Young People Counselling

Childhood and the teenage years can be a tough time for many young people. Concerns include being bullied at school, exam stress, relationship difficulties, loneliness, self-harming, bereavement, drugs, or alcohol.

If you are a young person experiencing a challenging time in your life or a parent worried about your child’s behaviour, mental health or wellbeing, a counsellor with specialist training can provide the required support in a safe, supportive and non-judgmental environment.

At OK Talk, we have extensive experience of working with young people and with schools.

From the outset, a highly skilled OK Talk Counsellor will establish a relationship with the young person built on trust so that they feel truly able to explore their emotions, thoughts and experiences.

The only people present during the counselling sessions are the counsellor and the young person. If the parent or guardian has not booked a consultation with a counsellor before, they are able to stay in the room for the first few minutes to sign the paperwork before leaving so that the counselling session can begin in private.

It is important to state that in line with the strict code of ethics, nothing is shared by the counsellor to anyone outside of the counselling sessions unless that counsellor is genuinely concerned about the safety and wellbeing of the young person seeking their support.

It is important that the young person attends weekly counselling sessions for a minimum of six weeks to ensure there is a genuine commitment to the process. This helps to build and strengthen the relationship which, in turn, improves the quality of the therapeutic process so that lasting change can be achieved.

For every session, the young person is asked to complete a short questionnaire about how they have been feeling over the previous week. This review process helps to measure progress and ensure the counselling sessions stay on track. The parent or guardian can be informed about how the sessions are going, but only with the young person’s prior consent and knowledge of what is to be discussed.

What young people say …

I’ve had a very good experience. I’ve found it easy to talk and open up and I feel supported. The techniques I’ve been given has been very helful and has already started to benefit me and help my mental health. I feel safe and comfortable talking here. Thank you.

I have found my counselling really helpful, because it has given me lots of techniques that I can use anywhere at any time when needed. Also they have been ejoyable as well which made a big difference.

It was good because we had fun and I learned that I was overreacting a lot when I though school was bad.

I have found it really helpful and I have felt a lot more confident with going out and doing stuff I wouldn’t normaly do. I have also become a lot less anxious coming into school and going out places. I have done a lot more since I have started these sessions and I liked a lot of them. It has made me a lot happier coming into school.

I have found my counselling very helful and it has really changed my character and my thoughts a lot and I would totally recommend it to other people who are having a hard time.

From my sessions I have really been able to learn more about OCD and gain lots of strategies that work for me. I have seen progression from when I first started the sessions and I can use these strategies to help me in the future.

I am 15 years old and have loved having counselling with Marina. I still have a long way to go, but she has helped me with trauma, coping strategies, understanding my brain and much more. She is a wonderful person that is always smiling and is always there to give suggestions, feedback or just a listening ear. She has made me realise many things and answered all my questions. I will miss her very much!

I have found my sessions really helpful. I feel like I can say anything and I am not getting judged at all. I feel really comfortable talking and I have definitely improved my mental health. I have even picked up tips on how my mind works and I can link my emotions with the reason why I am feeling like that.

Fun sessions and activities. I could talk to Marina about anything and it really helped instead of bottling it up. I didn’t have to worry about anybody else finding out about my issues. Counselling helped me through my problems. We played fun games that explored my feelings and emotions.

What parents say …

I would highly recommend OK Talk Counselling for young persons counselling needs, my daughter has benefited a lot from her sessions.

Our son has definitely made progress and come out of a really dark place over the past few months.

We have noticed a difference in our daughter. She is more sociable spending time with us and not in her room.

My daughter seems to be in a much better place since the sessions began/have finished. She said that they definitely helped with her confidence and for being able to deal with negative thoughts. I am very grateful for what you have done.