Turn the Page Counselling

What is Counselling?

Counselling offers your child an opportunity to discover more about themselves and their inner strengths. It can help them to make sense of what is happening to them and understand their own feelings better. It can help them to try to move on from their issues, build confidence and self-esteem, which over time increases mental well-being and resilience.

It is a talking therapy that can help with different kinds of personal problems and emotions that they are finding difficult to manage. The counsellors from Turn the Page work with a wide range of concerns including, anxiety, depression, bereavement, loneliness, self-esteem, difficulties with relationships, friendships, eating problems, self-injury and negative thoughts.

It is based on building a trusting relationship between the counsellor and the young person to enable them to talk about their experiences and feelings and try to make sense of them. Counselling can also allow people the space to express difficult feelings and learn how to manage them in a helpful and positive way. It can help to explore feelings with someone who is not emotionally involved in their lives. Counsellors are trained to listen thoughtfully and carefully to your child.

Counsellors are trained to do this without judging or criticising. They do not give advice but support their clients to make positive decisions for themselves by building on the resources that they already have.

Is my Child going to see someone who is properly trained?

All of the counsellors working with children and young people for Turn the Page Counselling are fully qualified to Post Graduate Diploma level and Joanna is trained to a Masters level with 12 years’ experience. All counsellors are members of the BACP (British Associate for Counselling & Psychotherapy) and are fully insured, and enhanced DBS checked.

Confidentiality

As a confidential service, Turn the Page Counselling is committed to respecting and maintaining client confidentiality, and our duty of care to clients accessing our services incorporates the protection of personal data and information acquired during therapy from unauthorised access. However, it is important that you understand how client confidentiality is managed and maintained within the organisation. This includes the following:

• The counsellor will keep brief, factual notes of sessions. These are kept under a reference number for each client and kept in a secure location for 7 years following the final appointment and then disposed of securely.

• All counsellors will access clinical supervision each month as per BACP ethical practice guidelines, and may share information with their supervisor in order to maintain good practice and good working standards.
  
  

Exceptions and limitations where the counsellor retains the right to breach confidentiality and potentially share information with outside agencies includes;

• Concerns of significant risk of harm to self and/or others

• Any information related to terrorism (Terrorism Act 2000)

• Any information related to Drug Money Laundering (Drug Trafficking Act 1994)

• Any legal requirements to breach confidentiality, including an order of the court, or when clinical notes are requested as a part of an ongoing police investigation.

Can I speak to my Child’s Counsellor?

The Counsellor would not normally speak with the parents of a Young Person having counselling as this is likely to compromise the trust and relationship that has been built up and is key to the counselling process.

However, if you have a concern regarding the Safeguarding of your Child then we recommend that you contact School separately and their Safeguarding Lead will contact you to discuss this further.

Monitoring and Evaluation

We require clients to complete outcome monitoring forms before, during and after counselling to identify and monitor therapy progress and effectiveness, and gather valuable client feedback to help us develop and improve our services. All information gathered is anonymised and contains no information that could lead to your child or young person being identified.

Joanna Page