for young people:

The most important thing for helping young people to feel better is for them to feel close to the important people in their lives, it is extra important for young people to feel close to the adults who care for them the most.   Because of this sometimes the important people in the young person’s life will come along to counselling too, if everyone feels like this might help.  Sometimes an important care giver might have a chat with the counsellor first to explain some of the hard things that have happened in the young person’s life.  Sometimes a young person might not want this to happen and that is totally OK; some young people might want to explain these things to the counsellor themselves; or some young people might be feeling too upset with the important people in their lives and might need to start with feeling good in their relationship with their counsellor.  If an important care giver can come along they might stay for part or all of the counselling time if this is helpful for the young person, they might stay for a chat or maybe they will join in some activities.  Sometimes other important people might come along too, like brothers and sisters, there might be chats or activities as a family group.   The aim of counselling is to help young people and the important people in the young person’s life to know what the young person needs to feel good so that they don’t need counselling any more, so that they can be in charge of their own healing.  Sometimes it might take only a little while for good changes to happen, and sometimes it might take years, but always good changes can and do happen and when they do counselling can be finished 😊.        

for adults:

The most important contributing factor for supporting the recovery journey from trauma is for young people to feel safe and secure in their important relationships, particularly with primary attachment figures, for this reason the therapeutic process includes work with primary attachment figures wherever possible.  Ideally this would involve an initial consultation with a primary attachment figure who is able to provide information regarding the trauma history of the young person and presenting mental health symptoms and who is willing to support the counselling work.  Of course there are times when this will not be appropriate, particularly with some adolescents and young adults or in instances wherein attachment disruption has been so severe that a safe relationship needs to be established with the counsellor first.  If including a primary attachment figure is possible then they may be asked to participate in part or all of the counselling sessions depending on what is most helpful for the young person, engaging in Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy or Theraplay.   Other important people to the young person may be included depending on what relationship strengthening needs to occur for the wellbeing of the young person, this may occur through Attachment Focussed Family Therapy.   The intention of the therapeutic work is to be time limited, building capacity in the young person and the important people around them to respond to their therapeutic needs without the ongoing support of a counsellor, empowering them to have ownership of their recovery journey.  Sometimes it may take years for new, positive neural pathways to form, particularly in instances of attachment related, developmental trauma, but positive change can and does happen and so there will always be a natural close to counselling work.