Hello

Firstly, hey 😊  Well done for even considering this option.

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The idea of therapy can be quite scary, whatever age you are.  The feedback is almost always that it wasn’t as scary as first thought, so I hope that helps a bit.

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You might be wondering exactly what it is?

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All therapists work differently and you will need to find the one that’s right for you. 

 

I’m going to write here a bit about how I work and what sort of things we could work on together.  Some of these things might be suited to you, some might not but it can give you some ideas:

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Thoughts – Our brain is capable of thinking literally ANYTHING, but some of what it thinks can be quite scary.  Sometimes we can take a meaning from our thoughts or think it says something about us.  I do quite a lot of work, with people of all ages looking at thoughts, challenging them together, where needed.

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Self harming – this is very commonly used as a way of coping.  We can look at this, decide how helpful it is for you to carry on doing and understand it a bit better working on skills to manage it.

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Anxiety – everyone gets this to a degree, sometimes it can really take over and be quite scary.  It can even make you feel quite unwell and stop you from doing things.  We could

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Low mood/Depression – Its normal for everyone to have some ‘off days’, sometimes these can go on for longer than one or two days and can start to impact our lives, we might notice we are doing less fun things than we used to.  If this is the case we could look together at what might be causing your low mood and ways to help improve it.

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Suicidal thoughts – These can be quite normal if we are feeling low and hopeless.  We wouldn’t shy away from these, we would discuss them and check for your safety if there is any intention to act on them or if you are able to allow them to pass.  We might then make a safety plan together.

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Life in general –(changes, losses, breakups etc) – These are all a part of life, often as a young person you are completely out of control in a lot of what gets decided/happens, and this can be difficult. We can have a space to work through and understand any changes or difficulties that might have come up for you.

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ASD, ADHD & other neurodevelopmental disorders – ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) affects so many people, in so many different ways! Personally, I love the differences ASD brings, however I know this can make some day to day living quite difficult.  I like to explore this and consider what you find easier and what you find more difficult.  Learning about your Autism can make a huge difference in learning how to best manage it.  ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is something we hear about more and more lately.  A bit like Autism, it is different for everyone although there are a few key things that are the same for everyone, such as the differences in how your brain works.  We can look at this and it might help to explain why you act/react in certain ways.  It’s also another good opportunity to work out what’s helpful for you.

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Sexuality & identity – An incredibly complex area, your identity is huge and all a part of your growing and developing.  I can offer you a space to understand this without judgement.

 

Whatever you would like to work on or use your time for, I am likely to want to share with you a bit about how your brain and body works, (its my favourite!) and can help to answer quite a few of your questions.  Don’t worry – it won’t be complicated, and I certainly wont quiz you at the end!

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If you have a particular style of learning it might be helpful for you to let me know so that I know best how to work with you in a way that’s understandable to you.

 

Any more questions?  Make a list and ask your parent or career to email them over to me.

 

I hope to meet you soon,

 

Claire