Childrens therapy/councilling

[K1Machine 10]

I need some advice please. A relative of mine has a child, teenage daughter whom could potentially do with speaking to a therapist/councilor (sp?) concerning a recent event in the girls life. From what I understand the local GP is worse than useless and quite unsympathetic so I said I would do what I can to help. I Googled the query but the results are a mishmash of adverts and wrong results so I thought I would turn to the forum.

Any help would be greatly received.

Thanks.  

[Dalek Boy 10]

Does the girl's school/college have a counsellor?

[Guest makapaka]

6 hours ago, K1Machine said:

I need some advice please. A relative of mine has a child, teenage daughter whom could potentially do with speaking to a therapist/councilor (sp?) concerning a recent event in the girls life. From what I understand the local GP is worse than useless and quite unsympathetic so I said I would do what I can to help. I Googled the query but the results are a mishmash of adverts and wrong results so I thought I would turn to the forum.

Any help would be greatly received.

Thanks.  

That’s disappointing re the gp.

 

i was referred to a counsellor as a young teenager and it helped no end.

 

maybe someone could accompany her at the gp and make sure their assessment is properly challenged and understood and that she is referred somewhere if needed.

[blondebint 10]

My gp was beyond useless when my teenage daughter needed help and support. Basically they said unless she was suicidal then they couldn’t offer anything. I was at my wits end but then I came across Sheffield Futures based on Division Street in town. They offer free counselling and mental heath advice for children and young people. They have a drop in well-being cafe on a Tues evening 5-7, which children/teenagers can just pop in and informally chat to someone. From this my daughter was allocated a counsellor and had weekly meetings. The difference in her is amazing. I couldn’t recommend it enough.  The mental health part of the service is called ‘door 43’. They offer lots of other services in the building for young people, but it was the mental health services we needed. They have a website and a Facebook page so it might be worth checking out :) 

[bertyboop 10]

You might be better paying and going private. The amount of councilling I had when I was in my young teens was unreal, and I can say after about 5 or 6 different people, none of them helped. 

I ended up taking a CBT course a few years ago to try and help my self, because at 26 it still affects me. 

What I will say is that your relatives daughter won't feel comfortable or be helped if she doesn't feel comfortable with the person she will be speaking and opening up to, so be patient if the first few don't work out. 

[monkeygirl 10]

I'm a children's / youth counsellor. I would go along with what other people say. The trouble is the that the waiting list for CAMHS is so high that people's problems have to be really really bad to get any help quickly. In my experience, when a young person is saying they need help they need it then - not in a years time.

 

I'd agree to go for Door 43 / Interchange. There are also places online where your friend's daughter could get free online counselling from a qualifed counsellor. Try looking up The Mix - who are very good.

 

You might want to look up a site called Counselling Directory if you are wanting to find a paid counsellor for your daughter. Make sure the person is fully qualified and a member of professional organisation like BACP or UKCP. Also make sure that the person is specifically trained or has experience of young people's counselling - not just adult counselling. There are a couple of places in Sheffield that specialise in just working with this age group.

 

Last but not least, the most important thing is to find someone who your friend's daughter "clicks" with - as that will make all the difference.

 

Hope this helps

[rob-a-bob 10]

Have a look at this site https://www.unk.com/#whatElseWeDo it contains self help programs which might help.  Without knowing the issues, it's difficult trying to point you in the right direction. Maybe if the person in question had more of an understanding of the issue. They maybe able to overcome it.

 

Counselling or CBT are good the the person with the issue can open up full with their issues. But advise you find a counsellor  with experience in dealing with the issues in question.  The teenager needs to have a bond with the counsellor to.  Or they won't have any interest in what the counsellor has to say.

[K1Machine 10]

On behalf of my relative I want to say thank you for the posts, advice and private messages. Its all been passed on and hopefully she will be getting some help soon. Personally I think the whole family unit need some form of counseling but getting the parent to see and accept this is proving difficult.  For as long as I can remember the whole household has been victims of abuse in one form or another and when the "offending partner" left I breathed a big sigh of relief. Here we go I thought,  they can now have some normality and get on with their lives. How naive I was as the abuse has continued just in different ways.

A question I have is how can I help. How can I make the parent see that help is needed for them all rather than just the most badly affected child?

 

 

[Black Brick 10]

It is hard for some people to see how they have been abused or dominated. The freedom programme helps these people recognise the signs . Some pointers at http://clarewalkerconsultancy.com/warning-signs-how-to-spot-a-dominator/ 

 

[Stranza 10]

I second the freedom programme https://www.freedomprogramme.co.uk I know of a few women who found it useful.