Updated: September 4, 2020 | Original Post: August 8, 2019
Child and Adolescent counselling refers to psychotherapy designed and targeted at young people. It differs from the therapy that an adult would receive because it takes into account the age and developmental status of a younger client. For example, when working with a 13-year old boy I would use different analogies and examples than I would with his father or mother. Teenagers are also at a different cognitive development stage than an adult and this needs to be factored in when working with younger people.
This is a great article that makes this exact point!
Young people today are under an enormous amount of stress. Some common causes are social media, school (the need for high marks) and the hyper-reporting of all things bad in the media. This is resulting in increased levels of anxiety and depression.
Click here to learn more about the impact that social media can have on teens.
I have been working with young people for over 15 years and am a parent as well. This has allowed me to develop skills that help me connect with and get through to younger people. The number one factor in a successful counselling or therapeutic relationship is the relationship between the client and therapist and I am normally able to develop a good one.
