is increasingly viewed as a profession, with counsellors recognised on Accredited Voluntary Registers.

We have lovely therapy rooms in our premises on Station Road Redcar. These are relaxed and informal settings with a choice of room which are suitable for both children, teenagers and adults. We offer a variety of different ways to engage with young people to ensure that we build a ‘relationship’ with them in the first instance so that young people feel comfortable and are able to communicate their problems in a way that is natural to them.

We create hope and build resilience through compassion and empathy and also by creating a safe space for children and young people to open up and share their issues with highly qualified, experienced professionals.

We offer a range of therapeutic interventions, including:

Individual Child and Adult therapy

Counselling and therapeutic Play

Qualified counsellors and play therapists will deliver both long- and short-term one-to-one counselling through a range of therapeutic interventions to help young people manage an extensive range of emotional issues including:

• Bereavement, Domestic violence, Family breakdown, Early Trauma, Peer relationships/friendships
• Self-harm and unhelpful coping strategies, Stress and social anxiety

Our early intervention approach helps develop confidence, self-esteem and resilience. Counselling has been evidenced to help children and young people achieve their potential in and out of school and enjoy their childhood. Professional counsellors and play therapists work towards Goals with young people in order to

• Help deal with painful emotions
• Enable a young person to achieve some level of congruence with regards to thoughts, feelings and understanding behaviour
• Enable a young person to change behaviours which have negative consequences
• Enable a young person to function comfortably and adaptively within their external environment
• To maximize the opportunity for young people to pursue developmental milestones

Parental involvement is encouraged and essential for working with primary aged children. An essential element in our profession is recognising when your child or young person may need to be ‘Getting More Help’ which is the CAMHS service. We have well established relationships with CAMHS and a direct referral route to this service.

Family Group Conference (FGC)

A Family Group Conference model is traditionally used to support families and the children pre-breakdown; however, as the evidence base is increasing, we also work with families from an early intervention approach supporting all children where there are  issues or concerns. We believe that FGCs are a powerful and effective way to give families the opportunity to get together and make positive and achievable plans for their own welfare and future wellbeing

F = Feelings
R = Remember to relax. Have quiet time.
I = I can do it! I can try my best!
E = Explore solutions and coping step plans.
N = Now reward yourself! You’ve done your best!
D = Don’t forget to practice!
S = Smile! Stay calm, and talk to your support networks!