Tracy

When I work with children/young people I may invite the parent/guardian of the child into (part of) the first session to enable me to carry out an assessment which involves history taking, and an exploration of current issues. Therapy with young people works best when it is collaborative, and parents/guardians are an important part of the process. Therefore active participation is required from parents/caregivers and a positive partnership between you and I means that we become allies in your child/adolescents’ positive mental health. My aim is to motivate and empower parents to recognise their child’s needs, strengths and resources, and encourage them to take an active role in changing things for the better. When working with a child I am there to hear their concerns, and attend to their agenda. I do not work towards an adult-oriented outcome. Parenting is not an easy job – and sometimes we need support to recognise, then focus, on where the child is coming from. Counselling theory recognises that ‘misbehaviour’ or ‘acting out’ in children is a coping strategy, and that the behaviour we see is often not the problem – but the child’s solution to the problem, their attempt at communicating that an emotional need may not being met appropriately, be this at home, at school, in the community ……….

When working with couples I offer an initial 90 minute assessment followed by weekly 60 minute sessions. I will also have individual sessions with a couple early in the work and at a later stage if necessary to ensure you receive best practice from me. Couples usually are drawn to therapy when there is conflict, feelings of disconnection, and/or when communication becomes difficult. Often I support couples with intimacy concerns, and during times of transition and work with those navigating infertility, betrayal/affairs – and struggles managing parenting issues. All couples are welcome and therapy is about exploration, collaberation and a commitment to work on what you would like for your relationship, receiving support -and psychoeducation if required in some areas. Please get in touch if you are considering support.

Tracy and Peter

Adults can begin working with us following our first contact if you wish – you may have been referred to us, received a recommendation regarding our services from someone you trust, or may be curious about how we could work together after checking out the information provided here…..
At our first session together we will discuss what might be causing you distress, we can check what issues you would like to work on, and we will explore together what you would like to achieve from counselling. If you feel comfortable, and we establish that we are the most appropriate person for you to work with, then we usually suggest we meet weekly. We would review our work regularly to check you are getting what you want from counselling. Our work together might be short or long term, dependent on your needs and what is most useful.