Elaine Hutchinson

My therapeutic sessions are 40 minutes and I work the following days and hours (subject to availability).  I offer face to face sessions and Zoom teletherapy.

Mondays: 1230-1930

Tuesdays: 1230-1930

Wednesdays: 1230-1930

Thursdays: 1000-1930

Fridays: 1000-1930

Saturdays: 0900-1230

Hi, I'm Elaine. I'm a child therapist & adolescent therapist who supports children, teens & their families to manage big feelings, stressful situations and other life challenges. 

I work with children & young people aged 3-18 (as well as some adults) and support them with a huge range of issues from anxiety and worries about school, fostering and adoption, to trauma, bereavement, sexual abuse and domestic violence, covering pretty much everything you can think of in-between. 

 I'm an accredited play therapist who offers play & creative arts therapy, TraumaPlay and AutPlay (for children and teens with ASD) and I have a therapy dog too.

The therapy I provide is totally client-led, with very few boundaries; your child or teen can play, build things, draw things, make clay art, use construction kits & Lego, share their world in a sand tray & talk (or not) as the mood takes them. I can help your child learn about their emotions, how to manage them positively & explore worrying issues & events.

My specialist areas of training are trauma, PTSD, bereavement and other adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). I support children and young people with ASD and PANDAS and I am one of very few AutPlay and TraumaPlay practitioners in the UK. Often I work with Orca, the therapy dog, using animal-assisted therapy (AAT) if clients would like that.

Generally, I will do an intake meeting with parents, carers or key adults ahead of meeting the client.  This is usually over the phone or via Zoom, which gives plenty of opportunities for us to discuss anything important and address any questions, worries or concerns ahead of the first session as well plan hoped-for outcomes for therapy.

If it is helpful, we can have a quick 'intro' session via Zoom before you come to my room with your child or teen, so they have had the opportunity to meet me and see if therapy is for them.

I like to meet you all as you come to the first session either outside or in the main reception so you can meet 'me' and I can meet 'you' before we have to put on masks.

Depending on the age of your child or teen and how they feel about coming to therapy, the first session can be all of us together or just myself and the client, when (and if) they feel ready.

The session is a very light, easy, client-led session and is all about getting to know each other a little and for them to feel safe and familiar with me and my room.