What To Expect for Parents

First Contact

You can reach out to me through the contact me page or by emailing me at willow@willowstarcounselling.co.uk. I will get back to you within 48 hours, and we can look at available days and time. If we find a slot that works for you, the next step would be to arrange a free initial chat.

Free 15/20 minute initial chat

Finding the right counsellor for your child is really important. I offer a free initial chat, over Google Meets. During this time, we can talk about what has led you to consider counselling for your child. Your child is welcome to join us for the entire chat or just part of it - whatever feels best for your family. This is a good chance for you both to see if my way of working feels right for you both.

If your child is 13 or older, they can also have online sessions if that's something you'd like. For online session, I also spend an extra 15 minutes with the young person alone to ensure they are able to engage and give them a chance to share what's going on for them in their own words.

First session & Assessment

At the beginning of our first session, I will do a simple assessment suited for your child's age and explain what our sessions will involve. After that, the sessions will focus on what your child wants to talk about and explore. I may use creative approaches like playing games or different arts and crafts to help them express themselves. Whenever possible, I will include your child's special interests to help them feel more at ease.

Updates & Contact with parents or carers

Keeping what your child shares confidential is just as important as it is for adults in counselling. I am committed to following ethical guideline that ensures all information stays confidential, unless there's a risk of harm to the client or others.

I understand this can be difficult for parents. I offer catch ups with parents, and if your child wants, they can join in those conversations to talk about general things. Sometimes the child might want to share something or ask me to do so on their behalf however this will be client led and doesn't always happen.

If I believe that your child isn't ready to participate in sessions right now or that they would get better support somewhere else, I will let you know. I will also work with you and your child to end the sessions in a gentle and appropriate way.