Therapeutic Support for
Children, Adolescents and Families in Surrey
Specialising in therapeutic support for children & adolescents 0-18 & their families and carers.
Why seek help from a psychological therapist?
If you are worried about your child or teenager and you are thinking about seeking support at a difficult time, it may be helpful to talk with an experienced professional who is able to offer a safe, trusting, confidential and non-judgemental space to think things through.
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Therapeutic support can be provided for range of difficulties faced by children and young people from infancy to adolescence, and work with their parents.
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In work with pre-school children, therapeutic support may help parents and infants to overcome difficulties around sleeping, fussy eating, aggressive outbursts and tantrums. In work with older children, it may help with those who are experiencing problems with peer relationships, who are underachieving at school or who are demonstrating oppositional behaviour.
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You may be concerned about an adolescent who self-harms, who is feeling low, withdrawn or anxious or who is struggling with peer pressure and the impact of social media. The above are just some examples of work undertaken.
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Research has demonstrated the existence of a ‘sleeper effect’, with adults who had been treated as children or young people still feeling its impact many years later. For more information see the Association of Child Psychotherapists http://www.childpsychotherapy.org.uk/
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What it costs
After a period of assessment, which may involve meeting with the child's parent or carer, I usually meet with a child or young person for 50 minutes once per week. I usually work without a fixed time limit, and the therapy is conducted at the child's pace, but with regular reviews to assess the progress of the therapy. The initial meeting with parents/carers is 90 minutes and the fee is £150.
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My fee is £90 per session. A session last 50 minutes.
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A reduced fee may be available for parents or carers in receipt of benefits or otherwise low income.
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What happens in an individual session with a child or adolescent?
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The approach used is tailored and finely tuned to the individual needs of the child, in the most age-appropriate way and taking into account the child’s developmental needs and life experiences. My training enables me to respond to the way a child or young person wishes to communicate. Children are not asked direct or intrusive questions.
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During an individual session, young children do not usually talk directly about difficult things but may communicate through play using the toys provided. To a trained eye, play is a powerful form of communication which may express how a child feels and the difficulties he or she may be experiencing. Older children may also play or draw whilst teenagers might talk about their feelings. Infants and parents are seen together to think about their patterns of interaction. Careful observation is undertaken as to how a child or young person may respond and to what they might be communicating through their behaviour and play. The relationship between the child and the therapist is central to the treatment.
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Following an initial 90 minute consultation with parent/ parent/child, if appropriate, individual sessions are set to take place weekly, for 50 minutes each time usually on the same day and same time, this consistency is an important part of therapy and serves to provide safe and containing boundaries with the aim of contributing to effective support.
Working together
Working together is a valued part of the therapeutic process as is the child's relationship with the therapist, where over time a supportive working alliance is established and research suggests this is key to the outcome. Together as therapist and client we forge a working alliance that can be helpful, whichever way we plan to work together.
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When a child is going through a difficult time, for whatever reason, the best and most effective therapeutic intervention often involves working closely with their parents/carers and sometimes with other professionals too.
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There are various ways of working which will be planned and discussed in conjunction with parents/carer and child. Sometimes the most helpful support offered can be in working solely with parents/carers.
What are the benefits for children/adolescents and their families?
Through the relationship with the therapist in a consistent setting, the child or young person may begin to feel able to express their most troubling thoughts and feelings. Confused, frightened, hurt, angry or painful feelings can gradually be put into words rather than actions. The therapist can help the child make sense of their own experience and develop their own individuality and potential. The child or young person may begin to feel less anxious, more able to learn and better equipped to sustain friendships and other relationships.
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Research has shown that improvements are long-term, with adults who were treated as children or young people still feeling its impact many years later.
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Parents, carers and other family members can feel overwhelmed by a child or young person’s difficulties and their impact on the rest of the family. The input of a therapist can help them make sense of a child’s behaviour, explore how their own issues might interfere with their ability to parent well and look at different possibilities in parenting styles.
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The space to explore the relationships within the family in a supportive environment can result in improvements in the quality of life within the family.
This section uses information available at the Association of Child Psychotherapists: http://www.childpsychotherapy.org.uk/
Confidentialty
Your confidentiality is extremely important and always prioritised and respected at all times and an important element in the therapeutic process, except in rare situations that a child may be considered at risk of significant harm. This is discussed during the first session.
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I will also discuss confidentiality with the child to advise that the sessions remain confidential, unless there is a potential safeguarding issue that may arise or an assessed risk that I would need to share with parent/carer or other professional. This will always be in the child’s best interest and an assurance that their feelings and emotions shared are kept safe, respected and protected at all times, but taking into account that their welfare and safety is of paramount importance at all times.
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Privacy Statement
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This Privacy Policy explains how Christina Gregory uses and protects any information that you provide to her when you engage her services.
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Christina Gregory is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. You can be assured that any information you share with Christina Gregory will only be used in accordance with this statement.
What information is collected?
Christina Gregory will need your details to enable her to contact you about appointments. She will not contact you for any other reason. She will use the details that you provide to assist with assessment, formulation and when appropriate, the development of a treatment plan.
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How is my information stored?
Christina Gregory uses an encrypted email service to ensure that any communications she sends to you are secure. Limited notes ( if at all) are stored in a locked filing cabinet and reports are stored securely on an encrypted external hard drive.
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Your right to your information
You have the right to ask to see the information Christina Gregory holds about you. If you would like to see it, please discuss this with her. You can ask her to change or delete information that she has if you consider it to be incorrect. You have the right to ask her to delete information that she holds about you. Please let her know if you wish to discuss this, there may be certain information that needs to be kept for legal reasons, such as business tax purposes.
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Disclosing information to Third Parties
Christina Gregory will not sell, trade or otherwise transfer your data to any third party, unless there is a clinical need to share information as part of your ongoing therapy. Where there is a need to share information with a third party for safeguarding purposes, Christina Gregory will discuss this with you first.
Use of Cookies
This website does not use cookies.
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Changes to Privacy Policy
To continue to ensure that your information is protected in accordance with the most recent guidelines and standards, Christina Gregory may change this policy from time to time. You are advised to regularly check this page to ensure that you continue to be comfortable with the measures that Christina Gregory is taking to protect your privacy. This policy is effective from September 2019.
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Adolescent Therapy
The adolescent years can be a challenging time for families and teens for various reasons. It is a time of rapid growth and development including lots of changes in the teenage brain and hormonal changes within the body.
Teens often have a natural desire to develop independence from their parent/carer but this can sometimes cause conflict and put strain on relationships, behaviour can become difficult to understand and parents/carers can find they are left feeling stuck. Furthermore, peer pressure, impact of social media and exam stress during this developmental phase can add to potentiality challenging dynamics. Teenage mental health continues to be of paramount importance in a fast paced world.
It can be hard and feel embarrassing for teens to ask for support or to talk with someone, but with the offer of a confidential, non judgemental space, it can sometimes help. Therapeutic sessions for adolescents are often different to the sessions with younger children and are tailored to the needs of the individual.
I have experience of helping adolescents from various backgrounds, circumstances and presenting worries, such as;
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Anxiety
Feeling sad
Self harm
Stress
Bullying
Peer pressure
Trauma
Identity
Low Self esteem
Lack of confidence
Parental/Carer Separation
Attachment needs
Separation from family
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I also have experience of working with children & adolescents living in foster care and adoptive families.
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