Counselling is an intervention that children or young people can voluntarily enter into if they want to explore, understand and overcome issues in their lives which may be causing them difficulty, distress and/or confusion. A counselling relationship has identified boundaries and an explicit contract agreed between the young person, counsellor and, where appropriate, parent or carer.
Good mental and emotional wellbeing is an integral part of children and young people’s holistic development. When this development is inhibited, counselling can be an effective and important resource.
The aims of counselling are to:
- assist the child or young person to achieve a greater understanding of themselves and their relationship to their world
- to create a greater awareness and utilisation of their personal resources
- to build their resilience
- and to support their ability to address problems and pursue personally meaningful goals.
