CHILD AND ADOLESCENT HEALTH

My Experience

 

I have over twenty years experience of working with children and adolescents in a number of different environments, including on a one-to-one basis, with families, and in schools. I am able to build trusting relationships with them which is essential for a successful therapeutic outcome. It also enables me to build relationships between the young person and the family unit without breaking their confidence, as well as where necessary, with schools. This in turn has a number of additional benefits for the success of the therapeutic intervention. 

 

My Research

 

My Doctoral research was primarily focused on child and adolescent health, based upon developing a model of working with young people that is grounded in theory that has had European, and more recently, Worldwide success. Specific themes were identified in this research which I have taken and rigorously researched within the context of the UK and our young people. These include: Sleep, Physical Activity, Nutrition and Hydration, Relationships and Motivation. Whilst this list may not encompass the specific difficulties your child or adolescent is facing, they do however all influence their overall health and wellbeing. By combining this information with my in-depth knowledge of developmental theories and the teenage brain I am able to work with the majority of presenting issues to bring about positive change. 

 

Examples of my work with young people

 

I have worked with children who struggle to form relationships with their peers, those who have adverse eating behaviours, children and adolescents with health conditions that mean that they do not adhere to their medication and are often self-conscious about appearing to be different, young people who engage in risky behaviours including alcohol, smoking and substance use, GCSE and A-Level students who struggle with perfectionism and worry, and those who lack self-confidence or are anxious in social or educational environments. 

 

How do I work?

 

My model of working involves an initial 90-minute Assessment and Formulation session where I gain an overview of the young person’s presenting problem and gather all the necessary information to make a thorough Assessment of them and what they are hoping to achieve. We then work together to design a six-week therapeutic intervention that meets their exact needs. This may be solely psychological, but will often entail addressing physical needs too, for example ways to improve nutrition and hydration or sleep. 

 

The Assessment and Formulation session will be followed by six weeks of weekly 50-minute face to face or online therapeutic sessions to work through the intervention. This will often involve the young person engaging in tasks throughout the week in order to gain the maximum benefits from the intervention. These could include keeping sleep or nutrition diaries, or completing mood charts. Where it would be beneficial, I also deliver interventions within the child's school to provide strategies for themselves and their teachers to improve their experience of school. The overall aim is always to ensure the young person’s goals are met within the six weeks and that they are equipped with the tools to continue to move forwards.