Children and Young People's Service

Psychotherapy and Counselling for Children and Young People

In the ordinary course of growing up many children and young people experience emotional difficulties which can result in upset and worry to themselves, their families and sometimes others around them. These experiences can affect the development of the child or young person. Psychodynamic Counselling and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy aim to assist the child, young person or parent in exploring and resolving these kinds of difficulties. In therapy young children often communicate through play, while for teenagers therapy and counselling more often involve talking things through.

The service
The Children and Young People’s Service at the Scottish Institute of Human Relations offers both assessment and treatment to those between the ages of 0-19 years. We also offer consultations with parents, carers, some young adults and statutory and voluntary agencies who work with children.

Who are the therapists and counsellors?
The service is staffed by a highly professional group of psychoanalytic psychotherapists and psychodynamic counsellors. Many are experienced practitioners in the Health Service or Local Authorities. All are either members of the Association of Child Psychotherapists and/or have completed trainings at the Scottish Institute of Human Relations. They are committed to the codes of practice and ethics outlined by the Association of Child Psychotherapists and the Scottish Institute of Human Relations.

What sort of referrals are appropriate?
Emotional problems in children can occur at all ages. They get expressed in different ways. In babies and very young children problems may centre around eating, sleeping, toileting, separation difficulties, clingy behaviour or tantrums. The child may simply not seem to be making progress. Slightly older children may become anxious, upset, sad, aggressive, withdrawn, fail to play or make friends to an extent which gives cause for concern to the adults around them. In teenagers and students there may be evidence of depression, loss of interest, trouble at school or college. The young person might resort to self-harming in a variety of ways. He/she may fail to mix with other young people, get into "bad company" or minor law breaking.
There may be known worries in the family or at school, the child may have been a bully or victim to bullying. There may have been losses and bereavements that the child or young person has found difficult to accept and come to terms with. There may be difficulties with siblings. There may be no known cause. The initial consultation can help to ascertain what the problem might be and what sort of help might be suitable.

Who can make referrals?
The service is confidential and referrals can be made by parents, carers, G.P.’s, other medical practitioners, psychologists, social workers and others with the permission of the child’s carers. Teenagers and students may refer themselves, although most will require the support of their parents.

What happens when a referral is made?
It may be helpful to discuss the situation over the telephone initially. Then a preliminary interview can be arranged with the parents or carers alone, or along with the child or young person. Each interview, consultation or treatment session lasts 50 minutes. If an assessment for treatment is agreed this usually requires another 1 to 4 meetings at the end of which a decision about further consultation or treatment can be made. Sometimes these assessments are therapeutic and sufficient in themselves for the child or family to clarify the problem and find their way forward. Sometimes further work is required. If this is the case the work may take a variety of forms:

Individual psychoanalytic psychotherapy
While some children may benefit from once weekly sessions, others might need more intensive input which could be from twice to five weekly sessions. If a child or teenager is in individual psychotherapy, parents or carers are seen on a less frequent basis in order to support both them and the child’s therapy
Psychodynamic counselling of parents, young person or family
This may be short or long term, Work with parents may be in parallel with individual psychotherapy/counselling for the child or further exploratory consultation without direct work with the child.
Under 5’s brief therapy
Parents and babies or very young children can be seen together for brief therapy. This is usually up to 5 sessions.
In each form of treatment regular appointments are arranged and the commitment to these is considered to be an important aspect of treatment. Efforts are made to arrange these at mutually convenient times. Where children are undergoing individual treatment every effort is made to work in close conjunction with the family and carers and to respect the wide variations between families and ordinary ways of parenting that exist. If the child’s difficulties are causing concern outside home, perhaps at school o in the community, consultation can also be undertaken with other services.

Consultation to other agencies
Where an organisation or representative of an agency has made the referral, consultation with that agency or another who has responsibility for the child may be the agreed way forward. The service offers consultation to social services, G.P.’sm psychologists and teachers working in schools, nurseries or other agencies who work directly with children and young people.

Fees
Fees are fixed at a rate that is reviewed annually. Please contact the office to enquire about the current rate. In some cases of low family income, financial assistance may be available through the Scottish Child Psychotherapy Trust - click here.

How to refer - Please telephone or write to:
The Children and Young People's Service, SIHR Edinburgh. Click here for details.