Support for parents, carers and families
Parents and carers can seek support for many reasons. You may be worried about a child’s mood, behaviour, relationships or development, or be trying to understand changes within the family. At other times, you may want a confidential space to think about your own responses and how best to support your child.
Consultation provides an opportunity to step back, consider what may be happening and identify a helpful way forward.
Reasons parents or carers seek support
Parents and carers may seek consultation when a child or young person is experiencing anxiety, low mood, difficulties at school, changes in behaviour, problems with sleep or eating, relationship difficulties, bereavement, trauma, family separation or other significant changes.
Support may also be useful when parenting feels stuck, conflict has increased or familiar approaches no longer seem effective. You do not need to have a clear explanation before getting in touch.
How consultation works
An initial consultation gives us time to discuss your concerns, the relevant history and what has already been tried. Consultations may involve one or both parents or carers and, where helpful, other family members.
Depending on your circumstances, we may agree a small number of consultations, ongoing parent work, an assessment of the child or young person, or another form of support or referral. The approach is considered individually and reviewed as the work develops. Meetings may take place in person or online where suitable.
Work alongside a child’s therapy
When a child or younger adolescent is in psychotherapy, meetings with parents or carers can form an important part of the work. These meetings provide space to think about developments at home, the child’s wider circumstances and how treatment is progressing.
The purpose and frequency of parent meetings are agreed at the outset and reviewed when needed. The aim is to support the child’s treatment while respecting the privacy they need for therapy to be effective.
Confidentiality
Parent and carer consultations are confidential. Where I am also working with a child or young person, I will explain how information is handled and what may or may not be shared between sessions.
I would only need to act outside the usual boundaries of confidentiality if I had serious concerns about someone’s safety or welfare, or where disclosure was required by law. These limits will be discussed clearly at the beginning of the work.
If you would like to discuss whether consultation may be helpful, please get in touch.